Fuel Economy...
Discussion
I have been considering an MX5 2.0ltr (new type) for a daily driver, but having read this thread, I am not so sure now...I can`t believe how poor the real world consumption figures are for what are hardly the quickest cars on the road. I do not expect good consumption when belting around, but I would expect a small light modern 2.0ltr to achieve at least high 30`s on a run on a dual carriage way type journey at 75-80mph? It sounds like they are no better than a Z4 3.0ltr in similar touring conditions? Anyone know any different?
A Mk3 2.0 is a completely different car from what we've all been talking about. I don't think anyone has mentioned economy from a Mk3 yet. As it's a more modern design with a modern engine based on the Ford Duratec (which itself is based on a Mazda design) so I'd expect it to be a bit more economical than the old 1.8 & 1.6 engines, especially on a run.
Howard- said:
CTE said:
but I would expect a small light modern 2.0ltr to achieve at least high 30`s on a run on a dual carriage way type journey at 75-80mph?
It will, if you're keeping a constant speed and not in traffic, speeding up/slowing down etc
I gave my average overleaf for a Mk2.5 1.8i, that is my daily driver, for 18 miles round trip into the City Centre and back again (stop/start traffic all the way). I consider that figure (31mpg) to be blooming excellent 
How big is the tank on a Mk1 Eunos? I usually get about 38 litres in, so I'm assuming its a 40 litre tank. I normally get about 350Km's to a tank, which equates to approximately 220 miles. If 40 litres is equal to 8.7 UK Gallons then I reckon I'm getting 25mpg, which is not great. The key is keeping the revs below 4k apparently, trouble is I keep giving it the juice to hear the induction noise....
Why are we even having this debate?!!!!!!! You don't buy an MX-5 for its economy, you buy it to have fun in it!!!! Fuel econmy depends on so many things, the price of fuel, where you fill up (as in geographical location), your driving style and the conditions in which you drive!! These debates really bug me as they are tottaly pointless! Of course MPG figures are going to fluctuate as nobody drives exactly the same route in the same way or has exactly the same car. I'm sorry to have a rant, but this topic keeps getting replies, lets have a more interesting topic and put this to bed. If you are bothered about MPG go and buy a hybrid car. (I know I'm going to get lynched for this and it isn't a dig at anyone in particular!) 
Thanks for your thoughts Aiden.
Strangely enough, MPG is important to some people, just perhaps not you!! I've driven a diesel car since I passed my test and I have been doing galactic mileages since and so economy is important to me. I needed to budget whether the increase in fuel costs would be particularly problematic for me in terms of yearly cost, and that's why I posted this topic.
Of course, as you say, everyone is going to get different figures, but if I can see what other people are getting I can then see a rough range of what I could expect. I've wanted an MX-5 since I first went in the Eunos my Dad borrowed when I was 7, and I've waited long enough, but I don't want to throw away money if it isn't economical viable
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Strangely enough, MPG is important to some people, just perhaps not you!! I've driven a diesel car since I passed my test and I have been doing galactic mileages since and so economy is important to me. I needed to budget whether the increase in fuel costs would be particularly problematic for me in terms of yearly cost, and that's why I posted this topic.
Of course, as you say, everyone is going to get different figures, but if I can see what other people are getting I can then see a rough range of what I could expect. I've wanted an MX-5 since I first went in the Eunos my Dad borrowed when I was 7, and I've waited long enough, but I don't want to throw away money if it isn't economical viable
.I take your point. Which is exactly why I have a Citroen Xantia Diesel as my 'everyday car' because strangely, I to am bothered about fuel consumption, until I get behind the wheel of my MX-5 that is. I fully understand if you are doing a lot of miles, of couse its going to be a concern, but if its that much of a concern, surely an MX-5 isn't right for you!?
It wasn't your concern about consumption I was getting at anyway, I was merely suggesting it was a waste of time comparing figures because of the number of variables. I'm sorry if you took my comments the wrong way......
It wasn't your concern about consumption I was getting at anyway, I was merely suggesting it was a waste of time comparing figures because of the number of variables. I'm sorry if you took my comments the wrong way......
I wish I could afford to drive and insure two vehicles, let alone have space to keep them! An MX-5 is finally in my reach with half-decent insurance quotes (same as my Mondeo) and while my Mondeo is still worth a half-decent sum it makes sense (to me) to change while I don't have to put a cash injection in.
I'm probably going to be doing between 20k and 25k in the next 12 months which is some less than I have done annually in the past. Some people might not think an MX-5 is the sort of car to do that in, and maybe I will find that it's right, in which case I would probably look to change again come spring/summer (I've had four cars in three years anyway!). If it only costs me £150 more a year to run an MX-5 (irrelevant cost when spending £3k p.a. on fuel) then it is worth it IMO.
No worries, didn't take your comments any way really, it's always nice to get different peoples opinions and comments on any subject.
I'm probably going to be doing between 20k and 25k in the next 12 months which is some less than I have done annually in the past. Some people might not think an MX-5 is the sort of car to do that in, and maybe I will find that it's right, in which case I would probably look to change again come spring/summer (I've had four cars in three years anyway!). If it only costs me £150 more a year to run an MX-5 (irrelevant cost when spending £3k p.a. on fuel) then it is worth it IMO
.No worries, didn't take your comments any way really, it's always nice to get different peoples opinions and comments on any subject
.Personally I don't think it would be the right car for what you want, whilst I love mine and wouldn't swap it for the world, if I was doing a lot of miles in it, it would be a different story. Whilst they are great fun, on a long journey, they aren't the quietest (quite droney at motorway speed), they aren't packed with creature comforts like your mondeo, and they have relatively small fuel tanks and of course not the most economical. But everyone is different, you may like it. If you get one, hope you get a good one, and enjoy it! They are great cars and I completely understand why you want one! 
OllieWinchester said:
How big is the tank on a Mk1 Eunos? I usually get about 38 litres in, so I'm assuming its a 40 litre tank. I normally get about 350Km's to a tank, which equates to approximately 220 miles. If 40 litres is equal to 8.7 UK Gallons then I reckon I'm getting 25mpg, which is not great. The key is keeping the revs below 4k apparently, trouble is I keep giving it the juice to hear the induction noise....
Glad I'm not the only one getting poor MPG's.Ok, as a direct comparison, I usually do my daily drudge in my 1.8 Zetec Focus (petrol) and I always get 33mpg regardless of how I drive. In my (modified) Mk2.5 1.8 Sport I get between 25 & 28mpg driving exactly the same roads at the same speeds.
Personally I think an MX5 is fine for those sorts of mileages but a Mk2/2.5 1.8 with 6-speed gearbox would be best. Give it a try and if you don't like it sell it and get a diesel hatch.
Personally I think an MX5 is fine for those sorts of mileages but a Mk2/2.5 1.8 with 6-speed gearbox would be best. Give it a try and if you don't like it sell it and get a diesel hatch.
Edited by MX-5 Lazza on Thursday 4th December 16:46
I couldn't care less about the MPG my MX5 returns, I didn't buy it for it's economy, it's just interesting to discuss what we do get in various scenarios
I'm not that fussed when "daily-driving", either. My Accord returns 31MPG average, yet it's a very cheap car to run
I'm not that fussed when "daily-driving", either. My Accord returns 31MPG average, yet it's a very cheap car to run
FELIX_5 said:
Personally I don't think it would be the right car for what you want, whilst I love mine and wouldn't swap it for the world, if I was doing a lot of miles in it, it would be a different story. Whilst they are great fun, on a long journey, they aren't the quietest (quite droney at motorway speed), they aren't packed with creature comforts like your mondeo, and they have relatively small fuel tanks and of course not the most economical. But everyone is different, you may like it. If you get one, hope you get a good one, and enjoy it! They are great cars and I completely understand why you want one!
I'm going to have to agree Edited by Howard- on Friday 5th December 08:08
Just thought I'd add some numbers by way of a reply to this thread...
I've had the MX for a little over five weeks and have managed to clock up 2,500 miles in it. A few trips up and down the M40 and some commuting to Cheltenham during the week has attributed to this. I'm still loving driving the car even on the motorway, and finding it has a surprising amount of pull from 70 in 6th considering it's lack of torque compared to the diesel Mondeo that went before it.
Current long-term average fuel economy is 33.9mpg, and it is fair to say I haven't been hanging around. I have been getting to know the car so I certainly haven't been on an "economy drive". Last tank just recorded a 35.4mpg average though this was primarily motorway (cruising at 0.8ish leptons) with a light sprinkling of town driving (More info is available on my profile...)
Is this the car for me?
The answer to this question is most definately YES! Even though I haven't had the roof down since the first day (hard top on) I am still finding it an event driving it on a day to day basis. I'm am willing to admit it isn't such a good motorway cruiser as the Mondeo, but there is actually less road noise and it feels nice and planted.
Can't wait for the summer to arrive now! A gratuitous photo:
I've had the MX for a little over five weeks and have managed to clock up 2,500 miles in it. A few trips up and down the M40 and some commuting to Cheltenham during the week has attributed to this. I'm still loving driving the car even on the motorway, and finding it has a surprising amount of pull from 70 in 6th considering it's lack of torque compared to the diesel Mondeo that went before it.
Current long-term average fuel economy is 33.9mpg, and it is fair to say I haven't been hanging around. I have been getting to know the car so I certainly haven't been on an "economy drive". Last tank just recorded a 35.4mpg average though this was primarily motorway (cruising at 0.8ish leptons) with a light sprinkling of town driving (More info is available on my profile...)
Is this the car for me?
The answer to this question is most definately YES! Even though I haven't had the roof down since the first day (hard top on) I am still finding it an event driving it on a day to day basis. I'm am willing to admit it isn't such a good motorway cruiser as the Mondeo, but there is actually less road noise and it feels nice and planted.
Can't wait for the summer to arrive now! A gratuitous photo:
As for the importance of fuel economy:
I think it's become important to the majority of us when we find it's suddenly costing well over £1 a litre for fuel.
Economy can be a good gauge of how a similar engine is running compared to another, good example on the early MX5's is that there's no check engine light, so often you only find it can't read the O2 sensor because you've lost 5mpg.
I bought my MX5 as my economy daily runabout. Alas I'd say at 27-30mpg (ranging from trying to break it to super eco 20 car queue behind driving) I'm a little surprised it isn't a little less thirsty, but it is less thirsty than the other car at anything between 14 and 20 mpg..
Putitng on a really sad anorak, I do think there's a little sport in seeing the best economy you cna get out of your car - the American's seem to like ot call this 'hypermiling' - something to make the commute to work interesting for a couple of weeks anyway! (BTW this is about trying to better the economy on your own vehicle, i.e. best improvement over 'normal' factory mileage).
One last point, I think over the last couple of years the car scene has become blighted by less exciting subjects, I'm currently unbelievably bored by the other forum I tended to hang around in on here - since now instead of 'how's your car going' and 'look at this' threads, it's now become all about the resale of the latest variant, how to reprogram your sat nav and how someone doesn't like the latest factory special edition stickers. Grrr!
I think it's become important to the majority of us when we find it's suddenly costing well over £1 a litre for fuel.
Economy can be a good gauge of how a similar engine is running compared to another, good example on the early MX5's is that there's no check engine light, so often you only find it can't read the O2 sensor because you've lost 5mpg.
I bought my MX5 as my economy daily runabout. Alas I'd say at 27-30mpg (ranging from trying to break it to super eco 20 car queue behind driving) I'm a little surprised it isn't a little less thirsty, but it is less thirsty than the other car at anything between 14 and 20 mpg..
Putitng on a really sad anorak, I do think there's a little sport in seeing the best economy you cna get out of your car - the American's seem to like ot call this 'hypermiling' - something to make the commute to work interesting for a couple of weeks anyway! (BTW this is about trying to better the economy on your own vehicle, i.e. best improvement over 'normal' factory mileage).
One last point, I think over the last couple of years the car scene has become blighted by less exciting subjects, I'm currently unbelievably bored by the other forum I tended to hang around in on here - since now instead of 'how's your car going' and 'look at this' threads, it's now become all about the resale of the latest variant, how to reprogram your sat nav and how someone doesn't like the latest factory special edition stickers. Grrr!
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