Did you recently take on (or consider) a loan of 84 months or longer on a car purchase?
A reporter would like to speak with you about your experience; please reach out to PR@Edmunds.com by 7/22 for details.
Options

Mazda3 Real World MPG

1…6791112…20

Comments

  • autonomousautonomous Member Posts: 1,769
    Personally, I think Mazda is too similar to Ford in every way.
    Really? I don't see the similarity. For example, which Ford product resembles a Mazdaspeed3, Mazdaspeed6, RX8 or Miata?
  • sshprsshpr Member Posts: 13
    Funny you mentioned Ford. Checked my oil today to see if possible they put to much in which could reduce mileage. It was spot on, but noticed the dip stick had FoMoCo stamped on it. I test drove a 4cyl manual Fusion when they first came out and was impressed. Got my issue of Consumer Reports today and they are giving both the Fusion and the Milan a solid red for reliability. The Ford 500 was even more impressive but with only a 3.0 v6 was a bit underpowered and noisy. The 500 offers very good mileage(only 1mpg less than Fusion) for the size of the car and gets a Gold award in safety. They need a good motor/automatic combination to really make the car world class. If Ford and Mazda can't find or figure out how to get decent MPGs with automatic transmissions then they will find themselves in the same boat as Oldsmobile.
  • ex_tdierex_tdier Member Posts: 277
    Really? I don't see the similarity. For example, which Ford product resembles a Mazdaspeed3, Mazdaspeed6, RX8 or Miata

    Management style, customer service, reliability...
  • claudius753claudius753 Member Posts: 138
    I had the 5AT 3 from December 19 and I contacted them about the mileage around January 19. Took it to service, and noticed the sound that z71bill talks about, and explained to the sales guy that I did not feel comfortable staying with the car, and was cut a pretty good deal on getting a manual 3. It was about a month, 1100 total miles on the clock.

    Got $18,500 on trade, plus $500 Mazda dealer cash, so $19,000 plud I got the manual 3 at invoice. I am happy with the deal.

    If you have driven a manual in the past and even remotely enjoyed it, you would love the 3 in a manual. It is a very fun car, and I have already improved by 3+ mpg in worse conditions and a less broken in vehicle. Too bad I didn't save the money in the first place.
  • mz6greyghostmz6greyghost Member Posts: 1,230
    Management style, customer service, reliability...

    That's every automaker, not just Ford or Mazda.
  • sshprsshpr Member Posts: 13
    So I have to ask, did the dealer attempt to see if there was a problem or did they just accept it as fact that the auto gets poor mileage and offerred you the trade? Was it a 2.3 or 2.0 because your figures would put me at a considerable loss? What did they try if anything?
  • claudius753claudius753 Member Posts: 138
    The dealer did try to see if anything was wrong, but they couldn't find anything.

    Both models were 2.3l hatches. It did end up costing me more money, but because of the special interest rate Mazda was offering, monthly payments and total amount I will pay is the same.
  • ex_tdierex_tdier Member Posts: 277
    That's every automaker, not just Ford or Mazda.

    Not to the same degree as Mazda or Ford. Each manufacturer has their own ranking. I suspect these two are pretty much equally low.
  • claudius753claudius753 Member Posts: 138
    Second tank in the new 5MT 2.3l Mazda3 Hatch now at 400 miles clocked on the odo. It has been in the low 20's to mid teens (23-15 F) most of the drives. This time it was 100% city, with a lot of fairly agressive driving, over mountains, hard acceleration at 3/4 throttle to 5,500 rpm. I just couldn't resist the allure of the engine and transmission combo. I can't wait till I can finally go WOT to red line and see what it feels like.

    204.0 miles on 9.803 gallons = 20.81 mpg. Not at all bad considering the conditions.
  • tournasty47tournasty47 Member Posts: 1
    If I can ask, how much did the new intake manifold run you? I went in for the exact same problem you described and they gave the exact same diagnosis. I'm have trouble believing that the quoted price for an intake manifold is really $900.
  • dudleyrdudleyr Member Posts: 3,469
    Has anybody with a 3s stick shift done a long highway trip at 65-70 to see what the mpg is? Seems like a lot of faster driving is being reported.
  • z71billz71bill Member Posts: 1,986
    My car only has 25K miles - so its still under warranty -

    $900 does seem like a lot of money -

    Have you had it fixed yet?
    Did it do any good?
    Did you try and get Mazda to pay for it out of warranty?
  • jc22jc22 Member Posts: 17
    Thanks for Andreas of Mazda3Forums I was able to unlock my trip computer on my 07 Mazda 3. It works for 06 too!

    1. Press and hold down CD and AM/FM buttons
    2. Start your car while still pressing down on those buttons
    3. The display will read, "DIS ON" which means Driver Information System On.
    4. Release the CD and AM/FM buttons
    5. Turn off and restart the car
    6. Now press the Set button and cycle through your avg. mpg, miles until empty, current mpg!

    Now you can truly know your Real MPG numbers!

    Please pass this info to others!

    JC
  • silvermzda3silvermzda3 Member Posts: 17
    Cool, i went down on my break and wow i have a trip computer. a nice little bonus. Thanks for the post!
  • godaddy1godaddy1 Member Posts: 15
    Sweet hack!!! :shades:
    I have 07 3i Touring & works like a charm. The only thing to add to your great instructions is to 1st make sure the radio is ON or you will NOT get the "DIS ON" message - maybe it was just me :blush: !
  • ex_tdierex_tdier Member Posts: 277
    I didnt read through the 420+ posts here, but is there a list of real world numbers for the 3 posted here or elsewhere?
  • mrblonde49mrblonde49 Member Posts: 626
    Pretty cool, thanks. Worked like a charm for me (06 S touring MT).

    The avg MPG (Which I assume has been tracked by the ECU for the life of the car, since it came on right away, before I moved) is 25.8. Right where I had been tracking it on an excel sheet, whenever I remember to. Looks more accurate than others I have had
  • claudius753claudius753 Member Posts: 138
    Mine shows 19.4 average, average speed 24 mph. The sensor for the current mpg is crazy. Mine was going from 2.5 mpg when I was accelerating to 99.9 when I was going down a hill. I'm not quite sure how something that jumps up and down every second is useful, but the average lifetime mpg is pretty useful. Is there a way to change the refresh rate on the current mpg so it averages over like 5 seconds or so instead of wildly going from 20 mpg to 50 or 70 back to 15 every second?

    I didn't get to measure the actual mileage on my first tank, but so far my average has been 21.86 over the life of the car using the actual miles / gallons calculation, so it is a little pessimistic on mine at least.
  • dudleyrdudleyr Member Posts: 3,469
    Actually the instant mpg is very usefull. Whenever you see it dip down to 2 mpg make a note not to do whatever you were doing, and your mpg will improve.

    Out of curiousity - can anybody with a stick shift 3S tell me what the instant mpg is at a steady and level 60 mph indicated. Just curious about the optimum mpg at a slow speed.

    Thanks
  • claudius753claudius753 Member Posts: 138
    Ahh, don't do what I was doing, so that means don't go up any hills, even moderate ones?

    Even with cruise control on, at 60 mph on flat ground, the reading fluctuates from 20 mpg to 58 mpg. It takes its readings too often, at least on mine. The very slightest incline causes it to go to 20, inclines so slight, I've never really noticed them as an incline until the DIS dips to 20 mpg in the same place every time.
  • mrblonde49mrblonde49 Member Posts: 626
    Out of curiousity - can anybody with a stick shift 3S tell me what the instant mpg is at a steady and level 60 mph indicated. Just curious about the optimum mpg at a slow speed. "

    I'll try to play around with it more, but when I had it on cruise and flat ground, going maybe 65, I think it was in the high 40's. Stayed steady for a bit, but then traffic intervened
  • tomkozskitomkozski Member Posts: 39
    I have a 2006 3i with manual transmission, bought 07/2006. Unlock was succesful. Average mpg since I bought the car (have 10,100 miles on it) according to the trip computer is 32 mpg, with an average speed of 32 mph.
  • mrblonde49mrblonde49 Member Posts: 626
    "I'll try to play around with it more, but when I had it on cruise and flat ground, going maybe 65, I think it was in the high 40's. Stayed steady for a bit, but then traffic intervened "

    I tried a little more yesterday. Had it on cruise at 71 MPH, I had it stay steady at 35.3 for a while
  • davidbisedavidbise Member Posts: 3
    AEWSOME!!! I just stumbled across this thread by Google search on my Mazda 3. I just ran out and tried it and it does work! One question though? How do you reset it back to show the current time? Will it reset on its own? Also, I have one of the K&N air filters and it improves gas mileage. Thanks.
  • tomkozskitomkozski Member Posts: 39
    To have the clock display, just press the 'Clock' button. To go back to the trip computer, press 'Set.' Works in my '06 3i.
  • davidbisedavidbise Member Posts: 3
    Thanks!!! This is really cool. I have had my Mazda 3 for a year now and didnt know all this. When I bought it I was a little sad that I thought it didnt have a trip odomoter like by previous car had.
  • davidbisedavidbise Member Posts: 3
    Also I dont think anyone posted or has found, that if you press and hold the "set" button, it will reset the computer to 0 for trips and such!
  • smallcar1smallcar1 Member Posts: 76
    What mileage do you get w/ the 3S auto and under what type of driving conditions?

    Since you have both the 3S and the Civic how much difference is there in mileage and performance between the two?
  • sandman46sandman46 Member Posts: 1,798
    The city mileage on the Mazda is in the low 20's but my wife doesn't keep a steady pressure on the accelerator like most drivers. More of a hold and release driving style which I find very annoying. I don't even mention it anymore as she says she was taught to drive that ludicris way and doesn't plan to change. I find that I'm getting in the high 20's mostly with the Civic. It mostly sees short city driving and the mileage is still under 6k right now.
    Performance wise, the 3 blows the Civic away! It's like driving a sports car or a carnival ride. You just have to touch it and zoom...you're gone. Shifts are almost unnoticed also up the power band. Puts a smile on my face everytime I get into it. The Civic is surprisingly zippy for a 1.8 liter engine. Not as fast or smooth as the 3, but I drive it accordingly. I've learned to adapt my driving style to it and try to stay under 3000 rpm's when accelerating. Very satisfying to drive, but not as much fun as the 3.
    We bought each car for a different reason though. The wife wanted a car that could get up and go when needed and I wanted a car with great gas mileage with great reliability, as I drive less miles per year and plan to keep the car till I retire within the next 5 to 7 years.

    The Sandman :)
  • ex_tdierex_tdier Member Posts: 277
    Dunno if it was mentioned here before, but I believe it was [consumer reports] showed the 3 gets about 25% lower mileage in the city than government tests and about 20% better mileage on the highway (if you don't go over 60mph).

    It's also interesting on what tire pressure you have. There are two thoughts, go with what is on the door jam or what the tire dealers say. In my case, I am to use 33 PSI all around, while tire dealers say that's too low. It shoud be around 35/36. While the dealer tends to put in around 34PSI all around. This too can affect the mileage.
  • claudius753claudius753 Member Posts: 138
    http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/calculatorSelectYear.jsp

    According to the estimate, the 3 gets 22 city 30 highway with the new procedures. Sounds just about right with my experience.
  • dudleyrdudleyr Member Posts: 3,469
    I am not crazy about the new procedures. I think they need a higher highway number. From what I understand 35 mpg is quite easy to get with a manual 3. Saying it only gets 30 mpg on the highway is very misleading.

    Basically they could keep the new numbers, but call them city, and suburban and use the old highway number for highway driving. If you are truely driving all highway miles the old highway numbers were very easy to beat in most vehicles.

    I know there is a range of numbers in fine print, but it seems nobody reads these the way they complain about mpg.
  • autonomousautonomous Member Posts: 1,769
    From what I understand 35 mpg is quite easy to get with a manual 3. Saying it only gets 30 mpg on the highway is very misleading.

    I think this depends in part on whether we are talking about the Mazda3 2.0 or the 2.3 litre. Not surprisingly, the smaller engine is more efficient (rated at 24/32) compared to the larger one which comes in at 22/30 as you say. The other part, of course, is the driver. I agree that one can beat these numbers if one drives "as if your mother were in the car" (to quote Motorweek). ;)
  • fugufishfugufish Member Posts: 4
    Yes. I have had my 06 3S GT 5-speed since May and do a lot of highway driving (21K on the clock). The sweet spot seems to be around 64 MPH. With the cruise on, I average about 33-34 mpg. Driving 64 MPH on my local interstate is taking your life in your hands though as the average cruising speed is 75-85+

    If I cruise at 70 the mpg will drop to around 31.

    I did a 2000 mile round trip and the numbers stayed consistent.

    My averages have dropped to 29-30 mpg during the winter months.
  • fugufishfugufish Member Posts: 4
    www.brianbauer.org has a database of "real-world" mpg numbers for the 3 and other vehicles.here
  • gds1gds1 Member Posts: 2
    I have about 45,000 miles on my 3 now and I check my mileage every time I fill up. Only twice have I gotten below 30mpg and both of those were 29mpg. I drive mostly rural roads with few stops. I don't speed but I would consider my driving style as somewhat spirited. I'm shocked when I read people getting in the teens or low 20's. Fast highway driving (75mph+) gets me the worse mileage but overall I average between 30 and 33mpg. I've not had a single problem with my 3 either, it's been a great car!
  • mazdaboy2mazdaboy2 Member Posts: 12
    Here is the monthly data for my first year with the 2006 3i Touring MT. Conditions have been quite consistent: 75% highway, mostly at cruise 63 with no passengers, and the rest short trips and congestion with 0 to 2 passengers.
    Right now it has about 14K miles.

    Month MPG

    March06 31.7
    April06 36.0
    May06 36.2
    June06 36.3
    July06 35.1
    Aug06 37.5
    Sept06 36.8
    Oct06 34.9
    Nov06 33.6
    Dec06 33.3
    Jan07 33.1
    Feb07 31.6

    The MPG seems to correlate closely with temperature, which is the same pattern seen in my last 2 cars. I admit I drive with these nbrs in mind (lots cheaper than buying a hybrid!). I subscribe to the waygrabow philosphy: coasting is a good thing. Overall I am very pleased with the MPG, esp. considering this is a fun-to-drive car for this reasonable price ($16K).
  • acdacd Member Posts: 11
    Since buying my M3i 5M at the end of Sept. 2006, I've gotten close to the EPA estimates 28/35 mpg. Most of my driving is city/suburban less than 10 mile trips. My worst mileage of 26.33 mpg happened with all city driving, cold weather using the heater/defrost (which I found out later automatically uses the compressor). My best mileage of 34.5 mpg came during 25% city/75% highway driving (between 60 and 65 mph). Interstate driving with cruise set on 75 mph (90% of miles) yielded ~33 mpg. With over 6,500 miles on my 3i, I'm pleased with the mpg, and I love the way it drives. :)
  • autonomousautonomous Member Posts: 1,769
    Your driving style sounds like text book EPA, so it should not be a surprise that you're getting close to EPA numbers. :)
    Common sense (and science) tells us that driving that extra 10 miles faster will affect our mpg negatively. It's amusing hearing people complain about poor mileage numbers when they drive as if they were on an F1 track.
  • ex_tdierex_tdier Member Posts: 277
    The MPG seems to correlate closely with temperature, which is the same pattern seen in my last 2 cars

    I recall hearing about this guy a long long time ago that heated his fuel in his Cadillac and he got spectacular gas mileage. Of course, this is dangerous as heck but does explain why we get better mileage in the summer. However, refineries add different additives during the winter months which may have an effect on fuel economy.
  • autonomousautonomous Member Posts: 1,769
    heated his fuel in his Cadillac and he got spectacular gas mileage

    If you have an engine block heater, a common device here in Canada, you are in effect doing something similar. Plugging in the heater a half hour those wintry mornings makes for a smooth drive-off, improves mileage and preserves your car's engine.
  • acdacd Member Posts: 11
    It seems that even the '07 M3i 5M is geared toward performance. An exta overdrive 6th gear might help get better gas mileage on the interstate trips since it runs well over 3000 rpm in 5th gear at 75 mph.
  • z71billz71bill Member Posts: 1,986
    Took the Mazda3 in on Monday for the TAP TAP TAP sound coming from the engine (at idle, auto tranny in gear) plus my low MPG (16-18 MPG)

    TT dealer today & the intake manifold is defective - the valves are bad (I did not know the intake had valves - but I am guessing its some type of butterfly valve)- he also thinks it may be cracked - but will not know this until it is removed from the car. Service rep was sure it is the cause of the TAP TAP noise - but not 100% sure about this being the (only) reason for my low MPG.

    The parts have been ordered - but no delivery date yet - he thinks that it could take "A FEW DAYS" to find the parts. I wonder why no parts are available - but at this point I am just happy that they could find something wrong - and have agreed to fix it.
  • sshprsshpr Member Posts: 13
    Very interesting, You have been great by keeping us up to date on this. I have not tried listening with it in gear. Mine is scheduled for a service at the end of March and I hope to hear back from you on how this repair works out in regards to MPG. I have found my mileage to be about 1 mpg better than the car computer is reporting but 21mpg is the best so far. Daughter took a first highway trip yesterday and very interested to see what she got when she returns tomorrow.
  • godaddy1godaddy1 Member Posts: 15
    I have an 07 3i Touring AT bought in late Jan 07. I have found out that the A/C compressor is enabled if you turn the airflow positioner knob clockwise to (or past it) "feet position" - strangely, the A/C indicator light does NOT come on. :confuse:
    I suggest for those getting low MPG, try turning airflow positioner counter-clockwise from "feet" to avoid running the compressor. :D

    Over 2,800 miles I have averaged 30.8 MPG combined city/hwy (50/50) typical hwy speed 65-74.
  • deer_hunterdeer_hunter Member Posts: 1
    Im thinking about getting a Mazda 3 because I wantt a car with good gas mileage, So what do you guys get in the city and Hwy with your 3s.
  • godaddy1godaddy1 Member Posts: 15
    a post already exists with this info, check out "Mazda3: MPG-Real World Numbers" :)
  • eldainoeldaino Member Posts: 1,618
    hey sand! I know i'm replying to an old post, but i had a question for you; is your 3 equipped with the 5 speed auto? or was it when they were still using the 4 speed even on the 2.3?

    Reason i'm asking is because i was wonering what does the engine turn, say on the highway around 70-80 mph in rpms?
  • sandman46sandman46 Member Posts: 1,798
    I'm not quite sure where the tach is at that speed. Last time I drove it on the highway was about 4 months ago. Will research this further and find out. Usually the wife drives when we take the 3...it's her car, and since my accident, I don't like to drive that much anymore.

    The Sandman :confuse:
  • eldainoeldaino Member Posts: 1,618
    thanks sand. Sorry about your accident! Hope all is well! :)
Sign In or Register to comment.

Helpful Tools

Most popular vehicles