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Fuel consumption will decrease as the engine breaks in further. Expect to see the best numbers after 15000km or about 10000 miles.
It is not always the most efficient to drive in the top overdrive gear when ascending longer or steeper gradients, that's why the transmission will drop down a gear or two and hold it until it levels out. Although the engine may be able to pull through in top gear, the driver has to push the throttle pedal much harder to compensate (kind of like lugging at too "low" a rpm), and thus consumption may be higher than if the engine was in a lower gear with higher revs, but less throttle.
For example, my X3 often drops 5-4 in the hillier sections of the Piedmont and mountainous stretches of VA. I *could* do many of the highway stretches in 5th, but would have to nearly floor the throttle. Better to just let the AT do its thing. On even steeper gradients (8% or greater), the transmission kicks down 5-3 and holds 3rd at 5000+rpm, does it for miles until the road levels out.
On the wonderful backroads and mountain passes in WV with a 10% gradient, it just dropped to 2nd gear at lower speeds and held it until the redline.
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2014 Mazda 3 GT: Ø Consumption:  (click for details)
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10-10-2010, 02:21 PM
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