I've had my cabrio S stick for about 6 months now.I'm a fairly aggressive driver with mixed city and some highway driving. I just hit 5000 miles and I'm averaging about 19-20 mpg. I guess I expected a little better mpg number. I know the reasons the cab gets less miles that the hardtop(heavier, etc) Is that mpg number about average with everyone or do I push the pedal a little too hard? Thanks.

 

I'm not upset, just a little disappointed. I have nearly 8K miles and have averaged just over 24 mpg. It was not the main reason I bought my MINI but I was expecting a little better mileage.
While I tend to sometimes drive a little aggressive, probably 80% of my driving is conservative. Highway mileage is around 28 mpg.
I just shake my head when others report +30 mpg and wonder what the difference is. Perhaps the altitude here in Denver is partly to blame along with the heavier cabrio and the 20% aggressive driving.
Like I said though, not the reason I bought the MINI so no biggie.

 

I average a pretty constant 21.9 city/hwy combo driving in winter, 19 in the summer with the AC on. A little disappointing, but the mileage is not why I purchased the MINI. It still does waaaaay better than the minivan I was sentenced to previously.

I have gotten up to 31 MPG during a road trip - constant HWY driving w/ no AC.

 

I'm about the same, usually 24 with a mix of city and highway and 30-32 with long trips on the highway. It's not fantastic but so much better than many other options out there.

 

I drive pretty aggressively and mostly off the highway and the average right now is somewhere around 17mpg. Although the car only has 1200 miles on it so I do expect it to get a little better as it ages.

I am a tiny bit surprised because my Z4 (with a 3 liter inline 6 engine) averaged around 19mpg when driven aggresively. So lots of people come up to me and make a comment that the MINI must get much better gas mileage than my old BMW. But in fact it is worse.

Of course once I'm on the highway or tone down my driving a bit I do see around 30+ mpg on the instant fuel consumption gauge.

But I kinda knew this would be the case before I bought the car. The MCS is not a car for those who want to conserve fuel. Superchargers are bad for fuel consumption (unlike turbochargers). And it's not a car for those obsessed with saving the environment - I believe it emits more pollution than most BMWs, even the sportier ones like the Z4. (again the new MINI turbocharged engines are much better at this)

I do care about conserving resources and the environment though, and overall the MINI S isn't horribly bad at these. Just not as good as the regular MINI or some other cars.

 

My combined has been running around 26-28 mpg. Maybe some of you with low gas mileage (my Suburban does as well as the 19 hiway) results from the gear you are driving in vs the way you are using the gas pedal. If you shift thru all 6 gears, you are using extra gas everytime you lift your foot and push it down again. Using 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 5th or 6th will us less gas. You can actually have fun thru 1st and 2nd and go straight to 6th. Driving in 4 gear around town vs 5 gear uses more gas. 6th gear seems to work fine over 50 mph. Any of this ring home? I would like to see in the 30's on the highway, but most of my highway driving has heavy traffic or little cities mixed in.

 

I don't shift, I make my computer do this menial, antiquated task for me.

 

I'm getting an average around 23, which is just slightly less than I was hoping for. I do live in an area where there are not a lot of flat and level roads, so when I drive with the consumption guage switched on on the OBC, the mileage goes down to around 11 or 12 going up hills, but back to 99.9 after cresting. Shouldn't that average out to 55 mpg or so?

 

I have a hard top, so you're probably not interested... But I did weigh my Mini, and it sits just over 3100 lbs without me in it. I'd have to check my scale certificate again for the exact number... But FWIW I hear the dual-pane sunroof adds loads of weight... Any idea how heavy Cabrio's are officially?

I avg about 27mpg motoring into/out of DC everyday.

 

I got my MCSca in Nov 06 and I'm going crazy that I'm getting around 18-20 mpg .When I drive freeway long distance I will get around 29-34mpg . That really hurts to get 18 mpg but at least the gas prices are down.

 

I'm coming out of a 1994 BMW 325 convertible 5 sp. and over 12 years my mpg on the OBC was 19.2. After switching to the MINI SC this fall, I'm getting the exact same mileage. Of course I'm having alot more fun but I guess I was anticipating better MPG #'s. I wonder what the new cabrios will average with a turbo. It might be worthwhile for new owners to wait a year if the difference is significant. Nobody on this board has commented on that fact.

 

So I get 25 mpg in my 05 MCS(Alta intake and M7 16% pulley)driving normal around town.On fun-runs I try to keep the tach above 4000 rpm,getting 22 mpg.Now,my wifes 05 S Cabrio(4 pkgs,no nav,6 Speed,17 x 7 wheels w/ Dunlop 215/40/17 tires)gets 22 mpg in town.But,she likes to drive around in 3rd gear,when most people would be in 4th.She complains a little about the mpg,but loves the sound of the exhaust!Just for the hell-of-it,I just read about a guy who sold his 33 mpg Hybrid and bought a MINI Cooper,and he's complaining about 30 mpg!Lots of thoughts about his thinking!

 

You just need an R56, I drive mine hard and am still averaging over 35 mpg.

 

My '05 MCSC manual averages around 24 & that's pretty muchly what I have gotten from day one

Aren't they somewhere between 2800-2900 LBS?

 

According to the computer I average about 32 mpg on my MC cabrio 5 speed and get around 300 miles by the time my gas gauge reaches about 1/4. My driving is mixed about 50/50 city/highway. I always use at least 89 octane, keep the tires proberly inflated and the only mod I've added to the engine is a K&N intake. If I could stay off the gas I know I could get around 34 mpg, but the car is too much fun to drive. My wife has a heavier foot than mine in her MC Cabrio automatic and she still gets about 28 mpg on average. Hell, I average 20 mpg on my 1/2 ton truck
The only thing I can figure is you guy's must be letting your cars warm up for a long time, be running around on flat tires or be sitting in a lot more traffic than I do. If that's not the case you should be all over your service manger to find out whats wrong with the car.

 

If it weren't for my right foot, I am sure I would get much better mileage. Whatever the mpg is, I'm happy with it.

 

Have a 05 Cabrio S, combined average over 25,000 miles is 28.5 mpg. But, my daily commute is on a combination of in town stop and go, then a stretch of 12 miles with a 45 mph limit, usually cruised at 45-50 mph. I do play a bit and accelerate briskly some, often doing a brisk 1-2-3, then jump to 6th. I've played with the computer and found that in the stop and go traffic lights ( a ten minute stretch of my commute) I get about 24 mpg. On the second part of the trip 12 miles (about 15 minutes) on cruise control at 45 mph and slight rolling hills I can average 40-41 mpg on that leg. I've tested this several times. At 50 mph I get maybe 32-33 mpg on that same leg. Slight speed changes make a big difference. Anyone else think they'd like a 7 or even 8 speed?

I once put a vacum gauge on a car for a few weeks and that REALLY teaches on how to get good mileage, at least on a carburated car. Maybe the fly by wire and computer are smarter.

I think the convertible is only about 150 lbs. more. I wonder if top up or down would effect drag? Not that I've noticed. Maybe I'll try that test when we get temps back up in the 50's again.

EDIT: Oh, I've got a 15% pulley and Alta CAI too. Plus much lighter wheels than stock. But I still think the big difference is my 12 miles at 50 mph...

 

I think for most of us it's that little S thingie on the boot that's keeping us from getting 32MPG I would love to get better but I am good with 24 & the way I drive

 

I've been tracking my mileage since I got my MCS in April. Hard-top w/sunroof. On average, I'm just over 27 mpg. I always use 93, usually Shell (only top tier vendor in my area). Individual tanks have varied between 24 and 30, but are typically between 25 and 29.

One thing I've noticed is that my hand calc (that the above numbers are based on) are consistantly 1-2 mpg below what the computer says. Another thing I've noticed is that my odometer isn't calibrated all that well. I estimated that I get about 1.05 real miles per mile registered on the odometer. If that's correct then my real mileage is a bit higher than I'm calculating.

Another thing I've notice is that my mileage improved dramatically in the 3-4 weeks following the couple times I've been pull over :-)

 

My daily driving is stop/go city driving with a 3 mile stretch of Interstate, and I average 18-19 MPG. On a long trip, I can get up to 30 MPG, in my MCSCa. Oh and on that 3 mile stretch of Interstate, I usually cover that distance in record time.

 

2005 Non-S getting 31 (on average) for my 70 mile (roundtrip) mostly highway commute. 40,500 miles and that's basically the best I can get. Normal speeds are 70-80 mph open road and stop and go in the heavier traffic areas.

 

Lets see, English huh? So that mpg would be what "meters per imperial gallon"?

 

That little S will certainly knock a few mpgs off the mark. It seems any time you add horsepower through add ons like a supercharger the gas mileage drops. You can get a few horses from reducing gas restriction in and out of the engine, but even that will hit your mpgs if you jump on it every time you hit the gas. My budget said MCS or MC Cabrio. My choice lets me enjoy the senery a couple seconds longer.

 

I dunno the scenery is kinda cool when viewed as a bluuurrrr going sideways too. In an abstract sorta way

 

Tin-Top 'S - the last 41,000 miles have yielded 24mpg average.

Lows have been single-figures on track days

Highs have been mid-thirties on serious road trips.

60mile round-trip commute, weekend (ab)usage and track toy - all rolled into one.

I bought it at 10K miles and the computer said 28mpg, I reset it and the next 10K yielded 22mpg and I swapped in a 15% pulley and a drop-in K&N.....