[Adybaby]

Hi all - according to OBC I'm getting 44mpg doing some town and some motorway. Now surely regardless to how u drive, which mode etc - 52.3 should be the minimum and BMW are taking the piff???? I would have to push the car to get 62.8 and put it on a transporter to get 72.4!! Has anyone taken this up with BMW or got dealer to look at.....

[MikeRR]

Now what engine and car you talking about?
I assume a 320d? 44 MPG is not bad at all for mixed town / motorway.
The figures in the brochure are evaluated in a laboratory not by "real driving". Until now every car I have driven has not matched the values in real life (apart from long motorway drives)

[robbiep]

This only applies in the EU, as far as I'm aware ...

Every, and I mean EVERY, car manufacturer HAS to do the 'official' EU tests for fuel economy. They the MUST give those figures, and NO other figures.

As a result of which, the only way in which the figures are useful is as a comparison, rather than reality.

This has been going on for a number of years. If you have a browse through motoring magazines, or various motoring related news websites, then you'll see that that is the case.
Now, regarding the fuel economy you're getting. I'd strongly suggest that if you tried, then 50 mpg would be feasible, and quite possibly a bit more. One motoring journalist ran a 320dED for over 7000 miles, and averaged 63 mpg.

[M2Cmtl]

44 MPG in town is pretty good. Depends on a bunch of factors, weather, driving style, speed, fuel quality...

[Adybaby]

Yes guys it is a 320D - but come on, one reason for going for taxi engine is the fuel economy - ok I wasn't expecting 60 - but 43/44 - really!!!!! Urban is urban surely so the 53 they say as "urban" should be the minimum....I shall take this up with BMW and ask them to come and get more than 44 out of it. It should do what it says in the tin in my view. I may as well have gone for petrol..

[34.50]

Originally Posted by f31mtl

44 MPG in town is pretty good. Depends on a bunch of factors, weather, driving style, speed, fuel quality...

Exactly. Are you driving it hard? Also, hate to say it, but if you are so concerned about fuel economy, you shouldn't have bought a BMW. There are plenty of other brands that are oriented for getting the best fuel economy.

[robbiep]

As I said, a motoring journalist ran a 320d ED for 7,000 miles, and averaged 63 mpg. The first thing to look at is probably your own driving style, etc.
Then, it's winter. That always hurts fuel economy. Electrical load meaning the alternator is drawing engine power more, car taking longer to warm up, etc.

In addition to which, that 'taxi engine' as you put it has got 184 bhp. Hot hatch territory from only a few years ago. Considering the performance that you get, along with 44 mpg, it's a pretty good package. A decade ago, that BHP was in the 330d.

Anyway, feel free to complain to BMW. They'll tell you exactly the same. They can BY LAW only give you the 'official' figures.
But feel free to waste your breath.

[Cup o' Joe]

When I filled up 2 days ago, I calculated around 15mpg for my 328 (decent mix of city and highway). Even long highway driving with cruise control and eco pro mode, i still maxed out around 30 something.

[MikeRR]

I work for BMW and I know the figures of our customers at 44 mpg with city driving is not bad at all. 60 MPG is impossible to achive - only motorway on a long trip maybe, but not with mixed driving / city. Also what is the mileage of your car? The engine needs a while to get the best MPG, it gets better with more miles.

@34.50: You dont get the small Diesel engines in the US but those engines are amongst the best in fuel economy / performance. So your comment is not really valid.

[robbiep]

Originally Posted by MikeRR

I work for BMW and I know the figures of our customers at 44 mpg with city driving is not bad at all. 60 MPG is impossible to achive - only motorway on a long trip maybe, but not with mixed driving / city. Also what is the mileage of your car? The engine needs a while to get the best MPG, it gets better with more miles.

@34.50: You dont get the small Diesel engines in the US but those engines are amongst the best in fuel economy / performance. So your comment is not really valid.

Considering you work for BMW, you really should know this ... they DO get the N47 2.0 diesel engine in the USA, though re-named the 328d

[MikeRR]

I work for BMW in Switzerland - why should I know that? We don't care that much about US Spec models you know. ;-)
But thanks for the info, at least I did learn something today!

Anyway, the 328d should be quite similar to the 320d, so quite fuel efficient.

[jdong]

Originally Posted by Cup o' Joe

When I filled up 2 days ago, I calculated around 15mpg for my 328 (decent mix of city and highway). Even long highway driving with cruise control and eco pro mode, i still maxed out around 30 something.

Remember that the OP is in the UK, which likely means he's talking about imperial gallons and not US gallons. There's 1.2 US gallons in an imperial gallon

[MikeRR]

Makes more sence that he complains now.
Thanks. Didn't know UK had other miles than US...

OP: As said depends on where and how you are driving and also how long the distances are. If you only drive small distances the diesel engine will not be efficient. It also depends on the actual mileage of your car.

[HighlandPete]

Originally Posted by Adybaby

Yes guys it is a 320D - but come on, one reason for going for taxi engine is the fuel economy - ok I wasn't expecting 60 - but 43/44 - really!!!!! Urban is urban surely so the 53 they say as "urban" should be the minimum....I shall take this up with BMW and ask them to come and get more than 44 out of it. It should do what it says in the tin in my view. I may as well have gone for petrol..

The car likely does do what it says on the tin, as has already been said, according to the 'official' NEDC test.

MPG shortfall has been getting worse over the past few years and now way off the real world figures, right across the European car industry.

It is not BMW who set the standard and they legally can only display figures from the NEDC test, however unrealistic they are in real world driving.

When you say urban, try and define the type of driving, is it light urban? Heavy urban, city? They will all yield different mpg. Winter driving just makes it all worse.

I've driven an F30 320d ED and it is a 55 - 60 mpg car in my typical driving, but did achieve over 74mpg (UK gallons) driving an A road in the traffic flow, over 40 miles. A wide range of mpg is attainable, driving conditions and the driver have the biggest influence.

Petrol would still have a mpg shortfall, likely a similar percentage against the official figures.

Saying all that, the NEDC test needs major revision, but it is a hot potato in the EU, due to CO2 targets, readjust it all and everyone is way down on emission targets.

HighlandPete

[Farmerboy]

I am on my second f10 and cover 25,000 miles a year. The fuel economy can be fantastic but depends on climate and driving style. On a trip from Newcastle to Bristol, London and back at the end of summer I got 1036 miles out of 65 litres or 72mpg at an average speed of 60mph. Long trips keep the mileage up. Last summer I went from the Newcastle area to Monaco with just one top up for the 1125 miles and had plenty of fuel for my first week in the South of France. I kept to the 130kph limit (81mph) and recorded 55mpg.

Short fast trips and heavy city traffic eat the fuel. Spirited driving gets the mpg down and reduces the range to about 560 miles. In Germany at 125+ mph the fuel computer shows 25mph, the same reading as driving across London in heavy traffic at 16 mph average.

My Excel spreadsheet for the last three years shows for everyday use 42mpg in winter and 51mpg in summer. Winter fuel has antifreeze additives, lights and other electrics are on and engine colder at start. The best readings are obtained around 24 centigrade. I always have the aircon on auto so even summer readings may be improved. The engines show better economy after 10,000 miles and always go 20,000 without an oil top up so are still tight. I have found that fuel grade makes a slight difference in range but the extra cost cancels out any advantage so stick with the regular fuel.

The last time my car was in for a service I was given a new 318d for the day. Even with only a handful of miles on the clock it's computer showed very good readings 50+ would be no problem. On a motorway run it recorder just over 70mpg, urban traffic reduced this later in the day.

Ps all figures UK gallons 4.54 litres to a gallon.

[34.50]

Originally Posted by MikeRR

@34.50: You dont get the small Diesel engines in the US but those engines are amongst the best in fuel economy / performance. So your comment is not really valid.

Yes, Gas/petrol cars are dominant in US over diesel (and choices for diesels is quite limited). However, I still stand by my statement that if you're buying a BMW (or other luxury/performance cars), you are not buying them for fuel efficiency. I would rather have an econobox for that - nothing wrong with those types of cars. My needs are performance/luxury first, fuel efficiency second.

[Michael Schott]

Originally Posted by 34.50

Yes, Gas/petrol cars are dominant in US over diesel (and choices for diesels is quite limited). However, I still stand by my statement that if you're buying a BMW (or other luxury/performance cars), you are not buying them for fuel efficiency. I would rather have an econobox for that - nothing wrong with those types of cars. My needs are performance/luxury first, fuel efficiency second.

I think you are forgetting the extreme high cost of fuel in Europe. Diesel fuel is over $9.00/gallon so a 15 gallon fill up is $135.00. You have to take fuel economy into account there unless you are filthy rich and the typical owner of a 320d is not wealthy.

[34.50]

Originally Posted by Michael Schott

I think you are forgetting the extreme high cost of fuel in Europe. Diesel fuel is over $9.00/gallon so a 15 gallon fill up is $135.00. You have to take fuel economy into account there unless you are filthy rich and the typical owner of a 320d is not wealthy.

I'm aware it's expensive there, but keep in mind public transportation is generally better in Europe (more options), plus smaller countries help. The bottom line is people have very different needs when it comes to cars, and everyone's situation is different. If gas was $9/gallon here in US, I would definitely be driving something more economical

[Farmerboy]

I have just done the maths for my fill up yesterday works out as 12.4$ per US gallon for diesel. Economy is important in the UK at these prices.

[HighlandPete]

Economy, fuel costs, fuel efficiency, CO2, tax, are the key words over here in the UK.

The fact that BMW have taken the "Efficient Dynamics" path has allowed them to hold a strong position in the car market. Forget the big petrol (gas) engines, those are now almost extinct, certainly to your average UK BMW user.

4-cylinder diesels are the volume sellers, 3-cylinder engines are going to be a bit hit, once on stream.

The biggest gripe in the UK is mpg shortfall, we have a test regime which is so unrealistic, so out of date, hence the very topic we are posting in.

Users feel they are being cheated, as real world driving does not match up to the official posted figures.

HighlandPete

[raleedy]

The best route to better miles per gallon is the UK route: bigger gallons.

Fuel consumption comparisons are meaningless without average speed comparisons. Average speed is a primary determinant of actual experience with fuel consumption.

Diesel engines offer less advantage over gasoline engines in city driving with low average speeds. They offer much more advantage in highway driving.