I recently brought home my first Mazda: a brand new 2014 mazda3 S GT hatchback. Previously, I'd owned Nissans and Toyotas, but never a Honda or Mazda. I tested an Accord and HATED it. I was intrigued by the newly redesigned 3, and after driving one, my decision was clear.

So far I love almost everything about the car. There are some known infotainment system glitches that Mazda is working on fixing. But, apart from that, the one thing is that I'm getting much worse gas mileage that Mazda has rated for the 2.5 L engine (27/37). Admittedly, I've mostly been driving in horrible city conditions, but I'm getting 19mpg! I decided to test it out on the highway. I reset the computer and drove to visit family. I got it u to 25 mpg, but that was as high as it got. I did a manual test and found it to be accurate.

The car seems to be driving just fine. Any ideas what the problem could be? Anyone else getting lower-than-expected mileage?

 

Be gentle on the gas pedal & make use of the cruise control.

 

I have a 2014 iGT (2.0) 5-door that's *supposed* to get 30 city and 40 highway (33 combined). I've been driving this thing like an old lady, with the windows up and the AC off (haven't really needed it), and I'm getting 27 - 28 MPG with 75% city and 25% highway driving. Tire pressure: check. E-brake disengaged: check. Quality gas: check. Disappointed? Check.

I completely regret buying this car. It looks nice on the outside, but after having owned it for a while, the quality is far from high.

 

Thanks for the suggestions. Unfortunately, I've already considered the typical things that affect fuel economy. I wanted to make sure there isn't a more serious mechanical issue. But, I'm starting to think that the extreme amount of low speed, low gear driving is having more of a profound effect than I thought. Usually, I see "city mpg" and think that is the lowest it'll go. And I'm working from home and doing virtually no highway driving. Fortunately, I didnt make my buying decision based on fuel economy.

Sorry to hear about the regret you're having, koneill! I LOVE MY S GRAND TOURING HATCH! All the Infotainment glitches, I lump in the "Mazda says they are aware and working to fix" category, so I don't get worked up about them. At first, it def bothered me tho. You think: this is a NEW car! But then you think about ALL the computer-based innovation in your life. So many are buggy especially at first. . And I haven't noticed noises or buzzing or stufff like that. But I think "it's a car." I suspect that it's what you're used to. Growing up, we had huge American cars as well as horizons, datsuns, cavaliers, and all were simultaneously awesome and pieces of crap. As an adult, I've had corollas, sentras, Altima, sonata. I've never owned like a Lexus, BMW, Audi or any luxury car. So everything about my Mazda kicks *** over every other car I've owned by a lot. The front seats are great. As for the back seat, I have no family, so I can't imagine humans will occupy it all that much. It's roomy enough for my guitar. It's mainly just where the seats are going to fold down onto when I use thar hatch to lug **** around which will probably only be a few more times than humans sit in the back seat. It is fun to drive. I don't even have to take the key out of my pocket. It is perfect for the city: fast, nimble, small, reverse camera is perfect for tight parallel parking. It is comfortable and looks great too. I can't say enough good things! For me, as a single guy, it's an ideal vehicle.

 

Nobody is saying where they are from!

You will not get good gas mileage in colder weather!

Do you let car idle first for a few minutes before driving?

Car does need to break in.

Want better mileage: put in synthetic oil, it's more slippery, less friction.

You should also put in fuel injector cleaner, fuel system cleaner a couple times a year!

 

Thanks for that insight. I am from the NE, so def affected by cold. But it is still fall (60 today) so I don't imagine that much of an effect yet. Btw, the new 3 comes with synthetic oil already inside and suggested. Like I said, as long as I know it isn't something serious that requires immediate attention, I'm just going to forget about it... Unless I go bankrupt from buying gas......

 

I'm from Austin, TX, and it's been warm out since I took delivery. Cars driven at higher altitudes are supposed to run more efficiently.

I let the car do its Skyactive thing to warm the CC before driving -- a little over 30 seconds.

Read the manual. Mazda: "There is no break-in period." These are not cars from the 70s.

As for synthetic, that's Mazda's recommended oil. I drove my 2.0 off the lot with synthetic in it (from the factory). As for all the cleaners...WE'RE TALKING ABOUT BRAND NEW CARS! Not cars suffering poor gas mileage because of engine wear. You're not even making sense.

I've driven my 2.0 with kid gloves for 1300 miles, purposely to test the fuel economy. 75% city and 25% hwy. Best mileage: 28 MPG.

Your response makes zero sense.

 

Cruise control will sometimes get you worse mileage, especially if you live/drive in hilly areas. For example, cruise will keep accelerating down hills, rather than coasting...

 

Quite the opposite, if you look at the current fuel usage when gong down hill it will drop to 0, the engine will still rotate, but use no fuel.
Also on a flat piece of road the throttle will be steady on cruise control, where as you will constantly slow down & speed up using the accelerator pedal.
Trust me, set cruise control and watch other cars speed go up & down.

 

You think what you want. The first 1300 miles is also the car learning and adjusting, so yes a break-in period is required for top notch mileage (cars are not tuned to Texas from the factory!).
Testing a car immediately off the lot for mileage is ridiculous! So don't tell me i'm not making sense!

A good fuel system cleaner like Redline will not help a brand new car but 1-2 times will help with some things:

Cleans injectors, carburetors, valve and combustion chamber deposits with a concentrated blend of the most powerful high-temp and low-temp detergents available
-Cleans to nearly 100% efficiency in one treatment
-Reduces need for octane by up to two points
-Contains synthetic upper cylinder lubricant
-Cleans pollution control valves
-Use one bottle per tank for most effective treatment of neglected vehicle
-Also use in smaller doses for maintenance as one bottle treats up to 100 gallons
-Safe for continual use

I don't suggest using the whole bottle just a portion.