I made a brand change back at the beginning of summer. The improvement in mpg was noticeable from the very first tank and has continued since then.

 

Which brand????? Premium?

 

I switched from Shell to Exxon. Premium (around here = 93). Picked up 1.0 to 1.5 mpg. A couple years ago when I made a switch from Exxon to Shell, there was no noticeable difference. So I'm not sure why the Exxon is running so much better this time around.

I am now waiting for them to switch to the winter blend in NC to see if there is a noticeable change relative to what I was getting with the Shell.

 

I average 38-40 mpg on each tank(non-S car). My commute is 80% highway and 20% local traffic. When I had a TDI, I had no trouble getting 52-54 mpg, though a woman I work with a similar TDI and the same commute can barely break 40 mpg. She's heavy on the gas and heavy on the brake pedal and will go flying up to a red light or stopped traffic and brake heavily. Total waste of energy and a candidate for early brake pad replacement. Unless you're driving a hybrid, if you can't regulate your speed in moving traffic without braking, then you're wasting energy.

 

The best I've managed so far out of my 03' JCW MCS has been 27.6mph "calculated"....not going by the computer. That's doing around 80% highway driving, and 20% city. When I've drove more city, and was on the gas more....I get around 25mpg calculated.

I haven't gone on any big roadtrips yet....but if I could stay at around 65mph on the highway for a long time (250+miles)...I'm betting I could get 32-34mpg pretty easy.

 

I deliver pizza full time so gas mileage is super important to me (but not important enough to have bought a Justa, lol). In the two weeks since I got my Clubman S I've been averaging about 23mpg. Thats driving in a hilly area all stop and go with heavy traffic. I don't drive crazy. I try to maintain a balance between effective delivery guy and MPG savings. I've been using Sunoco 93 but will be trying BP and Exxon starting with the next tank. I can't wait to be done school and not have to deliver anymore...

 

I'm a good tipper to begin with, but if I ordered a pizza and it was delivered in a MINI, I'd be especially generous!

Question, Gitmoe...
I'm pretty particular about trying not to take any food in my car. Does delivering pizza have any adverse effects on your interior?

Cheers
Jon

 

Funny you say that. Consensus among delivery guys is having a REALLY crappy car or a nicer car (such as a MINI) will get you smaller tips. If you have a nicer car than the customer might think, "He must not need a big tip. He's making enough money to pay for that Cooper already." This applies mostly when your car is nicer then the customer's car. Best car is an average car like a 5 yr old Camry or anything really generic. Customer doesn't even notice what you're driving then. There are a TON of theories related to delivery and tips though. I've been doing it off and on for 9 years. It's a really crazy job.

About interior damage, I clean my interior at least once a week. Just from being in the store there is a ton of dust (flour) in the air all the time and that gets transferred into your car no matter how much you dust yourself off. The dust in the car just wipes off like any other dust. I keep a blanket over my seats to protect the material from the wear and tear of hot bags in and out. That's something I've done forever in all my cars. The green bags at Papa Johns (where I work) will actually bleed the color onto other fabrics. I often come home with green marks all over my shorts. As long as you clean your interior regularly and you have emergency supplies to immediately clean up any spills you really shouldn't be afraid to eat in your car. Just be careful like anything else. My car does smell like pizza for about a day after I work. But the smell goes away and I also febreze regularly. Happy Motoring!