Author Topic: 2013 Mazda 6 Tourer 2.2 175 Auto Poor MPG  (Read 11712 times)

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Offline bairdyp

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2013 Mazda 6 Tourer 2.2 175 Auto Poor MPG
« on: August 31, 2018, 11:22:42 am »
Hi all, a new Mazda 6 owner here looking for some advice - I hope this is the right part of the forum!

I bought a 2013 Mazda 6 Tourer 2.2 175 Auto (80k miles, FSH) back in June. Since then, I've done around 5000 miles and have a very disappointing average mpg of only 36 mpg (calculated on fuel usage, not just trip computer). Does this sound right, or is there something potentially wrong? If the latter, any suggestions on where should I start to look, as there are no warning lights etc? It is due a service soon, so is there anything I should look to get the garage to check/change over and above oil/filters, that might improve the economy?

In terms of the basic things that effect economy, I keep the tyres at the right pressure and don't regularly have luggage or passengers. I didn't expect to get anywhere near the official Mazda combined figure (57.6 mpg), but thought I would at least average the Honest John Real MPG value (42.2 mpg), if not exceed this slightly due to my driving usage (regular long motorway journeys). In comparison, in the 150k miles I did in my last car (07 Honda Accord 2.2d), I averaged 48 mpg, which is a couple above the Honest John value.

Thanks in advance.

Offline apav

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Re: 2013 Mazda 6 Tourer 2.2 175 Auto Poor MPG
« Reply #1 on: August 31, 2018, 05:15:03 pm »
You have different parameters to consider.

First of all, if you use the car for commuting, you cannot even get the city average mpg. So 36 mpg is good in that sense.

Second, you do not know the condition of the car. It may have a calliper(s) sticking, the wheel bearings have done their mileage, all belts, other bearings, etc are getting older and so have more friction. All these are not part of the service history. They add a bit of consumption, or a lot of it is a calliper or two.

Third it is the driver. Did you ever manage with any other car better mpg? You have to drive smoothly to get the advertised mpg. That means no drag racing, no flooring, thinking ahead, etc. If you just accelerate to the front car, brake and do the same again, you will not get good mpg.

The John mpg is just a laugh from the pub. You need consistent data to get any realistic figures. Check the sprit monitor and you will find out that the average mpg for automatic diesels is 40. John mpg says 42 but you do not know how he fabricated this.

https://www.spritmonitor.de/en/detail/736085.html

https://www.spritmonitor.de/en/overview/27-Mazda/251-6.html?fueltype=1&gearing=2&powerunit=2

https://www.unitjuggler.com/convert-fuelconsumption-from-lper100km-to-mpgimperial.html?val=7.04

Your 36 mpg is 0.8 litres off the average. So you are well within the average driver. If your 36 happens to be 36.9, then you are just 0.6 litres off.

What is your speed at the motorway? What is the portion of the total mileage done on the motorway? If you set the cruise control and take it off on the hills, it should be easy to get nice figures. If your motorway is on holidays and traffic, or commuting, then you will be closer to city mpg.

The average mpg for the Accord is 44 mpg and you did 48.

https://www.unitjuggler.com/convert-fuelconsumption-from-lper100km-to-mpgimperial.html?val=6.33

https://www.spritmonitor.de/en/overview/18-Honda/167-Accord.html?fueltype=1&constyear_s=2007&constyear_e=2007&powerunit=2

But traffic since 2007 has gone up a lot and the automatic gearbox really revs for fun and you have less control of it. On top of that, your car need to regenerate all the time compared to the old car.

Offline bairdyp

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Re: 2013 Mazda 6 Tourer 2.2 175 Auto Poor MPG
« Reply #2 on: September 02, 2018, 05:46:28 pm »
Thanks for the response, some food for thought...particularly spiritmonitor, as I hadn't come across that before. I understand the scepticism of HJ, but for lack of knowing any other good sources of data, it was all I had to refer to.

The average on SM comes out at 40.2mpg, so I guess I'm 'only' 10% off that. That said, I would say my driving style/usage is relatively efficient in that I don't race between lights, generally try to coast into roundabouts and red lights etc, and I probably do 50% of my miles on the motorway (70-75mph), with a decent amount of the rest on A & B roads, rather than in town. I guess the fact my average over 150k miles in the Accord was +4mpg (+10%) over the spirit monitor average, kind of fits with that.

In terms of things to check, since your message I've checked the brakes and the rears are practically cold after a drive, and the fronts not hot enough to be concerned about. Losses due to pulleys/bearings etc should be relatively small, given if they were that worn, I'd expect some serious nosies coming from them - however, it doesn't do any harm to get them checked, so I probably will at the next service.

I get your point on autos of old, but 'modern' autos are (in theory) more efficient/designed for economy and closer to that of a manual. E.g. Mazda claim the skyactiv-drive auto is "A new-generation highly-efficient automatic transmission" - obviously to be taken with a pinch of salt, but I can't see them having spent time/money developing a brand new transmission in-house, for it to be negligibly better than the one they had before. There's also i-ELOOP regenerative braking and auto-start/stop to add into the mix on my car, which in theory should both result in improved economy over older-tech diesels.

Maybe the DPF is regenerating more often than it should, or the regenerative braking isn't working as it should and is just causing drivetrain losses, but I'm not sure trying to diagnose either of those is a particularly DIY job. I might mention them at service time and see what their thoughts are.

Thanks again.

Offline Tall333

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Re: 2013 Mazda 6 Tourer 2.2 175 Auto Poor MPG
« Reply #3 on: September 03, 2018, 09:52:57 am »
My previously owned 2015 Sports Nav auto 175 did about 50mpg in summer and 45 in winter, driving quite nun-like.  I found the economy fell off sharply if cruising above 70mph - try slowing down to 65-70mph and see if it makes any difference.

Offline apav

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Re: 2013 Mazda 6 Tourer 2.2 175 Auto Poor MPG
« Reply #4 on: September 03, 2018, 01:51:50 pm »
I think the automatic gearbox cannot be driven as economically as the manual.

This one says average 67.3 mpg:
https://www.arnoldclark.com/used-cars/mazda/6/2-2d-sport-nav-4dr/2013/ref/arnaf-u-41861

This one says average 58.9mpg:
https://www.arnoldclark.com/used-cars/mazda/6/2-2d-se-l-4dr-auto/2013/ref/arnel-u-572364

So even though it is a modern gearbox, I think this just means that it locks in at constant speeds like on motorway. But you still miss out on changing the gears earlier like you can do with a manual. The less aggressively you drive it, the less rpm should need to change gears but it takes a bit of knowing the car before you can do that. 70-75mph is very high speed to get low consumption.

Just keep knowing the car and it should smooth out.

Offline bairdyp

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Re: 2013 Mazda 6 Tourer 2.2 175 Auto Poor MPG
« Reply #5 on: September 05, 2018, 04:49:11 pm »
Thanks. 45-50 mpg (season dependent) would do, and is kind of where I was expecting/hoping to be from the outset. I guess I should try driving like a nun for longer for a bit and see if it pays off!

Offline apav

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Re: 2013 Mazda 6 Tourer 2.2 175 Auto Poor MPG
« Reply #6 on: September 06, 2018, 02:05:19 pm »
I think it takes more than 10K miles, maybe 20K, to start understanding the car properly. At that point everything feels very familiar and I think this is when you start getting better mpg, smoother driving experience, etc. It is just like an older pair of shoes. You just make the car drive like you want and not the previous owner.

How often do these require a gearbox oil and filter replacement? People with automatic gearboxes notice big differences in quality of changing/smoothness/etc with fresh oil. Maybe that has an effect on consumption as well.

Offline bairdyp

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Re: 2013 Mazda 6 Tourer 2.2 175 Auto Poor MPG
« Reply #7 on: September 11, 2018, 05:20:12 pm »
Interesting point on the gearbox oil change, because that was actually one of my first thoughts. After doing a bit of googling and forum searching, I couldn't find anything about people actually changing it...potentially because there aren't that many higher mileage ones out there just yet?
According to Mazda "If you purchased your Mazda new and it is equipped with SKYACTIV® TECHNOLOGY, it will have lifetime transmission fluid that only requires changing should a critical component or the whole transmission need to be replaced."
I'm not generally a fan of 'lifetime oil', but I had thought it should really last 100k given that must surely be less than the gearbox 'lifetime'. Maybe I should give Mazda a call now and at least enquire as to whether they'll do it, and how much it would be...

Driving at no more than 60mph recently has resulted in an average of 44-45mpg over the last tank, but it feels painfully slow, so I don't know how long I can keep that up!!

Offline apav

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Re: 2013 Mazda 6 Tourer 2.2 175 Auto Poor MPG
« Reply #8 on: September 12, 2018, 08:18:39 am »
Or because cannot be bothered changing it on a leased car that will be returned at the end of the finance.

Did you read the comments below?

https://www.mazdaoflodi.com/blog/do-you-need-to-change-transmission-fluid-in-a-mazda/

https://axleaddict.com/auto-repair/Automatic-Transmission-Fluid-Change-Interval

100K sounds a lot. Is there a dipstick to check how the oil looks?

No pain, no gain with the fuel consumption.

Offline mareng73

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Re: 2013 Mazda 6 Tourer 2.2 175 Auto Poor MPG
« Reply #9 on: May 06, 2019, 10:38:11 pm »
Birdyp,

As you bought the car 2nd hand it seems, you win't know how the car was driven previously and so couldbe clogged up with carbon  due to a lot of town driving.  I suggest  you have a word with your dealer and present him witb your fuel consumption figures from  over several months  and he may carry out an inlet  decoke for free, which will improve things.  Check your air filter  and if in doubt, change it, its about a minutes job.
When was the last time the fuel filter was changed?
What type of oil is there in the engine, what's the level like?
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