CleanMPG Reviews the 2013 Mazda CX-5

Quite simply the most affordable and highest fuel economy compact crossover available in all of North America.
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Mazda CX-5 2.2 Skyactiv-D 150PS 2WD by Stuart Milne 25 May 2012

The headline-grabbing Mazda CX-5 returns the best fuel economy and lowest CO2 emissions of any model in the range, and is a top-level contender in the class
http://www.autocar.co.uk/car-review/...iv-d-150ps-2wd

Wayne ... what do you think you could get from a CX5 MT diesel?

Hi 50 mpg:

It would be a guess at this early stage but I suspect many here at CleanMPG would easily punch out > 70 mpgUS.

At the limits, I am not sure? Some of the European diesels sip gas while others are a lot thirstier. With the new tech providing low compression combustion closer to TDC, Mazda may have not lost much of anything on the Thermodynamic Efficiency front and if so, 80 mpgUS maybe???

It may be a while before the CX-5 arrives with a SKYACTIV-D here. The Mazda guys I spoke with this weekend are very tight lipped but from our previous reports, it’s the all-new Mazda 6 that will get the diesel and that thing may just be “totally amazing”

Wayne

Great write up - Thanks Wayne.

I'm highly considering the CX-5 my major selling point is the ability to sleep in the vehicle on long trips. i am 6'4 and know i wont fit end to end, but I'm considering slanted. How much room is in the CX-5 with the back seats down and the front chairs scooted up all the way, or do the front chairs possible lean all the way back? I see lots of pictures but no measurements of this.

Thanks in advance! Wish they have a moon roof model for the standard. Do you think you could of gotten as impressive mileage out of this if you were in an automatic?

Front Seats won't go all the way back, but the back seats fold forward flush to the front seats, so no wasted space. One thing to consider, since the center arm console is at the same level as the back area when the seats are down: it should be possible to put your head on the console, which would give you a little extra length. I'll try it tonight just to make sure.

jm

Thanks for the speedy reply. Since they don't fold back, whats the max space i could get with the rear seats folded flat, and then pushing both front seats all the way forward? does that give me much extra room?I could devise something to fill the gap in this area. I rented a CX-9 when I was up in the new England states last year and loved it and me and the GF slept in it on Halloween night due to the festivities and it was quite comfortable, I like the gas mileage on the cx-5 so much more though! Also was curious about the automatic, the techniques you used to get those crazy mpgs' were they using mostly methods you can only do in a manual?

If I can get a decent rest in this thing and get anything close to your mpgs' then I might have found an excuse to start taking some cross country road trips!.

So I checked it out and, while doable, I would not want to do it for more than a night or two. I didn't check on the extra room with the seats forward - there's not much as I recall, but it does give a little extra, basically you'd gain the distance between the default state of the seat and when it's slid as far forward on its rails as it will go.

Overall it's surprisingly roomy with the seats down.

So far my experience has me getting in the the mid-30s with a heck of a lot of city driving (10+ mile commute with either stop and go traffic on the freeway or tons of lights and stop signs on city streets (trying to hypermile is having me wishing I lived somewhere in the boonies with nice gentle rolling hills and no lights).

I'm pretty sure that as I am getting more efficient, I should be able to top 40 pretty easily, even in my conditions (I just got a scangauge - my first measured tank posted as 31, but my next tank will be a truer test of what I can do).

jm

Hi All:

Some news on the CX-5 and its increased supply to meet demand…

Mazda just announced it will increase production capacity of the CX-5 from 200,000 to 240,000 units per year. This will be achieved by expanding production from the company’s Ujina Plant No.2 to also include Ujina Plant No.1.

Upgrades to the assembly line have been completed and will enable production of the next generation SKYACTIV products from the Ujina Plant No.1 earlier than anticipated.

The CX-5 is Mazda’s first model to fully incorporate SKYACTIV technology and with it has gained a reputation for offering both excellent fuel economy and a great driving experience.

Since sales began in February, Mazda has received orders far surpassing initial estimations and upgraded its annual global sales target from 160,000 to 190,000 units for the fiscal year 2012.

As of July 1, CX-5 orders in Japan have reached approximately 24,000 units, more than doubling the annual domestic sales target in only four and a half months from the start of sales.

not sure if this is answered yet because i didn't see you mentioned in your review... when it comes to FAS and push button systems how does the procedure work?

Hi Phil:

A little kludgy but not bad. Push the Start/Stop button, lights go out and almost immediately with just a few ms delay, push the Start/Stop button again (without the clutch engaged) and she will be booted back up without the ICE firing. If you leave the clutch in, the ICE will fire right back up.

Wayne