My girlfriend has a 2 month old 06 mazda 3. The Manufacture Sticker stated that the car should get 28-35 MPG. She is averaging 17-19. I am wondering if anyone else is having this problem and what they have done to fix it. We took it back to the dealor and they told us that there was nothing wrong and basicly to screw off.

 

Sounds like someone has a bit of a lead foot. And Mazdas as a rule are geared high so you gotta watch your rpms and if you really want better mileage, keep it under 3000 as much as possible.
In other words, drive like an old lady sipping her afternoon tea.

That said, those EPA estimates are done under the most ideal conditions and have nothing to do with reality.

 

She does drive like an old lady...she is one of those people who literally watches her tack to see when it hits 2500 rpms and then shifts. I have even traded her cars for a while to see if i could do any better and so far nothing. Im averaging 60-65 miles per 1/4 tank or about 240- 260 miles per tank. The car has never gotten better gas mileage than this. I know that the sticker MPG isnt necessarily true...but i have spoken to other Mazda 3 drivers and the all get way better gas mileage than 17 MPG.

 

If I'm cruising on the highway and I'm not having to downshift at all, the i actually get about 36mpg in a '06 Mazda3s Grand Touring. Otherwise my average fuel economy is about 22mpg

 

I havent had any problems out of my 04 mazda 3 either

hey does anyone know how to get ahold of a complete 13b engine

 

I just bought an '06 2.3 about a month ago I've only checked the mileage on one tank and it was 100% City driving. I got 22.5 mpg, a little dissappointing but it's hard not to romp on it occassionally (the ZOOM - ZOOM factor) , as I did during that first tank. The highway will be the real test, which is where I will be this week. I'll give you a report next weekend.

 

I am not much one for knowing reasons why you may be getting poor gas mileage, but I have a 05 Mazda 3 2.3i 5D which I believe had a reported 22-27 MPG, and my performance since I started tracking 2 months ago has been around 24. The last time I filled up my tank which emptied from almost pure highway driving (84 hour 55mph avg commute for work), I squeezed out 333.5 miles out of the 12.408 gallon refill (~27 mpg). Hope you find out what is wrong with your car soon with gas prices the way they are.

 

I have a 2006 5 Door with the 2.3/ Auto, and I get 275-285 miles to a tank as well. Not Horrible, but not as efficient as I expected. I like this car way better than the equivalent Honda, but the mileage could be better.

 

I have a mazda 3 5door i mostly drive highway at 85mph and im getting beteen310 and 340 miles on a tank

 

Measuring mileage "to a tank" isn't very accurate. People like my wife think she's running low on gas when it drops below a 1/2 tank. Then she'll complain it gets bad mileage because she needed gas after driving only 200 miles... While I don't fill up until the car actually NEEDS gas.

To compare mileage, please use miles driven between fillups divided by gallons of gas actually used between fillups. (330 miles / 14 gallons = 23.57mpg).


That said my wife usually averages 19 mpg in her 2004 3s sedan. She drives slow but is always stabbing the gas and jumping on the brakes... Probably the most inconsistent person I've ever ridden with and has no idea how to maintain a constant speed.

If I drive the car for a week I can get 28mpg mixed use out of it pretty easily.

 

I filled up today and since my last fillup I have been shifting at 2000 RPM and doing 95-100 on the highway using the cruise instead of driving how I would normally drive(shifting at 3000 - 5000 RPM and highway at 110-140). When I calculated myp MPG today I was hoping for a huge gain and what did it yield? 29.7MPG !! I was disappointed considering that when I drive how I want to I get 27 MPG. So driving like a grandma(no offence to any grandma's on here) and being in everybody's way me gets me 29MPG...NOT worth it. It has not been fun driving my car like this(feels like driving the topaz I had a few years back= not cool). I will continue to drive "fun" 3000-5000 RPM and 110-140 highway. I wonder how much of a gain a CAI would give. My car is stock by the way: 2004 Sport GT Manual.

 

When i refer to " A Tank" Iam talking miles driven divided by gallons filled. I fill up when my light comes on or shortly after wich usually is between 11 and 12 gallons. It usually measures out to be about 27 or 28 mpg. The 310 average is if i have my foot in it alot. Upwards of 340 to the best ive gotten at 360 is with the cruise on.

 

the numbers listed on the window stickers are EPA estimates of what "similar cars in this class typically get". they test these cars on a dyno at 55mph. No wind resistance or hill changes or anything. Not fair estimates at all.

However, my wife's TDi beetle averages about 45-47mpg in the city and 42mpg on the highway. It's window sticker claimed she'd get 30-35mpg. Because it was compared with other 2.0L gasoline beetles and compacts. Not TDi cars.

 

I just bought a 2007 3 sport GT with auto. On my previous car i kept track of mileage all the time. I will let you know how the gas mileage is. SO far it looks pretty good though.

 

All those numbers on the stickers are just good to use for comparason purposes.