Back in 2012, Mazda introduced the CX-5 as a standard mid-size crossover, but, in typical Mazda fashion, they made it fun to drive. It quickly became the journalist’s pick for being playful, practical, and affordable. However, since journalists are an insatiable bunch, some felt it was underpowered and, like most everything else in Mazda’s lineup, could benefit from a bit of turbo oomph as a little icing on the cake.
Thanks for listening Mazda!
Now available in the CX-5 is a turbocharged 2.5-liter inline-four that doesn’t leave you bobbing your head back and forth like a chicken trying to pass slower traffic on a two-lane highway. Mercifully, this same turbo-four is now becoming available in other applications of Mazda’s fleet like the Mazda3, Mazda6, and CX-30. How about putting the turbo in the Miata, please and thank you? Just bang some dents in the engine bay and call it good. Make it happen.
During our testing, the 2020 Mazda CX-5 MPG number for the turbo came out at an impressive 33 miles to the gallon on the highway at 73 mph. This seems a little unbelievable for such a high-riding, 250-horsepower turbocharged car, but compared to Car and Driver’s 31-MPG claim at 75 mph, it does seem within a margin of belief. Furthermore, the EPA’s claim was 27 MPG, so perhaps this engine is more efficient than was first thought.
If you were to take a road trip and wanted to stretch fuel stops, you could squeeze about 500 miles of range for each tank according to our test; perhaps give or take about 20 miles for weather contingencies.
Daily Motor’s real-world 2020 Mazda CX-5 MPG fuel economy test consists of over 100 miles of consistent highway driving. We fill the vehicle using the “three-click method,” meaning running the gas pump on super fast flow until it clicks, waiting ten seconds, running low flow until it clicks again, waiting another ten seconds, then running low flow one last time. The lowest octane fuel accepted by the vehicle’s manufacturer is used. We then drive 50 miles on public highway in one direction and then turn back in the opposite direction, attempting not to draft or drive aggressively. We set the cruise control at GPS-indicated 73 MPH in an attempt to achieve a moving average speed of 70 MPH over the entire test. Upon return to the gas station, we refill at the same gas pump as the initial fill using the same method. MPG is determined by dividing total miles traveled by fuel consumed. In cases where our observed figure differs greatly from the vehicle’s indicated figure and/or EPA’s estimate, we may recommend a number in between or plan to retest the vehicle. Thanks for reading our take on the Mazda CX-5 turbo’s MPG!
See the full test here:
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