I have read a bit on this forum and it sounds to me like the changes in the 2009 Cabrio will be similar to the differences between the 2008 and 2009 hard top. So to that end, what is the improvement in fuel economy in the newer engines, both the standard and the S model? I am wondering if I should wait for the '09, or not.

 

I have a non-S Cabrio and get 34-35 MPG consistently around town no matter how I drive. The newer model may get 1 or 2 more MPG but it's not worth it to upgrade to a somewhat less attractive design for a couple MPG's. Real world numbers at www.fueleconomy.gov actually shows almost identical MPG's between the old and new generation non-S hardtops. The current generation Cabrio is a classic already with most of the bugs worked out. Not sure how the new one will be. Now, the new S is a different story. It gets significantly better gas mileage than the old one so that would be a much easier decision.

 

I'm looking at the MCSC. It looks like there is no difference in mpg between 2006 and 2008 (I'm considering a 2006, 2008 and I guess also a 2009). What is the projected mpg in the 2009 MCSC? Is it the same as that for a 2008 MCS hardtop?

I r so confused.

 

With some additional weight I suspect the numbers will be about the same as Clubman...

 

24/33 for the 06 hardtop mc vs 28/37 is not the same and is actually quite a big difference. MPGs are consistently up for the new engine. For the MCS the 06 is 22/29 and the 08 is 26/34 are marked improvement, not surprising a turbo is inherently more efficient than a s/c.

I drive a 07 MC with the new engine and routinely beat the epa estimates by a lot. As much as 35-38 mpg around town and I've gotten as high as 45.1 on an interstate run.

 

I finally did some side-by-side MPG comparisons, once I understood which engines are in which models, and the hippie in me is compelled to either go with an 08 MC, or wait for the 09 Cabrio. I've always been far too practical for my liking, but those numbers are really hard to ignore.

 

FWIW, in our club, the difference between fuel economy on Gen1 and Gen2 MCS's is STAGGERING.... on a recent trip with mostly cruising at 45-50mph, I was getting about 26mpg in my Gen1 cabrio while my buddy in his Gen 2 MCS with the same speeds and driving style was getting about 38mpg

While I suspect a Gen 2 cabrio would have gotten a few mpg less due to weight and aerodynamics, this is still a huge difference... much larger than the "official" numbers would suggest.

 

That is a huge difference... it seems my only responsible choice will be to get a 2008 hardtop or wait for the 2009 Cabrio.

 

How's the sunroof in the hardtops? I'm one of those weirdos who drives with her windows down, even on the highway. I just paid to have the AC in my Subaru Outback fixed, in case it is ever "needed" but I still never run it. I love the fresh air and the wind whipping through my hair. Maybe I can "live with" a 2008 MCS with a sun roof...

 

I feel quite responsible for supporting the petroleum industry and the millions of Americans who own stock in them.

And I love every glorious gallon of petrol I burn... it's a pure joy. Sometimes (shhhhh) I push down extra hard on the pedal on the right, just to go faster and burn more.

And even when I'm being REALLY bad, I get twice the mileage that I would in, say, a Mustang.

 

Except for a few hypermilers and grannie drivers I have not seen any compelling MPG statistics showing the new MC to be that much more efficient than the old one in real world situations. The MCS is another story.

 

Boy the threads (2nd gen) are full of real world evidence to the contrary.

 

Having not driven the new one I can't say from personal experience but I have heard of a pretty good bump in mpg from gen 1 to gen2 and I wouldn't think the cabrio is any different.

That being said, I'm quite pleased with the mpg in my MCSCa ('05). Driving smoothly and grandmotherly, I get about 29 in town (small town/army post/backroads) and about 35 on the highway. I guess from what I've read the '09 will be out in February - no?

 

Well, my 2fast2furious wife, who imagines herself as Carlize Theron in the Italian Job on the road gets an average (hand computed) of around 33 mpg in 50/50 combined driving (around 60 mile round trip commute) in her 07 MC. So, I can easily believe a sane person (not slow grannies, apologies to fast grannies) can attain 40mpg on the highway and around 29-30 in town.

 

Don't mean to nit-pick but the current gen Cabrio does as good or better than that in combined driving. I get 34-35 hand computed all day long in an 06 Cabrio. Highway is probably better in the R56 due to the 6 speed. My point is, I still don't see a big difference in REAL WORLD mpg's between the MC generations as some of you are touting.

 

Are you sure? I own an 05 MCc and with the 5sp I get nowhere near the mileage my wife does. My avg on the cab (80/20 hwy/city) is about 28-29mpg, and yes, I'm a leadfoot too. Like I said, a sane driver could get much better mileage out of our cars.

I mentioned this in another thread, but the extra gear makes a huge difference in mileage, especially on the hwy. The 5th gear on the new trannies has almost the exact same ratio as the 5th in the cabrio. So, I did a test where for one tank of gas I drove without using 6th gear. The result was that using 6th gear gave me an extra 2mpg.

Honestly, if you drive the two cars consistently, you will see why the 2nd gen cars (S or not) are so much better in terms of mileage and performance. Of course this excludes the cabrio model, since it is still a 1st gen car till next year.

 

The 6th gear makes a huge difference as does the VANOS technology in the engine. It is just a more efficient engine, s or not, but more pronounced in the s. MY OBC is currently sitting on 41.7 mpg in a mix of hwy/city driving, probably about less than 50/50. The OBC is usually about 2-3 mpg optimistic when I fill up, so real world its about 38-39 around town. I drive fairly conservatively making sure I get to 6 gear on the highway around town.

 

Yes, I'm sure. I have kept track since I got the car 2.5 years ago. My last tank was 35+ and I have a short commute everyday up hills and curvy back roads with a little highway thrown in. Not the best route for great gas mileage. The least I have ever got was 31 in the middle of winter with snow and ice driving, winter tires and winter formulated gas. Perhaps with a new gen MCc I could really save on gas.