R60 Real World Fuel Consumption / MPG
#103
We just visited the North Carolina Museum of Natural Science in Raleigh and traveled 650 miles total. Our best was 33 mpg and our worst so far has been 25 mpg. Of course in the hot Carolina sun we have the AC blasting. My husband and I are really loving our CM. Our 6 year old twins love it also.
#104
Pure Red (6 SP Manual with AWD) on the Road!
Well, my must substantial highway trip so far - about 300 miles on mostly ethanol-free gas. Not much stop and go, mostly 55-77 mpg. The computer says i'm getting 32-33 range, which I'm pretty happy with. (Started the trip with approx 3500 miles on the car.)
Will be checking more intricately when the next fill-up occurs.
Pretty happy with this!
Will be checking more intricately when the next fill-up occurs.
Pretty happy with this!
#105
I am getting about 28 calculated at the gas station after fill-up. My car computer it telling me about 26.5. Is that the overall average or what? I have looked at the "ever-changing" moment to moment reading, and if you watch that it can drive you nutz! I'm OK with 28 mpg around city driving, and am looking forward to a real road trip soon.
![Nod](https://www.northamericanmotoring.com/forums/images/smilies/nod.gif)
#107
Well, my first extended road trip - over the course of 10 hours on mostly interstate or similar roads, I've averaged just under 32 mpg. Typically at the speed limit or slightly over, which ranges from 55-70 mph, depending upon the road.
Pretty happy with that - my average day-to-day driving, in town and some local higher speed roads, is pretty consistent at just under 25 tank after tank.
And this is with 6-speed manual and All4.
Pretty happy with that - my average day-to-day driving, in town and some local higher speed roads, is pretty consistent at just under 25 tank after tank.
And this is with 6-speed manual and All4.
#108
#109
Interesting to see your comment about A/C being on or not..... i have often wondered if that makes a difference. I think I have read that the AC on is acutally better than windows open for optimal gas mileage. Of course, that leads me to believe that a cool day, windows up and AC off would be best. Anyone care to comment?
#110
#111
I have approx. 3300 miles on my base CM, and am averaging right at 30mpg, mixed in town/ highway driving. I've rarely used the sport button, which is painful but I've been trying to do everything I can to get better mileage. :( The best I've gotten is 32, on a mostly 55mph "country roads" trip. I'm in NC where it's 99 degrees, and I have a 10 month old in the back, so the AC is pretty much a must-have the majority of the time.
#112
To compare mileage figures among drivers/vehicles is an interesting proposition. There are, of course, the differences between MPG figures in the US and any country that uses IMperial gallons (US-MPG to IM-MPG = US-MPG * 1.2, IM-MPG to US-MPG = IM-MPG / 1.2). Even within a country that uses the same-sized gallons, the many existing variables make it rather difficult to compare mileage:
We all know how to adjust the above variables to gain maximum performance and, conversely, how to gain maximum mileage. No matter which driving style you are using, there are some things you can do to get better (more accurate) data about your MPG. Following is the method that I use when at the pump.
Being OCD, I enter all this data into a spreadsheet and use it to compare (or "profile") my car's performance over time. However, you can use the data recorded on the receipt for a simple, hand calculated MPG figure (divide trip odometer reading by gallons used to fill-up). In most cases, that figure will be quite a bit more accurate that the figure reported by the computer.
My '04 MCS JCW computer reports a fairly consistent 8% more optimistic MPG reading that actual (hand-calculated) MPG. If I don't reset the average MPG and average speed at fill-ups, the computer's figure is REALLY off!
On the other hand, my BMW R1200RT's computer is only 0.04% optimistic!
- Degree to which the car has been run-in (at least 10k miles for best data);
- MPG reporting method (computer vs. hand calculation);
- Reset interval of average MPG and average speed;
- Model (CM, CM-S, CM-S All4);
- Transmission;
- Car settings (AC on or off, sport button, 4WD auto-activated during tank);
- Driving conditions (%city, %highway, mountainous, flat, etc.);
- Driving style (stoplight GP, hypermiling, etc.);
- Fuel AKI;
- Other...
We all know how to adjust the above variables to gain maximum performance and, conversely, how to gain maximum mileage. No matter which driving style you are using, there are some things you can do to get better (more accurate) data about your MPG. Following is the method that I use when at the pump.
- Get a printed receipt from your fill-up and write the current odometer reading on it;
- Write the trip odometer reading on the receipt;
- Note the fuel's AKI rating on the receipt (if not already listed);
- SAVE the receipt;
Before leaving the pump:
- Reset the trip odometer to zero;
- Record the computer's MPG figure;
- Zero-out the computer's MPG figure;
- (Optionally) Record the computer's average speed figure;
- Zero-out the computer's average speed figure (must do);
Being OCD, I enter all this data into a spreadsheet and use it to compare (or "profile") my car's performance over time. However, you can use the data recorded on the receipt for a simple, hand calculated MPG figure (divide trip odometer reading by gallons used to fill-up). In most cases, that figure will be quite a bit more accurate that the figure reported by the computer.
My '04 MCS JCW computer reports a fairly consistent 8% more optimistic MPG reading that actual (hand-calculated) MPG. If I don't reset the average MPG and average speed at fill-ups, the computer's figure is REALLY off!
On the other hand, my BMW R1200RT's computer is only 0.04% optimistic!
#113
Not sure if you are using a smart phone or not, but if you have an iPhone there is an app called "Gas Cubby" that just about does what your talking about. I highly recommend it for tracking. Even provides nice graphs to see the performance over time.
#114
Thanks!
#115
#116
#118
Per the manual:
![](https://dl.dropbox.com/u/5054334/CM%20Fuel.png)
The Average Fuel Consumption refers to "the time the engine has been running". Hmmm. Does this indicate a "Hobbs Meter" average, i. e.; the average MPG of ALL the times the engine has been running? If so, it's no wonder that I can improve the MPG accuracy of the OBD by resetting the Average Fuel Consumption each time I fill up!
So, hypothetically, if I start the engine for the first time in its life (zero miles) and drive 9 tank-fulls on the highway at 30 mpg, then drive a last tank-full in stop-and-go traffic at 18 mpg, my Average Fuel Consumption reported at the end of the tank will be 28.8 mpg. In reality, however, I only got 18 mpg from the last tank! This is why I reset Average Fuel Consumption at each fill-up!
Start your engine without moving. Check the AFC. Is it zero? It should be! You haven't yet achieved any distance data for the ODB to use in it's calculations. I'll bet yours doesn't show zero until you reset it!
Note that it is the "Cruising Range" that is the rolling average (in miles) over the last 18 miles/30km. (only!).
![](https://dl.dropbox.com/u/5054334/CM%20Fuel.png)
The Average Fuel Consumption refers to "the time the engine has been running". Hmmm. Does this indicate a "Hobbs Meter" average, i. e.; the average MPG of ALL the times the engine has been running? If so, it's no wonder that I can improve the MPG accuracy of the OBD by resetting the Average Fuel Consumption each time I fill up!
So, hypothetically, if I start the engine for the first time in its life (zero miles) and drive 9 tank-fulls on the highway at 30 mpg, then drive a last tank-full in stop-and-go traffic at 18 mpg, my Average Fuel Consumption reported at the end of the tank will be 28.8 mpg. In reality, however, I only got 18 mpg from the last tank! This is why I reset Average Fuel Consumption at each fill-up!
Start your engine without moving. Check the AFC. Is it zero? It should be! You haven't yet achieved any distance data for the ODB to use in it's calculations. I'll bet yours doesn't show zero until you reset it!
Note that it is the "Cruising Range" that is the rolling average (in miles) over the last 18 miles/30km. (only!).
Last edited by Koopah; 09-23-2011 at 12:36 PM.
#119
I do reset my avg consumption at each fill-up. So far, the average fuel consumption figure seems to match up pretty close to my calculated actual mpg each fill-up. But the cruising range is always WILDLY optimistic - regardless of how I drive - enough that it is utterly useless until it gets down to about 5 miles - in which case I've actually got about maybe 5 blocks remaining.
#120
#121
Well, my first extended road trip - over the course of 10 hours on mostly interstate or similar roads, I've averaged just under 32 mpg. Typically at the speed limit or slightly over, which ranges from 55-70 mph, depending upon the road.
Pretty happy with that - my average day-to-day driving, in town and some local higher speed roads, is pretty consistent at just under 25 tank after tank.
And this is with 6-speed manual and All4.
Pretty happy with that - my average day-to-day driving, in town and some local higher speed roads, is pretty consistent at just under 25 tank after tank.
And this is with 6-speed manual and All4.
![Popcorn](https://www.northamericanmotoring.com/forums/images/smilies/popcorn.gif)
Last edited by ghamma; 10-28-2011 at 07:24 PM.
#122
#123
I've been getting 28+ (real calculation) since taking off my roof rack. I get even better if I shift in a much lower RPM band and really take care to decelerate effectively and keep my top speed slightly lower. The Minimalism Analyzer really helped with that. I didn't realize that I could smoothly accelerate in the 1000 to 2000 RPM band. There's no power for any serious peppiness there, but it's a very efficient way to drive.
#124
I am getting 27 with half city and half highway everyday to/from work. I got 32ish on highway only trip earlier this month. So my results are similar.
#125
In this household, it really depends on who is driving ![LOL](https://www.northamericanmotoring.com/forums/images/smilies/lol.gif)
Wife will typically see lower MPG than I do in the same car – often more than 2 MPG.
I anticipate conditions and lift to reduce consumption instead of rolling up on something and braking, accelerate using less of the skinny pedal, and use cruise control anywhere possible to avoid inadvertently speeding up and slowing down.
Then, I take all of the $$$ I have saved (plus much more) and spend it on a trip to the Dragon and see 21 MPG for that tank
![LOL](https://www.northamericanmotoring.com/forums/images/smilies/lol.gif)
Wife will typically see lower MPG than I do in the same car – often more than 2 MPG.
I anticipate conditions and lift to reduce consumption instead of rolling up on something and braking, accelerate using less of the skinny pedal, and use cruise control anywhere possible to avoid inadvertently speeding up and slowing down.
Then, I take all of the $$$ I have saved (plus much more) and spend it on a trip to the Dragon and see 21 MPG for that tank
![Thumbs Up](https://www.northamericanmotoring.com/forums/images/smilies/thumb-up.gif)