Quick question: My first two tanks on the new-to-me Mini and they were 20 and 19 MPG. I mean, wow, my 2003 C-class got a steady 29MPG every tank.

Still, instead of complaining, I wanted to check and see if there is a problem, or if this is just the way it goes. My mini is an S, cabrio, automatic, with a CAI and a 15% pulley. Will those factors make the MPG so low on their own?
Would a tune or ECU refresh or something get it back on track? Just curious.

Note: I drove the first tank like I stole it, just having fun as much as possible, but the second tank I drove just everyday-normal and got lower mileage.

That's all for now - it's 74 here, and I need some top-down time

 

This could be part of the problem you have too big of a right foot and you drive like I do. If this was stop and go traffic that should also be worse than normal. You are required to take a longer road trip and manually check your mileage.

 

Mileage was checked manually both times. Like I said, also, I didn't drive the 2nd tank briskly - which is why it's extra strange that the MPG was *lower* than the first.

 

MCSCa

There's the issue.

21/29/24 are the EPA ratings. Gas, the DME adapting or your mods all could drop these figures a few MPG.

Getting 19 and 20 real world MPG on a car that's rated 21 city doesn't seem unacceptable to me.

 

As we all now know from that Cadillac TV Commercial, the pre '09 MINI Cabrio 'S' Auto is rated at 19 mpg City.

New EPA MPG

So you are equaling the rating, which is pretty good.

 

Consider yourself lucky,I get 20 mpg avg.

 

OK, well I'd like to optimize what I have regardless - so I'm going to have a look at the CAI filter to make sure it's clean, check the tire pressures, maybe see if the ECU programming is right for the pulley and stuff...

One thing I noticed tonight: My speedo said 70 and I felt like I was going far slower than that, so I pulled out the GPS. Checked against the GPS at a steady speed and GPS read a full 4% slower than the car - in every other car I've had, Garmin has only ever been off by 1MPH one way or the other, generally. If the speedo is off maybe the odo is off too? (But that in turn would mean that the odometer would have too many miles, not too few.)

hmmm.

BTW road trip to my mom's place today and I got over 50 miles in 1/8 tank; that's much more what I'd expect. Maybe it is just the crappy commute, which will be changing in 2 weeks to a longer but more open drive anyway.

 

The (corrected) EPA rating for a 2005 Cabrio S auto is 21/29 with 24 combined. Before correction, the numbers were 23/32 with 27 combined. I guess the correction factor wasn't aggressive enough or else the 2008 might have different gearing or some other change that impacts fuel economy.

 

EDIT: removed something totally irrelevant because i drive an earlier gen car than yours. Doh.

Although it's an '06 hatch, not a cabrio, my Mini's speedo is "optimistic" to about the same degree as yours. Odometer seems to be correct, though. (This problem is endemic in the motorcycle world. My wife's Subaru is the same. I have begun to think it's intentional.)

 

Start complaining when you get 15mpg

 

Sounds like the smaller than standard tires (maybe even super-sticky high performance tires too!!)... wider too, most likely are hurting you MPG....don't under-estimate their effect!!! According to my GPS...I'm usually 1 % off on my stock size....but 2-4% off on my other 2 tires sizes/rims. Perhaps a heavy foot, lots of breaking....or maybe something less than 91 octane fuel is hurting you. Not to start the great gas debates again...but the cheaper stuff does seem to effect MPG....



http://www.jwardell.com/mini/2009/09...-fuel-economy/

"...... Despite the fuel-sipping driving, I only got 24.25mpg from the regular gas! That’s 17.5% worse than usual, or a whopping 23.7% worse mileage than what I would have achieved driving so tamely....."


Also I have found I can hit 30 MPG on the Highway, but I only get mid teens if I do lots of in town driving. So I would say that 19 is not all that bad....

 

Wait; why are people saying anything about 2008, and "my car is an earlier gen than yours" - I have a 1st Gen '05 cab.

Zippy - I use 93 Octane. I actually read that article you linked, a few days ago!

Alpha - like I tried to say, I'm more curious than complaining. I got the car to have fun; somehow it seemed more "me" than the Audi A4 cabrios I was looking at (Nice, but a bit less funky than my usual mode). Still, I was expecting at least the MPG my C-class coupe got, if for no other reason than "hey, it's a tiny car, and the brand new ones are touting 34 to 37 MPG"...

 

You bought Chris' MINI! Cool, are you in the MD area?

 

I'm just across the potomac in northern VA, but grew up in MD - I've still got family in PG and Chuck counties and plenty of friends around Baltimore.

 

I chose the 2008 Cabrio 'S' Automatic as it is essentially identical to your 2005 Cabrio 'S' Automatic (both are 1st Gen).

2008 because that is the first year model that was actually tested (more realistic tests) to the 'New' EPA Standard,
an '07 or '05 could have the 'MPG' recalculated to the current formula, but they did not re-test them.

The 2nd Gen Cabrio was introduced as a 'late' 2009 model and the 'Prince' engine does have better fuel economy,
but you should not dispair 19 MPG for "Spirited" City Driving. If you drive 15k miles a year,
you would save one tankful of gas every two months with the 2nd Gen, driven with the same 'Spirit'.

The manual transmissions and non-'S' versions do a little better, but EPA's Highway MPG estimate for Cabrio 'S' Autos
went from 1st Gen's 29 MPG to 2nd Gen's 32 MPG.

 

I have been averaging about 21-22 on my first couple tankfuls on my new-to-me 07 S cabrio. That is agressive acceleration all over the mountains and curves here but with minimal "speeding"
I consider it very good considering what I am doing!

 

Might wanna get a remote tune on that right foot. I'm lucky if I get more than 140 miles a tank. Bear in mind I drive short distances and run-away-from-police-type driving