There is a definite upside to this little engine, though, in that it is very fuel-efficient. Achieving 26 miles per gallon in the city, and an impressive 35 mpg on the highway, the manual-equipped CX-5 is a class leader when it comes to sipping fuel. We found stretching out the life of a tank of gas to be surprisingly easy on a long highway trip, even with two other passengers and the cargo area packed pretty tightly. We saw nearly 32 mpg over the course of 535 miles, during our week of use.