I have to weigh in somewhere and the other sites that appear on a google search of " how EPA fuel economy numbers are measured" were meaningless.

Here is the quandary and this applies to all vehicles. The "experts" are right. If you drive your new Mazda CX-5 at 55-60 mph you will get the 29-30 "highway estimated MPG figure. That's great if you live in highly congested east coast area's of the country where you might hit 55 once a day but here in the Western region ( Montana, Utah, Idaho and Arizona... California does not count)) where the speed LIMITS are 70 to 75 and even 80 MPH... your mileage is not going to come close. And if you chose to drive 55 on these interstates, your shiny new car is going to become the hood ornament of a semi going 80 MPH or you may even get a ticket for driving too slow. Not kidding.. it happens.

So .. be aware that if you are lucky enough live and drive in these area's with these speed limits you are talking 24-25 MPG tops on a new 2016 CX-5 AWD vehicle on the highway.. Ask me how I know..

The EPA needs to revise it's estimates geographically. There is a glut of gas and speed limits west of the Mississippi are going up not down..

 

No duh!

 

We have this thing called "taxation". It's really big here in the colonies!

 

Hello everyone. New to the site. I have had a 2016 CX-5 GT for a couple of months now. We live in Oregon and frequently travel Interstate 84 for hours at a time at 70-75 mph. The best mpg I've had was about 26. We did average about 28 on a 600 mile trip that was on slower 2-lane highway roads.

The good thing for me is I drive a lot around Portland and average about 23.5 to 24 mpg. Quite an improvement over my previous rig that got 15 mpg at best!

 

Are you using E85 gas up there? This could account for some of the poor mileage claims I've seen on the 2.5 litre CX-5. I'm beginning to think there's more of a mileage penalty with the larger engine in real world conditions than originally reported. MY 2013 2.0 litre 6AT virtually never comes off 30 mpg no matter what I do and the vast majority of my driving is suburban in-town. When I do get out on the highway, it quickly jumps to 33-34 and these numbers are hand verified from time to time when I fill up. Usually not more than 1 mpg off what the computer reads.

 

I don't think they've mandated E85 yet, but I think there is talk to do so. I remember when E90 was mandated in Oregon. The mileage in my Tahoe went from 18-20 highway to 15 at best. What a stupid requirement---IMO

 

Ahh, but those corn-belt farmers love it!

 

So sorry to have offended your sensibilities but my point is valid. I'm not disappointed that I am getting 25-26 highway on my CX-5 because I knew that the speeds in places where I live, the government has not over-shot their load ( Montana, Idaho Utah, AZ etc) the limits are higher... hence lowered MPG. Duh. Cross into Oregon or Washington and I believe the interstate speeds are backed down to 65 or 70. If you are unlucky enough to live in a congested east coast city it won't matter because your chances of sustained speeds above 65 are almost nil. Ask me how I know.

The point is that speed limits in many rural places are going up and selling someone a car based on an MPG highway estimated at a speed of 55-60MPH is wrong. Even if the speed limit is 65 we all know that means 70. It's not a shot at the CX-5. It's just time for a reality check from the manufacturers.

"Stupid is as stupid does"

 

Au contraire, EPA sets the standards, but the manufacturers do their own testing for certification.

 

I live in the suburbs of birmingham, al..i average 23mpg ever since i got my 2016 cx5gt in july this year..yeah i live by an Interstate that has a speed limit of 70mi/h and I get on there and go 15 miles to work on it only get no more than 24mpg max and when i drove interstate for over 400miles on a trip 26max...my 2003 mazda protege MPG: Up to 25 city, 31 highway and i always got round 28 to 30 mpg highway or city streets...why is this vehicle not meet expectations.

response from customer service was: "I would recommend checking out the website Fuel Economy for information on how the estimated miles per gallon is calculated. The trip computer may not be 100% accurate.
If your CX-5 is not performing as expected then we would like to have the dealership diagnose the vehicle for further review."

I have already taken the vehicle to the dealership and they ran text and came back saying nothing is wrong.....

what mpg is everyone else getting???