Mazda3 Real World MPG

sandman46 · September 2005

The wearing down of the rear pads is also a main concern for me to. We've never had a car with 4 whell discs before, so I don't know if this is normal or not. It would be nice to have all the brake pads wear at the similar pace or close to it.
It looks like I will be inheriting the car soon as the wife can't see to well on the right side of the car...she's already had 3 near misses and wants to go with me to the South Florida Auto Show next month to find another car. Any car with low head rests and compact size is what she's looking for. Any suggestions? I offered to swap my '03 Sentra with her, as the vision is great, but she wants a car with more power.

The Sandman

autonomous · September 2005

Does replacing rear pads at 20K seem normal?
No and No. Firstly, 20K seems premature wear. Secondly, on a front wheel drive shouldn't most of the braking be happening with the front discs? I would expect the fronts to wear out first.

By way of comparison, my 2002 Mazda Protege5 (also equipped with 4 discs) has exceeded 37K miles (60K km) on the original brakes; I'm hoping they reach 45K miles. I was advised by a Mazda service rep to get brakes lubed annually to ensure they don't bind. I did had that service once but I likely won't do it annually.

aaykay · September 2005

424 miles, 11.5 gallons, equals 37 mpg. Filled up yesterday. About what I expected from my Mazda3S MT.

Going by what others have been reporting, this mileage is incredible to say the least. Almost as if a 100 miles have been added to the true miles, with the gallons remaining constant. So if it were 324 miles (reducing the reported miles by 100) and 11.5 gallons, that would make it around 28-29mpg....sounds more like what everyone else gets...when they drive their 3s conservatively. Of course, you may be getting what you are claiming, even though I personally find it hard to believe....not simply because you have been reporting these incredible mileages (always in the 36+ range, even when driven in a spirited manner with AC) in quite a few of the discussions, repeatedly. JMHO.

z71bill · September 2005

I think waygrabow lives up in the mountains -

I see the lowest MPG when the outside temps are high (95+) with humidity (always high in Houston) I get down to around 16 MPG in these conditions.

In the winter months - temps around 50 degrees - not as much humidity I will get a hair over 20 MPG.

Part of this is the increased AC usage - but I think the engine also runs more efficiently when the air is cooler & dryer - just what you would see up in the mountains.

BTW my MPG are based on 90+% city stop and go.

Karen_S · September 2005

I sent you an email a week or so ago and have not received a reply. Please send me an email at your earliest opportunity.

And no...you are not in trouble.

aaykay · September 2005

I think a normally aspirated (NA) engine (like the Mazda 3S engine) would be wheezing in the mountains, since the air becomes thinner, the higher we go. As we know, the engine needs a mixture of air/fuel to operate....the denser the air, the higher the efficiency. The same applies in summer, when the air heats up and becomes less dense. In the mountains, the NA engine would strain to generate the power that it would normally generate at sea level, and consequently use up more fuel. This is completely different from a Turbo-charged engine, which would not experience the same drop in performance.

pwimsey · September 2005

The best mileage I've gotten on the highway with my 3H AT is 31 mpg (cruise control at 75); for normal driving (which does not involve interstates and includes a 10 mile roundtrip stop-and-go commute), I get about 23 mpg.

I could probably get slightly better mileage if I were more conservative in driving - but I bought the 3 in part because it was fun to drive, so I'm loathe to give that up. Not that there are that many opportunities for fun driving on my commute, anyway.

mdaffron · September 2005

Then drove about 60 miles around town running errands yesterday, and filled up my 2005 Mazda3 hatch (5-speed) this morning. 355 miles, exactly 11 gallons of gas. That's just over 32 mpg. I'm happy, considering I kept up with the average traffic speed on I-95 between Richmond and D.C. amd back again, which meant I was going anywhere from 75 to 90 (in a posted 65-mph zone) the whole trip!!

I also experienced another significant number yesterday. Rolled the odo to 10,000 miles!

BTW, one the errands I performed yesterday was getting all four sets of brake pads replaced on my wife's 2002 Protege5 automatic. The car has 55,000 miles on it and this was her first brake service! The rear inner pads were very thin (they're what prompted me to take the car in) but the outer ones, especially on the front, had appreciably more left on them -- but I went ahead and had everything done and all four rotors turned. I'll be interested to see how many miles I get on my 3's rear pads!

Meade

autonomous · September 2005

all four sets of brake pads replaced on my wife's 2002 Protege5 automatic ... 55,000 miles
Terrific numbers, Meade, and kudos to your better half! Did you want to share details about the brake work, like time, cost ... ? I heard from a talking head that rotors are so inexpensive these days that he recommends them being replaced rather than turned.

mdaffron · September 2005

Tell ya what ... I'll respond, but I'll respond over on the Protege5 discussion where this belongs. Call it a pre-emptive strike against another nastygram ...

Meade

geckozoid · September 2005

I am considering buying a Mazda 3s, 5-speed Hatchback, when the 2006's are available. The idea is to improve on the gas mileage that I get from my 2002 Mustang GT V8 hardtop, 5 speed manual.

While I really like the looks of the Mazda 3 Hatch, and I've read it handles nicely and has sufficient power, I am disappointed with what I am reading here as far as Mazda 3 mileage goes. My Mustang gets 28-29 when I'm strictly on the highway or freeway, at 65 - 70 mph. I get 23-24 mpg combined (about 60/40 highway/city). And 18-19 city with no highway or freeway miles. Note that 5th gear in the Mustang is a very "tall" overdrive ratio which greatly enhances gas mileage. I also run the AC most of the time in spring/summer/fall as it is quite hot and humid here in sourthern Indiana.

Seems to me the real world mileage figures I'm seeing on this board are not a heck of a lot better than I'm getting now. Maybe I'll keep the 'Stang for a few more years and see what develops in the way of higher gas-mileage cars.

herrkaleu · September 2005

on the highway you won't notice much difference......but in city/suburban driving you will.
My Mazda 3 hatchback manual transmission gets 27
MPG in the city (Madison WI.... cruising around on hte westside... if anyone wants to know). Havn't had opportunity to get highway mileage.
the car is only 1600 miles "old"... so it could get better. (AC was runing all the time)
I try to stay below 2000 rpm.... but accelerating at stop lights sometimes yields up to 3000 rpm. More rpm are only reached when I need to show one of those domestic "wanna be sport cars" what a car is :-)
In my opinion 160 hp are too much... the car would drive well with 130 hp too. but mileag would be better....
but, that car is comaprable to a Camry or Accord... so the mileage is OK

mdaffron · September 2005

Gecko ...

Thank you for letting us be your audience while you answered your own question!

:P

In 10,000 miles I've been getting roughly 27 in town and 32-33 on the highway, running a/c constantly, in my 2005 Mazda3 hatch with 5-speed and a heavy foot!

Meade

geckozoid · October 2005

Thanks to both mdaffron and herrkaleu for the feedback. Indeed, the city mileage figures will make a very big difference. Even with $3 gas I can't make a case for getting rid of the Mustang ... yet. The Mazda 3 is at very top of my list for when I do make my move. Fortunately I have plenty of time to obsess before I buy. Anyone consider the Pontiac Vibe / Toyota Matrix?

Karen_S · October 2005

Use the Browse by Vehicle search to your left to find topics concerning Pontiac Vibe/Toyota Matrix.

chacobleu · October 2005

Som of Edmunds Long-term test mules to compare MPG

Scion tc 2.4L I-4 5MT
Current Odometer: 10,862
Best Fuel Economy: 31.6 mpg
Worst Fuel Economy: 21.6 mpg
Average Fuel Economy (over the life of the vehicle): 21.6 mpg

Volvo XC90 SUV T6 AWD 4AT
Final Odometer Reading: 28,565
Best Fuel Economy: 19.6 mpg
Worst Fuel Economy: 15.1 mpg
Average Fuel Economy: 17.7 mpg

Chevy Cobalt 2.2L I-4 4AT
Current Odometer: 1,569
Best Fuel Economy: 27.3 mpg
Worst Fuel Economy: 20.2 mpg
Average Fuel Economy (over the life of the vehicle): 24.9 mpg

VW Jetta 2.5L I-5 6AT
Current Odometer: 1,269
Best Fuel Economy: 21 mpg
Worst Fuel Economy: 15 mpg
Average Fuel Economy (over the life of the vehicle): 17.7 mpg

Honda Accord 2.4L I-4 5MT
Best Fuel Economy: 30.0 mpg
Worst Fuel Economy: 14.5 mpg
Average Fuel Economy: 24.1 mpg

VW Jetta owners might as well be driving an SUV instead  their MPG is comparable to Volvos SUV. Ok, ok, so the VW is not yet broken in. On the other hand, nor does the VW have a turbo, awd, and a 4 speed auto (vs. VW 6 speed auto).

Note: the Scion tc average fuel economy doesn't make sense; IMO should be higher (3-4 mpg) based strictly on the info presented

mdaffron · October 2005

I looked first here at Edmunds, but they don't have a Mazda3 in their long-term test fleet. Motor Trend magazine is long-term-testing one, however, a 2005 Mazda3s hatch.

Their average fuel economy is 24.4 mpg, placing it in second place right behind the Cobalt here.

Meade

waygrabow · October 2005

I stopped posting here because it appeared that people had heard enough about excellent gas mileage. Now a neighbor of mine has bought a new 2006 Mazda3s MT, and he says that he gets about the same gas mileage as I do. The worst gas mileage that my Mazda3s MT has registered in the past year is about 35mpg. The car now has almost 25,000 miles, but even on the first tankfull the Mz3 got 30mpg.

mdaffron · October 2005

I hate to debate you, Wayne, but no freakin' way. I live in Virginia too, I drive a 3s MT (hatch -- but no big difference there), and in 10,700 miles I've only averaged about 27 mpg. The highest I ever got was on an all-highway trip to Pittsburgh, and in one of the tankfuls that was highway only (and nearly 100% on cruise control), I managed about 33 mpg. There's no way you're getting 35 mpg in everyday driving, unless it's all downhill on interstates. :P Tell me how you measure your gas mileage.

Meade

wilcox · October 2005

I agree....except that...

Maybe the dude only runs his "3" at 40 miles per hour. That could possibly net him 35 mpg (very lowest). Aahaha.

perry99 · October 2005

I have a M3 hatchback 5speed; I'm at 1,216 miles, and my first 4 tanks of gas were:

25.9mpg
25.7mpg
24.6mpg
23.6mpg

This is with half city/half highway, later tanks more city, with little or no "heavy foot." I'm also dubious of 30+ city driving claims....

earlthom · October 2005

Thanks, herrkaleu, for the update. (And yes - I do like to know you're cruising the west side of Madison!) I'm still considering the 3 as a purchase to replace the 30 MPG beater I'm driving a few miles south of you - so keep on posting your results - especially as the weather turns colder.

herrkaleu · October 2005

if you have a 30 MPg beater, you won't save money on gas with a 3.
my mileage goes up and down (which probably depends on hte pump when it shuts up...). Mostly I only get 6-7 gallons to fill up (since i always try to buy when gas is cheap :-). then I have 24-30 MPG (some pumps shut up sonner, some later... though, I mostly get gas at the same station at the same pump)
thursday we go to Fon du Lac... the first long distance trip.... will post results later. the car has 2200 miles now (bought on August 25th), so the current mileage should be the real one since the engine is broken in.

waygrabow · October 2005

(This is why I stopped posting MPG.) What is there to debate? You drive X miles; refill the gas tank with Y gallons of gas; then divide X/Y=mpg. I will be refilling my MZ3 in a few days, but only have about 360 miles so far on this tankfull, so the car still registers a quarter tank to use.

I used to live in Virginia, drive I-95 between Richmond and DC every week, and it is a little different here in Colorado. Most of my driving is in fairly open spaces. Currently I am abiding closely to speed limits; since I have received two speeding tickets this year.

mdaffron · October 2005

Hmmm, that might explain things. When I'm on the highway here in VA (especially between Richmond and D.C., as you no doubt remember), I'm asking for certain death if I try to maintain anything responsibly close to the posted 65-mph limit. My family and I went up to D.C. two weekends ago and I was in the righthand lane of three lanes -- the, er, "slow" lane -- going 80-85 the entire way. Cars in the left lane were passing me as if I were standing still.

Autobahn, yeah, we got that! :surprise:

Anyway -- if you are maintaining a 55-65 mph rate on the highway, and most of your driving is highway driving, then maybe so. But I still think it's a bit weird that you and you alone are experiencing fuel economy that's four or five mpg higher than anyone else here!

Meade

waygrabow · October 2005

I was glad that my neighbor, with a new 2006 MZ3s MT also reported excellent gas mileage. He told me that he "thought" he got 42 mpg on one tank and 37 mpg on another. I didn't question him on how exactly he measured his mileage. I do know that he does a lot of highway driving. We have a 75mph posted limit on the Interstates here.

Yes, I would like to see more people reporting excellent mileage. I can't believe that I am any exception. I do not drive in stop and go traffic. I get to work at 0630 and leave at 1600, avoiding rush hour. Many years ago I read an article in which they had studied drivers to try to come up with a simple objective test to identify good drivers. They found that the best measure they could derive from their statistics was how often a person used the brakes when driving. I don't know if it makes any difference, but I think about that when driving. I may drive fast, but I don't tailgate and I let off on the gas well before the next red light.

I-95 which I drove on Friday and Sunday nights between DC and Richmond, was a demolition derby. I had a much faster car then. Glad that is over.

autonomous · October 2005

I do not drive in stop and go traffic. I get to work at 0630 and leave at 1600, avoiding rush hour ...I read an article ... to identify good drivers ... found that the best measure ... was how often a person used the brakes ... I don't tailgate and I let off on the gas well before the next red light.

I agree whole heartedly. Good drivers seem to avoid situations requiring frequent braking.

mdaffron · October 2005

I'd think they'd have to separate the manual-tranny cars from those with automatic transmissions for that kind of test. In stop-and-go, bumper-to-bumper rush-hour traffic, I can put my 5-speed in first (or a similar gear for whatever speed) and crawl along without hardly ever touching the brakes. Not as easy in a car with an automatic!

Meade

dride · October 2005

I do a lot of driving btwn MN and SD. The country is flat as can be, there is little traffic, and I set the cruise at 58. The absolute best gas mileage I have ever had was 380 miles on 11 gallons of gas, which was about 34.5 MPG. I totally attribute it to having the wind at my back. Lately, however, my MPG has dropped to the 28mpg range (70/30 highway/city). My question is: Have they already changed the gas formulas to the "winter blend"? I always get worse mileage in the winter, but not usually until November. Seeing as my driving habits have not changed at all (my wife says I drive like an old lady) there must be something different with the gas I use. I am an Excel geek, so I have a nice spreadsheet set up detailing each fill up, notes about trips, where gas was purchased, octane used, traffic levels, etc... My average since purchase in June is about 30 mpg. It is apparent if you want to save $$$'s on gas, just slow down, break "smarter", and accelerate slower. I understand this is impossible for many people who have to drive fast freeways. Typically I just sit back and laugh when a Tahoe or Expedition blows past me on I-35 when I'm "putzing" at 60, and they pass me like I am standing still. My motto has always been, "people drive as fast as they can afford to." We are long overdue on high gas prices. JMTCW.

z71bill · October 2005

I always thought that "summer" gas gave you less MPG than "winter" gas - in any case I don't see much difference.

Brakes & MPG - is not about being stuck in stop and go traffic - its about the guy that speeds up - then must slow down (hit the brakes) because the of slower cars ahead - then speeds up again only to have to slow down again in a 1/2 a block.

The gas is not being wasted by hitting the brakes - its what comes before (heavy foot on the GAS)

My last tank was 20.3 MPG - first time I have been over 20 in a long time - mostly city driving.

mazda6s · October 2005

Sheesh, I average about 24MPG with my 3.4L Alero in mixed city/freeway driving, and I have a Plutonium foot (Plutonium is heavier than Lead).

pwimsey · October 2005

My gas mileage has remained pretty much the same in the 3500 miles I've had my AT 3 Hatch - about 23 mpg city driving, and 31 on the highway.

Unfortunately, most of my driving is a stop-and-go commute, so most of my mileage is around the 23 mpg mark. Although given that my commute is about 50 miles/week, the cost difference is minor.

Not much opportunity to zoom-zoom, though.

mdaffron · October 2005

I really dogged my 2005 Mazda3 hatch (5-speed) on the last tankful. It was all in-town driving and a lot of stoplight and tollbooth launches. (Fun fun fun!) Even so ...

313 miles, 11.3 gallons ... 27.7 mpg.

Meade

lawrence1 · October 2005

Meade/others
I drive with only moderate "aggression" in town with my M3 Hatch but consistently get between 17 and 19 miles per gallon. Havent tasted 25 yet so I wonder about the large variations posted, even with those who seem to have similar drive conditions and habits.
Some posts have mentioned fixes that have improved their mileage. .
Any suggestions?
Paul

autonomous · October 2005

These are not impressive numbers, lawrence. A few questions for you:
1. Is this an automatic transmission?
2. How many miles do you typically drive per day in the city?
3. How many miles in total does the car have since date of purchase?
4. What percentage of this total was for highway driving?
5. Do you and your mate both drive "with only moderate aggression"?

z71bill · October 2005

I was getting similar numbers most of the summer - since it has cooled off I am now getting just over 20 MPG. From what has been posted these numbers are normal.

My driving style is a little on the fast side - that doesn't help - plus most of my miles are city stop and go.

A few months ago I filled up the Mazda3 & our full size 285 HP V8 - SUV - at the same time - they both got about the same MPG -

So do I have an ECONOMY "gas guzzling" SUV or a GAS GUZZLING "economy" car?

herrkaleu · October 2005

wenton my trip to fon du Lac. Round trip was 180 miles highway. maybe 20 miles of that were still Madison city driving. On ht ehighway I mainly used cruise control at 72 mph when possible. 34.7 MPG.
In city driving here I still average 26-27 MPG (which is hard to tell since I fill up every time gas seems cheap....)
I suppose the EPA numbers are fine for my car (s, MT)

mazda6s · October 2005

Round trip was 180 miles? Madison to Fond du Lac is only about 70 miles one way. :confuse:

Are you on the far west side of mad-town, or did you have some city driving in Fond du Lac too?

herrkaleu · October 2005

we drove a little bit in Fon du Lac too. We live on the west side of Madison. We crossed Madison via the Isthmus (Friday afternoon... but it was still smooth) and came back via the beltline on Highway 12. I guess the gas station where measurement started and ended was the PDQ where Highway PD and Verone Road cross. So, the 34 MPG have some city driving (just a little).
some tanks only yield 25 mpg, though (city only).
The 35 MPG some peopel mention for city driving seem to be unrealistic. At least for the 2.3 l engine. I'm used to stick shift driving (I'm German... and gas is 6$/gallon, you can be sure we try to safe gas over there.... though, the low gas prices here made me be a little sloppy with the 160 hp engine :-)

lawrence1 · October 2005

1) Automatic
2) less than 10 on average (very short commute)
3) 2500 miles since May 05
4) Highway < 10%
5) Yes

But perhaps I see why I may fall a standard deviation or 2 below some others. There is idling time in here as well given the city driving.
Paul

autonomous · October 2005

Now, the picture is much clearer. Driving over 90% of the time in the city on very short commutes (under 10 miles) will seriously affect any car's mpg. Fuel economy was featured in the October 2005 issue of Consumer Reports. The manner in which the EPA rates fuel economy was criticized roundly by CR. One of the criticisms was the under-representation of city driving in the calculation which as you can imagine is where fuel economy really suffers. CR suggests that consumers reduce the EPA estimates by 30% for most cars and trucks. So, one way of raising your mpg is to take a nice long road trip ... if you need relief from the heat, come on up to Canada for a while! :shades:

waygrabow · October 2005

451.6 miles and 12.4 gallons (filled to the point of overflowing). On the previous fill-up my 2004 Mazda3S MT got 35mpg. My neighbor has a 2006 Mazda3S MT and reports averging 35.7 mpg. We live about 8 miles outside of town and don't encounter too much stop-and-go or do many short trips.

z71bill · October 2005

229 miles 12.6 gallons = 18.2 MPG the first time in the last 3-4 tanks that I am below 20 MPG - but I did some pretty hard driving yesterday and that must have dropped me down some. A pesky RSX kept trying to pass me - and finally did when a light turned red - I stopped - he did not.

RSX had one of those "coffee can" things on its tail pipe - is there a more annoying sound? Guess that is the reason they put them on.

mazda6s · October 2005

I figured the big coffee can thing was to compensate for a deficit in some other area.

zurri1 · November 2005

Any thoughts of gas grade and mpg's on the 3's?
With regular = 87 octane
plus = 89 octane
premium = 91+ octace

Unfortunately i got rearended in my new 06 mazda3 this week and i cannot run these tests myself-- as soon as i get my baby back i'll post my findings.

z71bill · November 2005

Unless your engine was designed to run on higher octane gas and assuming your engine is running properly - using it will do nothing to improve your mileage - or power - or make your engine run or idle better. This is just a fact.

Although some people will say that they get better MPG when they use premium - some also claim that premium gives them more power when they tow. The science just does not support their claims.

Octane is not a measure of power - but a measure of a fuels ability to prevent engine knock.

High compression engines need high octane gas to run properly. But using higher octane fuel does not give your engine higher compression.

danigrl88 · November 2005

I've been having a mazda 3i (its an automatic) for about 5 or 6 months...has just over 4,000 miles on it. I've been paying close attention to my gas mileage because i noticed i am filling up once a week. They told me i have a 14.5 gallon tank but im only getting about 260 miles to a tank.

that doesnt add up to very good mileage at all. (about 18.5mpg) What are yalls thoughts on this??

z71bill · November 2005

Not trying to slam you -

The size of your gas tank has nothing to do with MPG -

Fill up your tank

Set the trip odometer to 0 miles

Drive until it is down to 1/4 of a tank or less

Fill up your tank

Divide the miles driven by the number of gallons

This = your MPG

jmills · November 2005

Our 2004-Automatic-5door got 28.82 MPG on the last tank in mixed driving.

The tank size on the Mazda 3 is 13 Gal.

You are possibly experiencing problems getting a consistent tank measurement because the tank is very difficult to fill-I have to be very careful to fill it to the same level each time.

waygrabow · November 2005

411.3 miles divided by 11.04 gallons equals 37+ mpg. Checked the tire inflation pressure and added some air to bring it up to 32 psi from 29 psi. Mainly highway miles on a 2004 3S MT with 25,000 total miles.

Mazda3 Real World MPG

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