Posts Tagged ‘road trip’
2010 Mazdaspeed 3 Miles per Gallon – Bethany Beach Trip!
This weekend I decided to go to Bethany Beach in Delaware for the weekend. Life has been hectic and I needed a little reprieve. So I grabbed my Girlfriend packed up the MS3 and hit the road Friday after traffic. We left at 7pm and arrived just before 10pm Friday night. There was a little traffic on 495 leaving Bethesda but it was pretty much smooth sailing after that. Traffic was next to none all the way up 50 East and over the Bay Bridge. It was a great night to put the Mazdaspeed 3 through the grind again.
This trip was not different from the road trip to Savannah. Loaded up the computers, ipods, phones and jacked in like Neo from the Matrix. Once again all the features of the 2010 Mazdaspeed 3 made for an amazing ride. For the trip up, I refilled the tank without octane boost. I did this in continuation from my previous post as extended testing of the octane boost product and the affects on the car. (2010 Mazdaspeed 3 w/ Octane boost – worth it?) I noticed the car was a little sluggish on acceleration when trying to take over cars. When the dashed lines allowed me to on the one lane highways, you know I couldn’t resist! The car still handled well and accelerated better than most but it just felt heavier. I thought to myself, maybe it is the 100lbs in luggage and the 110lbs of Girlfriend (shhhh, don’t tell her I told you her weight) but when I did the math, 200lbs on a butt dyno… won’t feel it.
But I digress… With every fill up I reset Trip A and the Miles per Gallon averages. Due to traffic conditions, weather variants, etc. this is not an exact science but it is a good real-world example of the gas efficiencies of the MS3. The trip up had about 20 minutes of traffic around the beltway and took just under 3 hours. It was about 85 F and road conditions were clear. As I ended my trip with just under a half of tank of gas, my average miles per gallon were 26.7. Not too shabby if you ask me, especially since that is .7 over what the average is said to be for highways. So with the remainder I was able to drive around Bethany, Rehoboth and Ocean City for the weekend and still have a quarter tank of gas left for our trip back Sunday.
The trip back I decided to add a bottle of octane boost and refilled the tank before we left. We left under roughly the same conditions, 85 F, clear and about 20 minutes of traffic when we got to the Bay Bridge and all within about 3 hours. The trip back required the same amount of passing on one-lane highways if not more. We even had more luggage for the trip back because of our little Tanger Outlets excursion in Rehobeth earlier that day! Even with that the car felt lighter and faster with the octane boost and the biggest surprise was the gas mileage results at the end of the trip.
When we returned to Bethesda I looked down at my miles per gallon average and the in dash computer said 28.2. I was amazed. How can this 265 hp Mazdaspeed 3 get 2 more miles to the gallon than suggested? Who needs a hybrid when you have forced induction!!! The amazing thing is I am not the only one to see these results with their Mazdaspeed 3. A friend of mine in the Mazda Community forums at www.streetunitforum.com mentioned that he got 28 mpg during his trip from Fort Lauderdale to Orlando with cruise control set at an average of about 75 mph throughout a 250 mile trip this weekend, as well.
So with all that I can honestly say that the Mazdaspeed 3 is not just a fast, sporty, fun, economic racer… it is very “green” as well. I bet with a few breathing modifications such as a cold air intake, opening up the exhaust from the turbo back, a more efficient top mounted inter-cooling system enhanced with a nice piggyback system I could easily get this car into the 32 miles per gallon range and still cost lest than all Hybrids in this Horsepower range. I will be putting that to the test since those few modifications listed are first on my list!
First Roadtrip in the Mazdaspeed 3
So I decided to take the 2010 Mazdaspeed 3 on her first road trip to really test out the claims of being surprisingly comfortable despite all the frame and suspension enhancements. I am not talking some 2 hour trip to ocean City, Maryland. I need a real road trip to break her in. Being that it is March why not go to the second largest St. Patty’s Day celebration in the country!!! So off to Savannah Georgia I go.
I use to make the trip from Maryland to Savannah and Savannah to Maryland 4 times a year when I attended college there. It use to take me 9-10 hours in a 1995 Jeep Wrangler soft-top. Now that is slow and uncomfortable. I plan my trip, get my first oil change, pack up some snacks and Redbull, pickup my friend and set off for good ol’ Savannah at 8am Friday morning with a full tank of gas.
One catch to my friend coming along was that she had to work on the way down which meant bringing along her computer. The great thing about the 2010 Mazdaspeed 3 is all the 12v outlets it has as well as it’s spacious interior. I purchased a power converter/extender from Radio Shack when I use to drive to Florida in my Mazdaspeed Protege. This converter has a USB charger, 2 three prong outlets and a 12v plug. My friend easily plugged up her ipod shuffle, computer and phone into this. The plug she used was the 12v located inside the center console. I was then able to use the 12v plug in the so called ashtray area, which holds my change, to keep my ipod Nano charged while it played my tunes via the AUX plug, and all while I synced my Blackberry Storm 2 to the bluetooth. We had everything we needed and more for a long electronically enhanced, safe road trip.
As we started our trip, we jump onto the highways which are no picnic if you live in the Washington DC area and know the 495 Beltway. The Mazdaspeed 3 has all the power, handling and braking capabilities anyone could need in order to navigate the Beltway unscathed. Dodging and weaving sleepy and obliviously distracted drivers and massive potholes the car handled like a dream. We make it to 95 south in record time!
After 3 hours of driving we pass Richmond and I start looking for a gas station. Then I realize, as I look down, I have barely used a half tank of gas! To say the least, I was pleasantly surprised. This car was getting great gas mileage even with doing extended periods of high speeds and stop and gos on 495 and 95 (the speed limit is 65mph through Virginia). So with this we continue straight through Virginia and head for cheaper gas prices in North Carolina.
By the time we need gas we are long over due for a food and restroom break. While we break I recalculate my gas (no pun intended) budget for the trip and move that money over to the beer column! So far we have been driving about 4 hours and my back, knees and butt are doing great. The seats offer great support and absorb the road vibrations better than I expected. However, Depending on the road conditions and whether it is concrete or asphalt the ride can get quite rough and load at times. The plus and minus to this fine automobile is it’s sensitivity to the road conditions. You feel every bump, grove, angle and turn and I personally love it. I feel like I am driving a car. Even though you feel everything in the suspension and steering, the Mazdaspeed 3 does a great job transfers all of it to you smoothly and with ease. You feel it but you don’t “feel” it.
Eight and a half hours later we arrive in Savannah, yes, I said eight and a half. Due to fewer stops and lots of power, I made it to Savannah in record time! As we peeled ourselves from the seats I saw that I still had a quarter tank of gas left on my second tank. That is just enough gas to tool around Savannah for the weekend and be ready to fill up for the journey home.
When all is said and done, I have to say the trip was much more enjoyable than I expected. 10 times more comfortable and quiet than the Mazdaspeed Protege and Jeep Wrangler. It drove better and got much better gas mileage and had all the amenities I needed for the trip. The trip back home went just as good and I eagerly await my next road trip in my 2010 Mazdaspeed 3!