CleanMPG Reviews the 2013 Mazda CX-5

Quite simply the most affordable and highest fuel economy compact crossover available in all of North America.
Click here to read the entire review

Yes, but... the corvette has about half the frontal area, so its cda is much lower.

Hi Carcus:

From within the 2013 Mazda CX-5 Exterior description in this review:
I am hoping for that 35 mpg at 70 mph. Few provide it and it would be interesting if the CX-5 can.

As I look out of my office window, I see maybe a 10 mph wind from the SSE and the FE vs. SS results are taken on that same NB and SB stretch of I-94 and averaged as all of our aFCD calibration FE drives. Traffic should be cleared between now and 03:30 PM with the highest temps after 01:00 PM. I will try and get out of here just after noon for the long stretch of steady state data recordings. At close to equivalent start and finish elevations of course and provided by the new Garmin 1390T that came in the mail yesterday and is currently mounted in the CX-5. The old 1490T was rebooting on an almost continuous basis and was useless for my needs.

Wayne

The entry level price looks lower than a Prius V but if the V can pack the stuff and deliver the goods it looks like it would simply be the better TCO choice. V obviously doesn't have the awd upgrade potential but that doesn't seem to be a player your review.

What would make this a better buy than a V for the savvy hypermiling family needing some room?


Mike

Mike, my thoughts on that - I like driving. I like stick shifts. I like a sharp handling vehicle. The CX-5 satisfies those, the Prius doesn't. The CX-5 is also cheaper to buy and may have similar ultimate hypermiling potential. The way I drive, there's going to be little difference in the fuel consumption.

The Prius would be a better vehicle for my wife, who would rather "just drive" and get there without much fussing about the details. She's on the good side of "regular" drivers, but will not ever put the kind of attention into driving that I do. The Prius does half of the hypermiling automatically.

Cx-5 has almost 3 inches more ground clearance and towing capabilities vs Prius V. Substantially lower entry price and what should be lower maintenance costs (if you keep your vehicles for a long time, IMO) would have me leaning towards cx-5. (if I was in the market)

I'm guessing I would average low to mid 30's in the cx-5 vs mid 40's in the V. So Not a lot of $ difference in fuel costs for your average 15,000 miles per year driver. (prolly less than $500/yr unless you're a hard core city driver)

Truedat.

Width is almost the same but Cx-5 is 16.5 inches taller.

Hi Mike:

Maybe this would help?
I cannot believe I just wrote that but in some cases …

As Andrew said, there is something about being engaged with a stick that Auto's and especially Electrics no matter the type lack. I do not care if it’s a single speed BEV, dual clutch performance machine, belt and cone CVT or PSD based AT, they are not nearly as engaging as a stick no matter what the manufacturers add with regards to paddle shifters, manumatic modes and simulated performance modes.

Rant on:

I get especially frustrated with paddle shifters on Autocross tracks I drive once in a while at an event. Your wheel is rarely aligned for straight ahead operation and pulling or pushing a paddle when the wheel is hard over at 270 degrees from upright is kind of stupid.

Every time I see one of those commercials where a manufacturer shows a guy pulling a paddle to up shift, I wonder if he really knows WTF he is doing?

Rant off: I really do love sticks but Prius’ provide better than stick like FE in 90% of the cases without having to do anything.

Carcus, short and long term maintenance costs of the v will be lower than the CX-5. I think you are right about the fuel economy deltas for a mostly highway driver. If you need to tow, the CX-5 can while the v is not built for it.

Wayne

Wayne,

I think we may have to agree to disagree on this one. While the Prius has a good maintenance record.. there's a lot more expensive parts and complicated trouble shooting involved in a prius vs a well built conventional vehicle .... I think this will show itself to a larger degree as the vehicles age ... say 10+ years and 150,000 miles.

add... if you check Edmunds true cost to own on a 2007 Mazda 3 vs a 2007 Prius, a five year run will cost you $7,383 in maintenance and repairs on the Prius vs $6748 on a Mazda 3.


http://www.edmunds.com/toyota/prius/...tyle=100777218
http://www.edmunds.com/mazda/mazda3/...tyle=100786294

/I also theorize that some of the positive prius maintenance reputation is due to who and how they've been driven (vs your average economy car)
(i.e. 55 year old frumpy, conservative, driving for mpg, with garage commuters are about as good as it gets for being easy on a vehicle)




//having said all that, Mazda's new engine tech is a bit of a wild card in the long term maintenance department

Hi Mike:

To make a very OT but direct point, I will use the 2012 Civic as an example. There is not a highway car in America that can pull what the 28/36 mpgUS city/highway rated 2012 Civic with the 5-speed stick can when pushed to its maximum out on the super slab. I am talking a touch under 90 mpg in a Civic EX coupe with the 5-speed MT and shod with Continental ContiPro Contacts of all things while driving the I-5 in CA on a fuel economy calibration and measured 66.2 mile RT loop earlier this spring. Maybe the Passat TDI w/ the 6-speed MT can match it and even the Prius c if there are a few slowdowns along the way but in my experience, that 12 Civic with a stick is an OPEC killer on the Interstate! You can also pick up a brand new 2012 Civic LX with the 5-speed MT for < $16K right now and that is a bargain no matter the interior or exterior miscues. Get any of the sticks in heavy traffic and lights however and they (you) are dead.

The other side of that coin is that 99.99999999% of the driving public will not push their sticks like Andrew, Sean and I (I actually punched in 3 of us/300,000,000 of them and it comes out to that ). Drive a 12 Civic with an AT at steady state and it will do well but with the FUBAR ratios of Honda's 5-speed MT’s is going to suck the life out of it for no other reason than corporate profit when run at steady state like most will. Even I would prefer a low RPM steady state using a DWL approach for the long haul but Honda decided we cannot handle better fuel economy or a much more quiet and relaxing drive at 60 + mph if we buy one of their cars with a stick. The 12 Civic AT runs 1,880 RPM at 60 mph vs. MT's 2,516 RPM at 60 mph. Both should be running no more than 1,500 RPM at 60 (MT or AT) with the 1.8L’s available 140 HP on tap and definitely not 2,516 RPM from the 5-speed MT!!! Even I can get tired of shifting through the first 5 gears by just 25 mph

Sticks are almost always more engaging and usually a lot more fun… Until the inevitable 2-hour stop and crawl and then you will curse them to hell and back until the day you die

Carcus, there is no maintenance other than oil changes and tire rotations on a 0 through 5-year old Prius. I do not recommend the latter anyway. 5 oil changes at $30 (you or $60 them) a pop is nothing and Toyota dealerships throw in the first two years for free now too. Maybe a set of tires? I can almost bet the monster meats on the CX-5 are going to cost more than replacements on the v.

To bring it back around to the 2013 Mazda CX-5, it has a slick shifting 6-speed stick making it:

1. More Fun to drive

2. More engaging to drive

3. More fuel efficient because Mazda knows something about what it is doing vs. every other manufacturer other than VW and its Passat TDI with the 6-speed MT that knows exactly what it is doing (3 more mpgUS highway compared to the all-new efficient 6-speed ATs from either company should tell other manufacturers drivetrain engineers and managers that they are completely clueless) and

4. $20,695 + D&H at retail for a 3,400 + pound Crossover with room to spare.

Those are compelling reasons to consider the CX-5 compared to any of its competitors in the compact crossover segment or even when cross shopping vehicles from other segments. People spend $21K for 12 Focus' w/ 27/37 mpgUS ratings. Why the **** would you do that when you could have a CX-5 instead? Following Wriconsults posts about the 2012 Mazda 3's with the 2.0L SKYACTIV-G for sale in the Portland and Seattle areas with $2 to $3K on the hood, if the CX-5 ever receives that treatment, what a bargain!

Oh well, so much for the CX-5’s steady state results this afternoon

Wayne

Hi xcel, new here. Just took ownership of a GT version of the CX-5. I'm totally jealous of your Sport's manual, but my wife did not want a stick and I'm not a (complete) fool.

I'm new to the concept of hypermiling, having just stumbled on this community via the usual convoluted Internet meander. I've always instinctively been a fuel-conscious driver, maybe because I came late to the driving game from the bicycle world and have a pretty good appreciation for the amount of energy it requires to climb a hill.

Even so, I'm not getting ANYWHERE near what you are clocking, 70+? Wow!

Best I've done is 43 mpg. I've perused through the articles here and I'm already changing some of my driving habits as a result, so I'm going to set myself the challenge of getting to 70.

Anyway, I've got a pretty basic question that might be better-suited to a newbies area, but wondering if you could shed some light:

From a fuel consumption standpoint, if I'm in 6th gear doing 35mph on a flat road and need to accelerate to 45, is it better to use 6th and gradually get there, or, take strain off the engine, downshift to fifth, then back to 6th at speed?

Instinctively I've always thought more revs = more gas, but I've noticed that when I accelerate in 6th, the gas consumption on the instant readout goes to pretty much the same numbers as if I was in 5th. Although I'm suspecting that indicator isn't the most-accurate in the world.

Also, is it better to shift into neutral when decelerating, or does the car really use zero gas when decelerating, as the instant-mileage readout seems to imply?

Anyway, sorry for the basic questions, congrats on your new car. Good looking mutt too.

jm