I had to take an emergency road trip for family reasons today. Leaving from Atlanta to Youngstown Ohio, I didn't have to stop and get gas until Cincinatti where it still showed 114 range.

gage is showing exactly 40MPG WITH A/C on at avg 67MPH. Heck with the windows down it dropped almost .5 MPG, so I just enjoyed the A/C, to bad because it was 75 and nice out. It did just fine, and really never had to even take it out of 6th gear unless traffic slowed. Couple curvy roads and it hugged them like it always does.


It was gradually rising from the 36MPG, but that had a lot of atlanta stop and go sitting traffic.

I reset it while driving to remove any stop and go, and see how it did JUST HIGHWAY. Son of a gun if it doesn't just goto 40MPG.

I wanted to see only highway milage, and mini didn't lie. Seeing the range at over 525 miles on that refill was pretty kewl.

I love this little car more and more. btw: the windscreen sure gets filled with bugs and pollen on a long trip.

 

When I heard R56 could get 40 mpg I got really excited because that was something of a target I had stuck in my mind....you know, something I'd always expected from a MINI. Of course, I got a R56 Cooper (manual) and now am shocked to get 40 mpg pretty easily in town!!!! I never expected that...and, of course, I'm pretty thrilled.

 

I think Mythbusters did a show showing exactly this. Cars get better gas mileage with the windows up (something about aerodynamics?)

Anyway, congrats on the awesome mileage! I think you beat the Prius on highway mileage To hell with hybrids!

 

Car gets better gas mileage until you hit around 55mph i believe the show said.

I hope my MCS gets 40mpg!!!! i dream of that kinda fuel efficiency

 

I did a run up an interstate of about 90 miles, I got 45.7 mpg on my MC. WOW! That was with no ac, window slightly down and cruise set on 68. That was OBC, refill method of computing is always a couple MPG lower.

 

I got actual 45.4 last tank, actual.
600+ miles on one tank.
Driving to work, country roads.

This tank won't be as good. Driving a little sportier.

 

Haven't had my MC on the highway yet but I've noticed that cruising along a two-lane at 50-55 mph under light throttle shows instant fuel economy of 50+ mpg. Nice.

 

Wow...that's superb!!! I'm never on the highway so this is very interesting. I usually report my numbers via the OBC, too, but if I mention 40 mpg here it generally means the OBC is hitting 41+...you know, margin of error. Around town I got 42.5 OBC once, but I was workin' for that and I doubt it would be considered practical for most although definitely achievable. btw, all my numbers are averages for an entire tank and, because my trips are of the 15 minute variety, the engine isn't at full operating temps for a good while, so mpg is much lower.

Amazing!!!!! I hear ya on driving a bit sportier....it's like the real "sport mode" is in my brain. Thing is, the car complies so ably and willingly no matter what mode you choose!!! Even so, even in my sportiest mode I think I'm still at 37-38 city....and that ain't bad.

 

My justacooper has been pretty consistient with 40 mpg on the highway. Even the interstates in Pennsylvania are loaded with hills and curves.

Mixed city/highway driving gets me about 37 actual for a tank.

Either way, I'm glad to have the 500+ mile range on a tank these days.
Then there are more days between trips to the premium pump ...

Peace !
Spearsy

 

My best so far was 44.5 MPG calculated. This was a 250 mile trip with no interstate, probably averaging around 50 mph, mostly 5th gear. OBC for this trip said 46 MPG. But it is alot more fun to average 38 to 40 MPG.

 

the BEST BEST BEST mileage i have seen was freeway and it was like 31 mpg, usually i get 23/25mpg....u guys must be driving really really slow...

 

I am with you. I normally get about 25. but then again, i drive ALL city of Chicago roads, have the JCW tuning Kit, and I use my Sport button.

All those three things bring me way down.

But when i fill up, and spend about 45 bucks per tank, I also realize that I won't be filling up for two more weeks.

Bought my MCS in August, and I JUST hit 4,000 miles

 

woah woah woah, ur in chicago with the tunign kit, AND sport button and u still get 25 and only fill up every other week?....

dude, im in LA, dont drive with sport on, no tuning kit, just springs and plates, and i fill up once a week, i only drive city...lol i dunnoooooooo i got mine in jan 08 4600 miles

 

you get less mileage than I do?

 

sure seems that way .... my average shift points through first 2-3 gears are around 3500 - 4500k ... thats prolly the reason lol

 

85-90 mph most of the way. 65-75 once in ohio. avg shows 67.7mph.

 

My calculated average has risen from 37 on first tank to 40.893 on my last tank (around 4.5k miles). My OBC has been running about 10 mpg high in its average mpg reading. I know this isn't normal. Most on this site admit to a 1-3 mpg variance. Not mine. Oddly enough, the other OBC numbers seem to be reasonably accurate.

But with calculated mileage like this, can't complain.

 

I drove up to Portland last week for my free birthday oil change and set the cruise control at 72, which gives me 70.

I had to creep through a three-mile section of the freeway in stop-and-go traffic because of an accident. And had probably 20 miles of street driving.

Altogether, I went 450 miles and hit 40 mph for the entire trip. I was very pleased.

 

Great to know this!!!

 

Sorry, I messed up. It was 40, not 45. But I was still happy with it.

 

I have been really happy with the 30mpg that I am getting in mixed driving with my MCS, but I don't think we should get too cocky. My wife's Prius has averaged 43mpg in the same mixed driving over a 3 year period. We have driven it to NC with four people, luggage, AC, and cruising at 75mph averaged 49.5mph. Of course the car is as dull as dishwater, which is why I own a Mini, but it does deliver the mileage.

 

Your news is great. I had no idea an S could drive so efficiently. I've got 23 miles of freeway and 3 miles of surface streets to work. I would be thrilled to get near 40 mpg on my daily commute. But I thought choosing the turbo meant I'll never get near there. Now I'm thinking maybe, just maybe.

 

My commute to work is 9 miles of 50 mph road with 2 stop signs. I do hit the interstate periodically to go into town and cruise in the 70 - 80 mph range. The OBC usually states in the 37 mpg range, but when hand calculated, it comes out between 34 and 35 mpg. This tank I have been very conservative in driving and the OBC is say 39.8 MPG. I'd expect it to be lower upon hand calculating, perhaps in the 37 mpg range. I've noticed I get the best mileage in the 50 to 65 mph range. The freeway knocks it down, but still very acceptable.

Another note, when adding the miles driven and miles to go on the tank, it's suggesting 620 miles at the half tank level. Highest I've ever seen, but then I've found those numbers to be a bit optimistic in the past as well.

 

kevshootz: thought something was CRAZY WRONG, hearing people here get 40MPG routinely: highway, city, aggressive, or non-aggressive driving, I've been seeing 28-32 MPG (by fill-up method) pretty much whatever I do ... maybe it's the special-formula gasoline for the Chicago metro area hosing us both here.

Oh, well. Guess I gotta go practice driving better!

 

Yep - aerodynamics can play hell with your gas mileage at freeway speeds, because aerodynamic drag increase with the square of the increase in vehicle speed. (In other words, tripling your speed from 20 MPH to 60 MPH results in *nine times* more aerodynamic drag.) So, while you might be better off lowering the windows at around-town speeds, anything that increases drag is going to eat you alive at interstate speeds.

Plus, modern A/C compressors don't produce anywhere near the parasitic drag as compressors from 30-40 years ago did (which is probably when the myth started that you're better off with the windows down rather than the A/C on). A modern Sanden rotary A/C compressor consumes about 5-6 horsepower, whereas the older compressors could easily consume three or four times that much power.