I have read the other threads and none seem to be as bad as mine.

I have a 08 Just-a-cooper auto and im getting 21.6mpgs

granted my driving is basically 95/5 city and i do like to have a bit of fun but should i expect it to be this low? I have a friends v8 getting better than that

Any advice on how to improve it? I am a new driver so obviously i do like to push it a bit but from tommorow im reseting it and im gonna try my best to get atleast 24

 

test it out my mileage / gallons used.. dont always believe your OBC

 

That is always good advice, but if it is reading low compared to real world, that would be the first new MINI that I have heard about that had the error go that direction. Usually the OBC's tell you you're getting better mileage than what you really are.

 

Check your tire pressure

 

Get the ECU reflashed under warranty, that mileage is horrible, even for that much city driving.

 

I have an 03 CVT Cooper and get that or worse for around town local driving (1-2 mile drives seldom over 35 mph), but it gets 34+ mpg on easy highway trips.

 

What are your tire pressures? Low pressure will increase rolling resistance and can cause a couple mpg decrease.

Otherwise, try to anticipate traffic. Don't rush up to slam on the brakes. Try to reach speed reasonably quickly and maintain a smooth even speed, when possible. Some people maintain speed by accelerating, decelerating, accelerating... That eats gas.

To further improve mpg, replace the automatic transmission with a manual, and move to the country.

 

21 mpg is horrible. Is this the actual milage based onhow much gas you put in vs how far you drive? Did the milage deteriorate recently? If the actual milage something is wrong with the way the injectors are sending fuel. If the OBCD is giving false readings, an electrical or instrument or computer issue. Either way this is something that the dealer needs to look at and attempt to fix.

 

Well you know if you were not flooring it everywhere and slamming on your brake enjoying your Cooper you might get better mileage. J/k take it in there might be something wrong

 

Definitely address it to the dealer. That's some crappy mileage even for the city.

 

Isn't the EPA rating for a Justa-auto in the city just 25MPG? Add to that unusually short trips and a lead foot and you could easily see 21MPG or even lower. What is your average trip distance and speed? If either are low, your mystery is solved.

 

Yeah, EPA city rating is 25 mpg, so 21-22 mpg is believable. Especially if you're heavy on the gas and brakes.

My driving is 95% city (and hilly!) so I don't really see much better than 7.3L/100km. And that's with a manual.

Try to improve your driving habits. Follow further away, anticipate lights (e.g., if there's a red far away, let off the gas but don't brake so it turns green before you get there), and go closer to the speed limit.

 

That's bad! On my MCS I average 32 in mixed driving with high 20's in the city and have actually seen 41 on the highway.

 

Wow.. I guess the early cars got poor mileage! 09' MCS, averaging 34.2mpg in a mix of stop and go city and occasional highway. I've seen a sustained 43mpg on the freeway (so long as I keep it to 100km/h, anything above burns a ton more)

Edit to include : I drive like I stole it in the city!!

 

i get only 21 mpg's too... i do mostly local city driving. hmmm... i wonder if its cuz i like hearing the psssssshhhh sound w/ my alta cai.

 

Always manually calculate MPG's, and check out what your OBC says about your Average Speed. Reset Trip, and average speed after each Fill-up.

If you haven't seen this website www.fuelly.com it might be worth checking out. You'll see that I've reported 2 Fill-ups since last Friday, I'm averaging between 26-27mpgs. We have a horrendous 40mile round trip commute with an average speed of 25mph or less.

So I agree with those that have said it is time for your MINI to visit your local dealer, hopefully you have kept accurate records and can show them when your mpgs took a dump and they will be able to determine what the issues are and fix them.

Good Luck!! Let us know how things come out, it could help the next person this may happen to, including me.

 

Did you just call an '08 an early car? I don't care who you are, that's funny!

Are you sure you are using US gallons? Its very hard to get that kind of mileage in what we call city driving on the east coast. Too much idling at stops with average speeds below 20MPH.

 

Learn how to drive smoothly and keep the car rolling at the same speed with less throttle/brake actions.

Here is a Top Gear video (M3 V8 vs Prius Mpg race), very interesting but true perspective:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKTOyiKLARk

 

Haha whoops.. I misread that. I thought it was an '03! Glad you got a chuckle out of it.

 

I find that its more of HOW you drive than any other factor. In my JCW, I can get as high as 41 mpg with a mix of city and highway driving, or as low as 18mpg if I'm thrashing it.

 

A JCW ... how do you NOT thrash it!!!

 

When I got my car, the mileage for the first tank wasn't all that hot. My wife told me to try using the instantaneous consumption display and make a game out of keeping it high. This works great. You will find you lose the game any time you have to increase pressure on the accelerator. Also, the car uses no fuel when braking or when coasting (as long as you don't shift to neutral). Coasting to a stop is more effective than braking because you spend more time using no fuel and since you approach stoplights later, you should be stopped for a shorter amount of time, reducing idling time getting 0 MPG. I wouldn't go all hyper-miler with the car and start impeding traffic , but honestly, in true city traffic you aren't getting anywhere anyway and there is little joy in driving hard.

The Top Gear video linked previously is a real eye-opener. If you really drive it like you stole it, your mileage will suffer with any car. Remembering that they are measuring in Imperial gallons, 17.2 MPG for a Prius vs. 19.3 MPG for an M3 on the same course, driven the same way, is very telling. I think I could push my car close to single digit MPG if I tried. Your mileage may vary

 

Heh heh, most of the time I drive it like I stole it. I take it easy when I'm giving my granny a lift.

 

What gas are you using?

Also as a test get out on the highway on a level section and set it to a constant speed and see what the OBC says your instantaneous MPG is. You could report back some MPG for various constant speeds on a level highway and that would indicate pretty clearly whether something is wrong or its just your driving style.

 

OP ,

Read all the replies to your post no one asked if your using premium gas.
It makes a difference in these cars.
I can get up to 37 MPG in my 2009 MCS . Have owned many BMW's and 3 MINI's and have done all the personal tests a person can do with the cars and have found MINI's and BMW's get much better MPG on good gas compared to a lesser grade of fuel.
If you are using premium gas and getting crap MPG then you have a prob with your MINI.
Edited to say I never use the OBC to figure MPG , a stopwatch and math , ughh I hate math!
JohnNJohn