High Gas Mileage on my new 2013 Mazda 3 Sky-active Sedan

[sky_active]

Hi Fellows,

Just have a concern here with my new 2013 Mazda 3 sky-active sedan. Bought it from the dealer at the end of last month. The first tank was filled with the dealer's crap gas and only got 440 kms on it. The average fuel consumption showed on the trip computer is fluctuating at 12.1L/100kms, which is way beyond what I was expecting. Filled with 89 gas a couple of days ago but seems to me, she is still burning gas around that range.

Any ideas or suggestions?

Thanks in advance for your inputs!!! :)

[sky_active]

We've been experiencing snow here in town all the time, but for me, personally, I am still thinking that 12.1L/100kms gas mileage in snow condition is kind of disappointing. :(

[JonathanB]

Hi Fellows,

Just have a concern here with my new 2013 Mazda 3 sky-active sedan. Bought it from the dealer at the end of last month. The first tank was filled with the dealer's crap gas and only got 440 kms on it. The average fuel consumption showed on the trip computer is fluctuating at 12.1L/100kms, which is way beyond what I was expecting. Filled with 89 gas a couple of days ago but seems to me, she is still burning gas around that range.

Any ideas or suggestions?

Thanks in advance for your inputs!!! :)

First, congrats on your new Mazda! :)

You asked for my input, and here it is...

#1 - You're not going to get better fuel economy numbers by filling up with 89 octane. Actually, the car will probably return slightly worse fuel economy. Stop wasting your money and fill up the car with what it was designed to consume - 87 octane. Unless your car is designed for it (which in your case, it isn't), a higher octane will not return any benefits.

#2 - Be conscious of your driving behaviour. Avoid hard stops and abrupt acceleration. Take your foot off the accelerator sooner when you see that the traffic light is red.

A lot of people will tell you that your car needs to be "worked in" before you see good fuel economy. That couldn't be further from the truth. While the owner's manual does recommend you go easy on the engine during the first 1000Km, it shouldn't affect your fuel economy numbers. People may disagree with me, but I have proof with my own car. I purchased my Skyactiv 3 brand new in August 2012, and my fuel economy has averaged 6.8L/100Km or 34.8MPG. My second tank of gas returned the best number so far, which was 5.6L/100Km or 42.3MPG, and I had 1221.5Km on my odometer at the time.

#3 - It's winter! Cars always perform less efficiently in the winter. My last fill-up returned 8.1L/100Km or 28.9MPG.

[Canadianbacon]

Brand new cars don't get amazing gas mileage from the start. winter plays a huge factor as much as 30%, engine break-in, idle time in winter, driving style. It will get better over time of course just wait till spring to see its full potential

[JonathanB]

I also forgot to ask - Do you drive mostly in the city? That also may explain why you're receiving less than favourable fuel economy numbers.

[sky_active]

Thanks for detailed reply, Jonathan.

I am gentle driver and do not have any bad driving behavior, not especially for my new ride. I noticed that some people on the previous threads saying that the new engine needs to break in at some point. However, I did not find any person saying that they got 12.1L/100kms or 440kms at their first tank. That's why I'm kind of disappointing.

[sky_active]

Yes, mostly in city actually.

[JonathanB]

Thanks for detailed reply, Jonathan.

I am gentle driver and do not have any bad driving behavior, not especially for my new ride. I noticed that some people on the previous threads saying that the new engine needs to break in at some point. However, I did not find any person saying that they got 12.1L/100kms or 440kms at their first tank. That's why I'm kind of disappointing.

Welcome. :) That number is quite low, but it's been a very cold December. That, in conjunction with city driving, is a recipe for poor fuel economy. As Canadianbacon said, wait until the Spring when the temperature rises. I guarantee your fuel economy will jump. Or you can always drive your car on the highway every now and then, which I recommend because it'll eliminate any condensation in your engine fluids.

On another note, don't trust the trip computer. It's always less accurate. I calculate my fuel economy the old fashioned way. I made an Excel spreadsheet for calculating fuel economy (among other things). Equations are all plugged in for you so you don't have to figure anything out. Just input a couple of numbers and Excel does the rest. :) Let me know if you want me to send it to you. #nerdmoment

[Canadianbacon]

another note, don't trust the trip computer. It's always less accurate. I calculate my fuel economy

I don't think my car would lie to me I treat her well. So I trust it

[yhzhrm]

Hi Fellows,

Just have a concern here with my new 2013 Mazda 3 sky-active sedan. Bought it from the dealer at the end of last month. The first tank was filled with the dealer's crap gas and only got 440 kms on it. The average fuel consumption showed on the trip computer is fluctuating at 12.1L/100kms, which is way beyond what I was expecting. Filled with 89 gas a couple of days ago but seems to me, she is still burning gas around that range.

Any ideas or suggestions?

Thanks in advance for your inputs!!! :)

Already mentioned by several others...

I'd take the trip computer readings as a guide only. Lots of things to consider with fuel consumption such as winter tires, cold weather, city driving versus highway driving, not to mention a new engine.

Dealer gas is as good as service station gas and besides regular unleaded gas is the recommended fuel for both the 2.0L and 2.5L engines. Switching to mid-grade fuel is not going to improve one's L/KM's ratings and could hurt your engine.

I also have a new GS (sport model) and have had three fill-ups so far each time I got about 400 KM's per tank before filing up. Each fill-up took around 37 Litres (so tank still had 13L left). I calculated L/KM and the first fill-up was 9.96L/100KM's with the most recent being 8.72L/100KM's. I have winter tires and do 75 percent city driving.

Next time you fill-up record your mileage. Then you have a base to determine KM's driven and fuel spent. Plug your numbers here to calculate actual L/KM used: http://opentoronto.com/calculators/MPG_calculator_calculate_MPG_fuel_efficiency_gas_c onsumption_fuel_economy.php

[sarujo]

Guys..enough with the spreadsheets and manual calculations! -> www.fuelly.com

This is winter time - you will get the worst mileage this time of the year because:

-Winter tires and tires that soften up (lose PSI) in the cold (this affects/increases rolling resistance)
-Winter gas formulations
-Cold engines use more fuel

[Hotsky]

+1 for Fuelly.

If you're driving mostly city next time you go for trip on a highway fill up right before and after and see what kind of numbers you're getting. Mine's not Sky but the difference is huge between all highway and all city.

[Booter22]

Guys..enough with the spreadsheets and manual calculations! -> www.fuelly.com

This is winter time - you will get the worst mileage this time of the year because:

-Winter tires and tires that soften up (lose PSI) in the cold (this affects/increases rolling resistance)
-Winter gas formulations
-Cold engines use more fuel

Yupp. We should get ami to could the number of fuel mileage and rust threads and merge all this stuff. Its like no one has ever driven a car before and all of a sudden winter mileage is a new thing.. I went from around 600 km to a tank to about 440. Bring this back up in the summer.

Btw. The dealers dont fill up with some less then normal fuel.. we fill our cars at esso with whats required ie regular for the 3s premium for the speed or miata or whatever. . So not sure how the dealer gas is magically crap :s same stuff you get everywhere.

Plus you are wasting money of you fill up with anything other then 87 as the car doesnt require a different grade that and the new car still needs to work in. You may not even notice the best fuel economy until 8 to 16 000 km. I know mine got its tops st 24 000 and stayed there since

[sarujo]

+1 Booter22

Yes, getting tired of the same thing over and over...

And yes, the motor needs to work in as you said.

[sky_active]

Guys..enough with the spreadsheets and manual calculations! -> www.fuelly.com

This is winter time - you will get the worst mileage this time of the year because:

-Winter tires and tires that soften up (lose PSI) in the cold (this affects/increases rolling resistance)
-Winter gas formulations
-Cold engines use more fuel

Thanks sarujo! That website looks awesome!!! Working on that right now :P

[sky_active]

Already mentioned by several others...

I'd take the trip computer readings as a guide only. Lots of things to consider with fuel consumption such as winter tires, cold weather, city driving versus highway driving, not to mention a new engine.

Dealer gas is as good as service station gas and besides regular unleaded gas is the recommended fuel for both the 2.0L and 2.5L engines. Switching to mid-grade fuel is not going to improve one's L/KM's ratings and could hurt your engine.

I also have a new GS (sport model) and have had three fill-ups so far each time I got about 400 KM's per tank before filing up. Each fill-up took around 37 Litres (so tank still had 13L left). I calculated L/KM and the first fill-up was 9.96L/100KM's with the most recent being 8.72L/100KM's. I have winter tires and do 75 percent city driving.

Next time you fill-up record your mileage. Then you have a base to determine KM's driven and fuel spent. Plug your numbers here to calculate actual L/KM used: http://opentoronto.com/calculators/MPG_calculator_calculate_MPG_fuel_efficiency_gas_c onsumption_fuel_economy.php


Thanks for your detail inputs!!! I may not be supposed to be critical on dealers gas. Anyway, I will record the mileage for the next fill-up. Thanks :)

[dexter]

I don't think my car would lie to me I treat her well. So I trust it

Wait, this isn't' serious is it? My onboard computer is reading something like 8.4l/100km right now. The Fuelly in my sig will tell you otherwise.

As people have said Fuelly seems to be both the most accurate and most convenient. Take one minute to update Fuelly every time you fill up and you're golden.

[sky_active]

Yupp. We should get ami to could the number of fuel mileage and rust threads and merge all this stuff. Its like no one has ever driven a car before and all of a sudden winter mileage is a new thing.. I went from around 600 km to a tank to about 440. Bring this back up in the summer.

Btw. The dealers dont fill up with some less then normal fuel.. we fill our cars at esso with whats required ie regular for the 3s premium for the speed or miata or whatever. . So not sure how the dealer gas is magically crap :s same stuff you get everywhere.

Plus you are wasting money of you fill up with anything other then 87 as the car doesnt require a different grade that and the new car still needs to work in. You may not even notice the best fuel economy until 8 to 16 000 km. I know mine got its tops st 24 000 and stayed there since

Thanks Booter22. I always thought that 89 octane is better than 87 and is good for the engine coz it says octane plus...:bang Forgive my ignorant :D

[CloudPump]

Thanks Booter22. I always thought that 89 octane is better than 87 and is good for the engine coz it says octane plus...:bang Forgive my ignorant :D

Octane doesn't do anything for your engine. It is a chemical formulation designed to resist pre-ignition. It's needed in high-compression engines or turbocharged cars to prevent the air-fuel mixture from igniting before the piston is in the correct position. Detonation (the term for what happens when the air-fuel mixture ignites too early) can destroy an engine. There is no risk of this happening on your skyactive engine with 87 octane (what it was designed for).

-Geoff

[sube]

I really don't know why anyone would try to calculate gas mileage in the winter. It is a moot point for a number of reasons, one being in winter a car rarely ever gets to proper operating temperature unless it is used for sustained highway driving, even idling at traffic lights in winter, consumption will be higher than in summer.
Two, as explained in a previous post, winter tires have a higher rolling resistance even on bare pavement, obviously plowing through snow also increases rolling resistance.

Point here forget about measuring gas mileage in the winter and just enjoy the car.

Pat.

[yhzhrm]

I really don't know why anyone would try to calculate gas mileage in the winter.

Pat.

How about for budget reasons? Knowing my winter versus summer gas consumption sure helps me plan my monthly budget. ;)

[loki]

I got 275kms out of my last full tank of Ultra94


There are so many skyactiv fuel economy threads already....

[Jackal]

I got 275kms out of my last full tank of Ultra94


There are so many skyactiv fuel economy threads already....

That's becuz Mrs. Loki taking it to boost all the time.

I have a non-skyactive gas guzzling 2.5 GT. ;) check this out.
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/01/01/ype2edug.jpg
Trying to use tapatalk to load this pic. Works? ....yup. Cool.

[dexter]

Easy to post that pic when you've got a full tank but have you ever got close to that on a tank of gas?

I know mine will say 650ish or something when it's full but I've only barely broke 600km on a tank with all highway.

[loki]

Also the trip computer doesn't mean shit. Once you figure out how to read it and guage what the number actually is you can go from there

With my speed3 when the computer used to show 8.7 I would be getting around 10L/100km I.e. 500km from a 50L fill up.

Now my computer reads 13 so you can imagine what that means...

[Jackal]

Yes it was easy to post. Haha!
Saved it for a thread such as this.

[sky_active]

+1.

ran out 2 tanks already. Never got what it said on the screen :(


Easy to post that pic when you've got a full tank but have you ever got close to that on a tank of gas?

I know mine will say 650ish or something when it's full but I've only barely broke 600km on a tank with all highway.

[sube]

How about for budget reasons? Knowing my winter versus summer gas consumption sure helps me plan my monthly budget. ;)

I still say that winter gas consumption figures mean squat, for instance the daily temperature can fluctuate wildly from one day to the next. This will have a big influence on gas consumption, reason being on a warmer day the car will warm up quicker cutting down on fuel consumption.

Besides my philosophy is, I bought the car knowing that the claimed mileage wasn't gonna be anywhere near what I would actually get, I am going to own it for a number of years, and no amount of grumbling is going to change the consumption. So when the tank is empty I fill it and keep on truckin.

Pat.

[sarujo]

Dude..your car is brand new and in the middle of freezing winter. Stop crying, grow a set and come back in the spring/summer. :chuckle


+1.

ran out 2 tanks already. Never got what it said on the screen :(

[r4mi5awi]

Dude..your car is brand new and in the middle of freezing winter. Stop crying, grow a set and come back in the spring/summer. :chuckle

For some reason I always love it when I read your posts lol