What does Green Mode actually do? i have not noticed any RPM change, or any other change. Anyone have any ideas or solid information?

 

It throws a boat anchor out the back of the car and gives the illusion of adding extra miles to each tank of gas.

Actually, I think it remaps the throttle to restrict gas flow and prompts you to shift early and often (I have a manual). I've been meaning to try a tank of gas on Green mode, but it just sucks the fun out of the car so I can't do it.

 

About the throttle response, if one would step on the accelerator more rapidly in green mode, would that have same effect of sport mode? Strictly speaking of throttle response.

I read green mode enables coasting, slower throttle changes, lower max rpm for shifting, low power airconditioner.

 

I think that's true, you just have to put more foot into it. I think the Green mode also enables that feature that shuts off the engine at stoplights. That's a big hit item right there . Green mode is more like the Geek Mode lol.

 

Im not sure how i feel about the auto start stop feature. How much extra wear does that place on the starter?

 

Probably none. It has a complex algorithm built-in when to idle-stop.
However, I'm keeping mine off and using sport mode (with very light foot) for the break-in period. I'll enable it after 1000 miles.

 

That's been the subject of many threads. The Readers Digest version is that it's been on the European Minis for years and works fine no problems. One thing here is that if you have A/C on and it's hot enough in the car the engine won't shut itself off. I'm not getting that you'll save much gas either, unless you spend a lot of time idling. Most of us don't.

 

From what I have felt you can still accelerate with almost full power while in green mode but the computer complains that you're using more throttle than needed. If you put the car in sport mode the throttle is very twitchy. It's almost like you get 100% throttle at 10% pedal movement - if you push the gas pedal ~10%, hold it, then floor it you'll notice there is little extra acceleration.

Most of this is for AT cars. What I see in my 6MT is the slower throttle response and low power AC - which became much more apparent while driving on the highway when it started getting below freezing here in NE

I'll measure my observations on my drive home tonight with my OBDII bluetooth adapter that gives me current throttle position to see what the actual effects of the different modes on the gas pedal are.

 

Green Mode adjusts the climate control, you can turn that off.

Green Mode allows the car to coast, or it does on some cars, you can turn that off. It's pretty cool, a bit odd when you let your foot off the gas and the car barely slows down for a block. If I could turn that on in Mid Mode I would never be in green mode, but I'm addicted to coasting.

 

I would have never allowed the software update if I knew that true coasting was taken away to mitigate the stalling that some users experienced. I. LOVE. COASTING. Or, at least, I used to love it.

 

what do you mean true coasting was taken away?

 

This thread should help:

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...reen-mode.html

There's now definitely engine braking rather than feeling like the transmission decoupling which seemed to occur prior to the update.

 

My '15 S auto coasts in green mode when I let off the gas. I have experimented with the different modes and on the freeway I have not seen any significant mpg improvement. In town, it's another story. The green is better than Mid and significantly better than sport. As others have mentioned, green is a real dud.
Overall, I feel that compared to my '12S manual, my '15S auto is more economical on road trips, but seems to be less efficient in town unless I am in green mode.

 

When the wife had the '14 S auto for a loaner, green mode was actually fun with the coasting. Her '15 does not go into coasting: you can feel the engine braking and the little bar graph indicator never lights up in the middle. No point in using green mode now unless you like the mushy gas pedal feeling.

 

I thought I'd really love green mode when I bought mine but after using it a few times I hate it and I don't feel like I'll ever use it. I feel like I have to use twice as much gas to go anywhere, my stupid fish is really grouchy and takes away all my stars for every little imperfection and then I have to start all over again, and it makes me feel like the car has no power. I used it on the interstate and felt like I was a safety hazard waiting to be run over. Not to mention I'm getting 35+ miles to the gallon in the city and the car is still getting broken in AND this is my first manual so I'm not exactly able to be very fuel efficient yet. With that kind of gas mileage and a grumpy, forever displeased fish, why would I want to use green mode?

 

green mode is overrated....sure you save a little gas but I think its dangerous...you ever try to pull out into fast moving traffic with it? pedal to the floor and it barely moves.

I drove a full tank in green when I first got mine, 40+ mpg. Now I'm always in sport mode, still getting 32-34 mpg so no complaints on the gas usage. Actually wish it would just stay in sport mode all the time. I do use the auto shut off mode all the time though.

 

Yea, the green mode is to appeal customers that it will save you some gas with that button.
What they didn't tell you is, how annoying it can be on a green mode.

 

I tried idle-stop, and it didn't annoy me at all. To me it feels like a little bit more harder launching. I'll keep it off for most the break-in period.

I wish they listed all the details in the manual or in a whitepaper/techpaper about sport-mid-green mode, such as rpm shift points/load dependency/temperature dependency/...

 

BMW uses an enhanced-starter, which can withstand the increased number of engine-starts in a stop-start vehicle. There should be no concern about wearing out your starter prematurely.

 

question: Read some pretty definitive studies that show that "coasting" (basically putting in neutral or pressing in the clutch for older cars right?) actually uses MORE fuel as it requires the engine to run itself, instead of letting the forward speed of the car drive the engine while it essentially stops metering fuel altogether... how is the green mode coasting feature any different than just pressing the clutch?

 

As someone who drives almost exclusively in green mode, I've learned to like it (in a justa). I think it creates some serious turbo lag in addition to everything else already stated.

In stop and go traffic I like that the throttle is less sensitive. I feel like I'm constantly wasting gas due to my lead foot when I have it in sport mode.

 

That's bogus. Those people claiming that are ignoring engine brake effect which is loss of energy. Imagine you are going 55mph on slightly downward highway road that goes for 1 more mile and want to exit to a rest area.
Case1: If you let it coast idle, it'll use 0.3 gallon/hour gas for idling during the whole time and by the time you exit, you'll be going let's say 40mph or slow enough to safely exit.
Case2: If you didn't coast, and took the foot off the gas pedal, you'll use 0 gas during the foot-off time, but then your speed will decrease too much that you'll have to step on the gas again using more than if you had coasted from the beginning.
Case3: Keep you foot on accelerator very lightly just enough to keep it going 55mph to 40mph on the exit. You still use more gas than coasting.

The only time coasting is more wasteful is when you actually wanted engine brake but GreenMode made you coast on idle. Another variable is how effective BMW's variable valve timing system works, but I doubt it's as effective as coasting. Otherwise, they wouldn't have added coasting.

Greenmode coasting is same as pressing clutch in manual cars. In automatic, it's like putting in N from D while rolling.

 

where did you get your numbers? Popular mechanics has an article from a long time ago where the author says exactly the opposite of your argument... Although, upon consideration, he was using an example of going down a hill or something like that, and not necessarily considering your point about wanting to arrive at point x with speed y, which does raise a different dimension.

sauce:

http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars...l-fuel-economy

 

thinking about it, it is probably something where you need to, as we say in aviation "do that pilot thing" and make a situation decision. If I want to slow down (or not speed up on a downhill) AND conserve fuel, engine braking is probably better. If i want to economically continue at my present speed, or gain speed in a downhill, popping the clutch in makes sense.

Best bet, combination of the two for the best MPG.

 

I read that article long time ago, and I know it's bogus. The writer is assuming drivers don't know about 0 gas consumption when you let your foot off, which everyone interested in hypermile knows already.
He doesn't even talk about momentum and engine brake effects.
That's why I call that bogus. If you go to ecomodder.com forum where people hypermile, you can learn a lot more about coasting.

My numbers about fuel consumption are based on ODB2 (elm327/bluetooth) reader, and my experience in Mazda CX-5 AWD. In F56, I saw similar idle usage of 0.28-0.3 gal/hour.

Another thing about GreenMode, I saw that my fuel consumption graph rise more smoothly and gradually instead of jumping very high (pouring gas) on starting from a stop. That's why it feels more sluggish. I don't think it has anything to do with turbolag.