How do you measure it, do you reset the mpg meter once you start moving ot just start measuring once you are actually on the motorway?
On shortish journeys I remember getting around 33 mpg mostly in my 2ltr NC Recaro, run on E5 (Sainsbury’s or BP super) that was remapped to 180bhp. A longer journey would return 40+ easily.
I’m now getting 45 mpg (yesterday) in my 1.5 ND that was a jaunt over to Melton Mowbray. It wasn’t a clear fast run, plenty of stops/start, hold ups etc so not bad.
I’d use something like Fuelly - Track and Compare your MPG to track and report actual driving and mileage. Then you get a proper, accurate long-term view of consumption via brim-to-brim fuel consumption.
Accuracy of the on-board MPG readout does vary. Although if you wanted an approximate picture you could, for example, reset the MPG reading when joining a motorway slip-road and then make a note of the figure when you exit. If you’re interested in seeing economy for a particular part of a journey.
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To measure: the only easy way is to fill to brim, drive, then fill again. Do it close to or on a fast road to minimise slow driving. But ensuring the engine is warm before you fill will help eliminate any ‘choke’ effects.
You can’t trust the on-board display, unless you have ‘calibrated’ it already. But Wardy5’s reply is what I do now I know the onboard display is about right.
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Yeah, I’ve been doing it the old fashioned way by tracking my miles after filling up and then making note of the liters after filling up again and using that to calculate it. But it includes all kinds of driving, so I’m wondering if people with high mpg numbers are just measuring specific sections.
At the moment I do that but it includes all kind of driving.
Ill try doing that once I’m out of the city, cheers.
I’m not really into mpg figures, I’ve just made a mental note of what the readout says after a particular journey.
Basically I run 2 cars now that can each achieve 50+ mpg if I want them (dreaming, a possibility in the ND, I’ve yet to find out) realistically 40+ mpg without apply a light right foot.
Hi,
I have a 2007 Mk3 with a 2.0 litre engine and when filling up , I put the some amount of E5 and E10 in the tank. It drives really well, good mpg and the exhaust tail is lovely.
High my 6 year old 1.5 ND with 19,000 miles consistently gets between 48-50 miles on average with general all round driving, with mainly country driving around the east midlands.
Everyone loves talking about their MPG. I used to run a ‘slightly’ modified 350 Ducati that typically returned 100 mpg without trying to save money. My best return was a Suzuki 200 MX. Despite being a competition MX bike it had an engine from a trials bike! It would pull strongly from no revs and was an absolute delight roaming the coastal paths in Cornwall in the winter when nobody else was about….great days. Best was 126 mpg
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I just completed a 2,200 mile trip across Europe in my 2.0 NC with an average of 36mpg (I measure every fuel-up on every vehicle by brimming and noting mileage/litres into the Road Trip app on my phone). Thrashing it up mountain passes at 6,000RPM had it in the low 20’s, long runs down the autoroute at 70-80 returned more like 40. I find my trip computer is eerily accurate, resetting it at every fuel-up and comparing it to the calculated figures.
I agree with other posters that it would be worth doing a more normal country run with some 40’s, 50’s, and 60’s mixed in to see what sort of numbers you get. Start-stop at slow speed is the worst, and any time you’re idling at a stand-still (frequent in central london, I’m sure) you’re basically dragging your average down by doing zero miles per gallon.
Say what you will about electric cars, but they are absolutely the right solution for city driving!
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Try an Italian tune -up as the first cheap option.
When almost empty fill with a “named” brand E5 and give it a proper blast up the motorway, I’d think a 60 mile round trip at as fast a speed as you’re comfortable with should do it. Keep a close eye on the temp guage as it may start to overheat if you have a real problem.
My 2 litre NC 2.5 almost never achieves better than 35 despite using the best oil/petrol/tyres etc, and 30 mpg driven quickly. I think they’re all different.
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Just a side bar here, can someone please explain the “Trip Computer” being referred to here? I have a 2006 NC, and I am not sure that I have found that facility.
Sorry, I should have been clearer. In the NC (or at least in my 2012) there’s a small LCD panel below the gauges that can be cycled through different read-outs by pressing the small round stalk button on the right of the gauge cluster. One of the settings - and the one I was referring to - is the ‘average fuel economy’ readout in MPG. I reset it by pressing and holding the aforementioned button when I refuel the car, and so far it seems to be tracking very closely to real, calculation consumption figures.
I hope that helps!
Pre 2009 (NC1’s) didn’t have an MPG read out on the dash panel. An outside temp read out wasn’t included either pre 2009, it was post 2009 NC2 onwards Sport Tech + others.
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2013 2.0 Sport Tech Nav (well was with the nav bit).
I’am pretty much with you on all that.
Same scenario’s on trips etc, (Spain and others).
Maybe slightly better sometimes due to a remap.
Some disagree, but the Super fuels pays for itself also in my opinion with slightly better MPG/performance.
I have compared with another MX5 the same spec and same trips too.
Not that I have got one or need one, but EV’s just make logical and financial sense in an urban environment.
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Quick update: I had the brakes and alignment checked this week, brakes were fine, no dragging, but front s were a bit toe out, so I got them aligned.
Went out for a drive today and played with the mpg gauge a bit, was getting about 26 -30 around town (traffic wasn’t too bad), on b roads it showed 30-33 and on the motorway at 70 it was showing 36-40mpg.
How much of a factor the re-alignment plays I’m not sure, I will drive it as usual until it’s time to top up again, then Ill calculate overall mpg and report back.
The good news is that the car is perfectly fine mechanically, which was my main concern! Thanks for the feedback everyone.
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Sounds about right for a 2 litre NC mpg wise, no worries👍
People gets surprising high mpg from their ND’s. Lighter weight or/and direct injection?
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And the rest. Many, many years of engine development. DI enables higher static CR, the main player. That’s what brings every engine alive and why anything other is cheap and not very good.
It annoyed me they never put dual VVT on most of the MZR engines, in fact IIRC we never even got it in the UK. That would have been a big advantage to stock and more to modified engines.
Mazda never pushed the boundaries with the MX5 engines as it wasn’t/isn’t what it’s all about. Good for the aftermarket though when someone other than an OAP gets hold of them 
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