Poor gas mileage

[Imagin8on]

Bought my E84 xdrive about 6 months ago, with about 65k on it. I'm getting 18.5mpg combined, rather disappointing. Replaced the plugs, air filter, oil change, no effect.

Took it to a shop, who diagnosed a faulty water pump as the possible culprit. Several hundred dollars later, and the mileage is the same.

I've tried being extra light on the pedal, which is no fun and only resulted in ~+1 mpg.

Anyone else been through this?

[Gamb1t]

Without understanding your driving characteristics it is hard to tell. In our daily city commute, we average about 10.3l/100km on our x28i.

[Chicone]

You don't say if you have a 28i or 35i. The 35i is less than the 28i, the 2015 was officially rated 18 City/ 27 highway. I do a lot of city driving, I see about the same as what you are seeing. At 44,000.

[Imagin8on]

Originally Posted by Gamb1t

Without understanding your driving characteristics it is hard to tell. In our daily city commute, we average about 10.3l/100km on our x28i.

I commute about 20 miles per day, with moderate to heavy traffic at times. The last trip I took it on, I ended up with about 24mpg, but I expected better, given the information available online.

[Imagin8on]

Originally Posted by Chicone

You don't say if you have a 28i or 35i. The 35i is less than the 28i, the 2015 was officially rated 18 City/ 27 highway. I do a lot of city driving, I see about the same as what you are seeing. At 44,000.

It's a 2013 xdrive28i. Could a clogged fuel filter be the issue?

[bucketfoot]

Originally Posted by Imagin8on

The last trip I took it on, I ended up with about 24mpg, but I expected better, given the information available online.

Unless you are doing highway driving, 24 mpg is about the best you can expected.

I've got a JB4, drive with the tranny in sport mode, with no worries about mpg and get in the 20-21 mpg range.

Small differences in mpg are quite frankly a joke. For example, I drive ~8K miles a year:

• At 20 mpg and going with a high gas price of $4/gal that's $1600/year or $133/month.
  
• At 25 mpg it would be $1280/year or $107/month or a whopping savings of ~$26/month

I don't smoke, I never go to Starbucks, so call this my vice

[bucketfoot]

I'll add that if I recall I got around 24-26 mpg driving in Econ mode while trying to save as much fuel as I could.

It was the worst two weeks of driving I've ever experienced, plus why in the hell would I want to do that in a BMW. The dang thing is meant to be driven

[Imagin8on]

Originally Posted by bucketfoot

At 25 mpg it would be $1280/year or $107/month or a whopping savings of ~$26/month

excellent point

[Imagin8on]

Originally Posted by bucketfoot

I'll add that if I recall I got around 24-26 mpg driving in Econ mode while trying to save as much fuel as I could.

It was the worst two weeks of driving I've ever experienced, plus why in the hell would I want to do that in a BMW. The dang thing is meant to be driven

Thank you for freeing me of the bondage of my thinking! I'm never going to worry about mileage in this car again, it is fun to drive

[bucketfoot]

Go do a NASA HPDE event or some other sort of track day. You'll like driving it even more after that. It's quite surprising what the car is capable of

[mcdanielvzw]

Originally Posted by bucketfoot

Unless you are doing highway driving, 24 mpg is about the best you can expected.

I've got a JB4, drive with the tranny in sport mode, with no worries about mpg and get in the 20-21 mpg range.

Small differences in mpg are quite frankly a joke. For example, I drive ~8K miles a year:

• At 20 mpg and going with a high gas price of $4/gal that's $1600/year or $133/month.
  
• At 25 mpg it would be $1280/year or $107/month or a whopping savings of ~$26/month

I don't smoke, I never go to Starbucks, so call this my vice

This is why I love my 328i. Mixed highway and city I get 24-25 MPG. 6 cyl NA and still great MPG IMO. My x1, I get 21 in the same exact driving and have the exponential maintenance (awd vs rwd so more complexity, longer hours for maintenance, more fluids, etc). Yes I can get 27 MPG but that is pure highway.

Also you laugh at your savings, but it all but pays for my car insurance for one car for a year. Laughable? I think not. I bought my 35 x1 by not eating out at lunch every single day of the week. No, $7/day/5days a week/4 weeks a month isn't the same amount, but it was a good portion. You value money differently, don't hate. Cars are my vice too, but you can have so much be saving on the little things every single day - You'd be surprised how quickly $20 turns into $1000s with small changes.

That savings also lets me keep my true fun vehicle for vacations and pleasure drives for 3-5 extra years, and eventually mountainous drives. I won't have to worry about driving 2k miles on a trip and worrying about breaking down and needing a quick expensive fix.

[0w40X1]

At the approx $3500./year of depreciation, that's about the same in gas of 20 mpg and 20k miles a year.

I just don't see any gas mileage being "BAD" over 15mpg which is what many people barely get.

Also, you should check the 18.5 mpg everytime you fill up with actual miles divided by gaLLONS.

My dash is on I think 19.9 on a X1 s28i, and I idle some, but it can get 30mpg on a trip driving easy.

[bucketfoot]

Originally Posted by 0w40X1

Also, you should check... with actual miles divided by gaLLONS.

In my book that's the only way to really measure mpg. I pay no attention to what the car tells me I'm getting.

But then I also stopped worrying about it long ago

[mreric]

i think there might be something to do with your driving style,

i tow 2000 lbs trailer and still get 20 mpg.

check your tire pressure and alignment

[mokoto]

Still trying to figure out if its the weight that plays a role for that consumption. I wonder if it was a 328i, would it be any different in terms of consumtion!

[mcdanielvzw]

What gas do you fill up with, where, and what is your daily driving like? I only use 93, and Shell/Mobil/Exxon in my 35i. 21-22 85% highway, but 25-28 for all highway trips.

My 328i gets Costco 93, and it gets 23-26 MPG average for 85% highway (no all highway trips have been taken). I've been working on it, getting it "up to snuff" and all so 25 is mostly my norm. It pays for the additional insurance on my car over a 12 month period based on my 20K+ miles a year for work.

Anyone who hasn't tried it might want to install Fuelly. It lets you put in all the info when you fill up, Odo, price, gallons, and it gives you the real MPG and lets you track it and money spent.

FYI, you have an AWD vehicle being pushed by 4 cylinders - I hate to say you should expect to get worse MPG than other cars, even an I6 with AWD. You want the power to push it, you have to pay the MPG price to get it. Why else do you think you get power less power in an EVO or WRX but less MPG? That is why I bought a 35i, and also a 328i that was an NA 6.

My NA 6 RWD 328i is butt-dyno faster *engine* wise than my AWD 35i when I don't engage the turbo to its' potential.

[NemoX1]

My 2014 E84 Xdrive35i with jb4 and catless dp is averaging almost 21 mpg. I drive mixed city and highway and I drive it quickly.

[MNX135I]

Originally Posted by Imagin8on

Bought my E84 xdrive about 6 months ago, with about 65k on it. I'm getting 18.5mpg combined, rather disappointing. Replaced the plugs, air filter, oil change, no effect.

Took it to a shop, who diagnosed a faulty water pump as the possible culprit. Several hundred dollars later, and the mileage is the same.

I've tried being extra light on the pedal, which is no fun and only resulted in ~+1 mpg.

Anyone else been through this?

My 35i xdrive gets in the low 20 mpg range if I drive the speed limit in moderate traffic on the interstate. A lot less in stop and go

[b00gers]

I have a 2015 sDrive28i with Dinan and AFE intake. I would guess that 85% of my driving is in some kinda stop and go (traffic or city driving). I get between 23-24 mpg. On a road trip that was all highway, I was getting 28 mpg.

My Mini Cooper S is like a little go kart in the city - gets 33+ mpg without having to baby it.