Got some great fuel economy data on our road trip:
I fueled up directly before leaving, and directly after coming home, so this data is literally ONLY the roadtrip. It contains ALL the driving we did, which I would guess was about 90 - 95% highway, and 5-10% city driving - through Kelowna/Penticton, and then 5 days driving around Calgary.
In total, we drove 4257.02 kms (in 11 days). We burned 335.27 liters of fuel, giving me an average fuel economy of 7.88 l/100km for the entire trip. I spent a total of $624.41 on fuel - I had budgeted $800 - $1000 for fuel, so I came out ahead.
Some interesting things I noted:
On the drive from Winnipeg to Calgary, I held our speed at 119km/h (easy to do - speed limit on the TCH is 110km/h, and it's generally deserted - nobody to get in your way). Day 1 (May 17th, Winnipeg to Regina - 8.05 l/100km) was nice weather with a moderate wind from the South, but on day 2 (May 18th, Regina to Calgary - 8.79l /100km) the weather deteriorated, and we had a strong west wind. That wind died down the closer we got to Calgary.
Driving through the Rockies was a pleasant surprise. On the 20th, we drove from Calgary to Penticton. I would have expected fuel consumption to rise driving through the mountains, but on the stretch from Calgary to Revelstoke, through Kootenay National Park, Radium Hot Springs, Golden, and through the Roger's Pass, fuel economy actually improved significantly to 6.97 l/100km. Our average speed was probably about 105km/h (90km/h speed limit through the parks, 100km/h through non-park areas, and I typically did 9km/h over the speed limit, where traffic allowed - and I was getting passed a LOT - Albertans drive crazy fast through the rockies). Through the Okanagan (Revelstoke to Penticton, including city driving in Kelowna), my average climbed a little to 7.33L/100km. Speaking of, Kelowna is a pain in the ass to drive through. Highway 97 doesn't bypass the city at all, end you end up driving on surface streets from one end of Kelowna to the other. We happened to be driving through during rush hour on a Friday - Added an hour to our total trip time.
Penticton to Calgary was a little worse, as we got 7.67L/100kms, but we also did a few days driving around Calgary before refuelling on the 25th, so there is some city mileage in there. Overall, I was surprised by the increased fuel economy in the Rockies - I suspect lower average speeds, and a lack of headwind in any direction.
Calgary to Winnipeg (through Drumheller), I got an average of 7.53 l/100km - 1.26 l/100km better than on our way out. It's not quote Apples to Apples, as from Drumheller to Regina, we took smaller regional highways where the speed limit was generally 100km/h, so I was doing 109km/h. Having a South Wind, rather than a direct headwind was a help, too.
The GoC fuel economy estimate for the 2019 CX-5 AWD (2.5NA) is 7.9L/100kms on the highway. At 7.88L/100kms avg for the whole trip, I came pretty close to matching that number exactly, but with a little bit of city driving, and higher speeds mixed in. I possibly only once or twice felt the need for more power (like from a CX-5 2.5T), but on the whole, the 2.5NA was perfectly competent on hustling a loaded down CUV along prairie highways and through steep mountain passes - and it returned excellent fuel economy while doing so.
