I just filled up my tank and did the math....it came to 16 mpg on my 2019 countryman s all4. If I had just come back from the racetrack or something that might make sense, but I was just around town and mostly in green mode.

What do people typically get in around town driving?

 

Automatic or manual? For in town driving, I might expect a little bit more, but it is an SUV with all-wheel-drive...

The official rating is 21 city for the manual, and 23 city for the automatic
https://www.edmunds.com/mini/country...eatures-specs/

 

Wow, that's pretty terrible. I had a first gen AWD Countryman and totally got mid 20s around town. 30ish on long trips.

 

wondering if it's an octane thing...do I really need 93? I don't ever expect mid 20s when I rarely drive more than 2 miles at a time, but yeah lower than I'd expect

 

Yes, you need at least a mid-grade fuel, that's what the engine was designed & tuned for.
See www.fuelly.com

(I hate to say it, but if 2 miles is your average drive, you're a prime candidate for an EV or a bicycle).

 

Oh I know it needs higher grade fuel. That was with 89...thinking maybe 93.

And I am a horrible candidate for an EV vehicle (no place to plug in) or a bike (I can't pick up my kids on that)...

And it may just be the driving I do...My last car was rated 25 city and 27 overall and I was getting about 20 using its eco mode around town.

 

[QUOTE=MVPeters;4635529]Yes, you need at least a mid-grade fuel, that's what the engine was designed & tuned for.
See www.fuelly.com]
+1
Also, top tier fuel only. There should be a tag on the inside of the fuel tank door telling you what grade of fuel to use.
https://www.toptiergas.com/licensed-brands/

 

[QUOTE=Fly'n Brick;4635539]Yeah...I'm going to try 93 on the next tank and see if that makes a difference.

 

[QUOTE=miniRogue1;4635547]It won't. 93 isn't going to help you if your car never even gets warmed up. The ECU is already running a richer-than-usual mixture because the engine is still cold...hence, your poor mpg.

Compared to lower Octane ratings, ​​​​​​"93" describes a relatively less likely tendency to experience premature ignition (that's an explosion in the combustion chamber PRIOR to the spark firing). You aren't driving in a situation that gets the car warm enough to have the ECU run the fuel richer (it already is running rich) to help cool down the combustion chamber in an attempt to quell premature ignition...that's the main reason a lower Octane fuel will provide less fuel economy than a higher Octane fuel.

Octane is NOT: a indicator of quality, nor does it contain more energy than a lower Octane fuel, nor does it allow for the magical "timing advancement benefits" that so many people claim. There is ONE IDEAL POINT of timing in piston travel at a given RPM and load that provides the best efficiency and power: if the Octane rating of the fuel allows for the ECU to run a near-ideal stoichiometric fuel mixture and fire the spark to match the ideal point of piston travel prior to any extraneous explosions propagate from elsewhere in the combustion chamber, running a higher Octane has no effect on power nor efficiency. Easier way to say it: if your Octane rating does not cause the ECU to change fuel trims to a richer mixture to quell premature ignition events (your engine does not experience "knock" or "ping"), your Octane rating is high enough for your driving conditions.

MOST people driving these relatively low RPM turbocharged engines are served well by using a higher Octane fuel, as it's easy to run the boost up high enough to stimulate a premature ignition event...but, if you are easing to school 2 miles away and easing back home, you aren't going to see a benefit in higher Octane.

 

Holy Explanation!

appreciate the responses...

 

I’ve only got ~4,000 miles on my 2023 F60 S ALL4, but thus far my hand-calculated average is 26.8 MPG (with my highest tank being 29.3 MPG). I live in a semi-rural area, and so I generally drive on traffic-free roads without a lot of stops. I do, however, drive rather spiritedly, so there’s that!

If you generally drive no more than 2 miles at a time, I’m surprised you’re even getting 16 MPG. In your case, the octane rating of the fuel isn’t your enemy, it’s the fact that the engine and oil can never warm up under those severe driving conditions. Speaking of, I hope you’re changing your oil very regularly, far more frequently than the factory service interval?

 

You're probably right on the octane/not warming up, but I'll experiment a little. And I haven't gotten a single oil change...but to be fair I've only had the car for two weeks

 

Your MPG results are 70% the driver and 30% the vehicle...

 

@2014 MC I'd probably go 40 the drive and 60 the vehicle, but I get what you're saying

 

2024 All4 S, Windsor Co to Farmington NM, 430 miles, over Wolfcreek Pass at 10,800feet and other rolling hill. Round trip 31mpg per Fuelly. Average last 6 months in not a lot of stop start and very green mode, gentle, is 29mpg.

EDIT: Mileage above is Fuelly app. The MINI it self reports higher by 2 to as many as 4 mpg more.

 

2017 S ALL4 here at ~140k, I mix E70 and either 88 E15 or 87 E10 to get to about 25% ethanol and 91 octane, and even with that higher ethanol, I get 25-26 (US) mpg in mixed city/highway driving and the occasional spirited moment. Low-to-mid 30s for extended highway driving. I utilize coasting in green quite a bit, which really helps. There are times where you can tap the gas pedal lightly to get it to trigger when it otherwise wouldn't.

 

Banner tells the story here, about a 50/50 split hwy/city:

 

Agree, green mode coasting efforts make a big difference.

 

2019 Cooper S All 4 E. Averaging 30-31 on longer highway trips, 300+ miles. I'm not gonna count around town MPG because ours is hybrid, for awhile my job was 13 miles from home(which is our Countrymans full electric range) and i had access to a free charger at work so Id fill up every month and a half. Just recently towed a trailer across the US while being fully loaded and got 28ishmpg driving from California coast to South Carolina, about 2600 miles, with an average speed close to 65. It's not quite as efficient as our Prius but makes up for it in literally every other category.