The longer we have this car, the happier I am with it. We’ve traveled with 6 people a number of times, hauled quite a few big loads and taken a few trips. It’s pretty well broken-in now, so I think we’ve got a pretty good idea of it’s fuel economy. We drive pretty aggressively around town, so we’re seeing about 22mpg, which I don’t think is all that bad.
On the highway is where the car shines. On our recent trip to Indianapolis (200 miles one way) we got two good data points. On the first tank, which was 200 miles on the interstate and about 60-70 miles around town, we got 29.5mpg (measured by filling the tank, not using a mileage computer). For the return trip, I filled up right before leaving and as soon as we arrived, for a pure highway tank. This tank showed 33mpg! Not bad for a 6-seater!
While I’m at it, I might as well share my records for my previous vehicles for comparison purposes. The first number is the overall mileage and the second is the best tank reported. All models are automatic transmission except where noted.
- 2000 Dodge Dakota Club Cab 2WD 3.9L V6: 15.48/20.85
- 2001 Saturn SL1 1.9L SOHC 4cyl: 28.67/39.49
- 2003 MINI Cooper 1.6L 4cyl with 5spd manual: 27.36/31.84
- 2004 Dodge Dakota Club Cab 4WD 3.7L V6: 14.57/18.19
- 2004 Honda CR-V FWD 2.4L 4cyl: 22.70/26.92
- 2005 Dodge Dakota Quad Cab 4WD 4.7L V8 (current): 13.27/15.50
- 2006 Mazda Mazda5 2.3L 4cyl (current): 23.05/32.95
It worth noting that the current truck almost never sees any highway miles unless it’s towing the camper, and it hasn’t even had its first oil change yet. I hope that one improves! It’s also interesting that the Mazda5 had a 33mpg tank whereas the Mini never saw 32mpg… It’s also outpacing the CR-V, but I doubt anything will top the old Saturn! My sister drives that car now. And yes, for the record, I’m aware that we trade cars too often.
The Mazda5 is quite amazing. Why is it that American cars overstate their car’s EPA while Japanese cars understate it. I have a Honda Civic and a Mazda5 (traded Dodge Caravan & Ram because of gas mileage). The Honda Civic state 32/38 but I have gotten 41.8 on the highway and average better than 38. The Mazda5 really amazed me this summer when we went to DC from Florida. The car had my family (5 of us) and luggage and the first gas stop registered 28.7. I thought I had made a mistake but the second stop registered 29.5. I later took the Mazda5 to Kentucky alone and was awestruck when the first gas stop registered 31.7. Much better when you consider my Ram averaged about 15 mpg going downhill at 45 mph and the Caravan averaged about 21 mpg. I will never go back to American (at least while gas is over 2.00 a gallon).