Just think Nick.... if you drove a Vette you'd get about 2mpg....

 

We have a Yukon up at our Lakehouse in Idaho. I burn through a tank of gas (23 gallons or so, the tank is 26) in about 200 miles...

 

Going fast when you could be easier on the throttle will allow you to get where you need to go on less fuel in almost the same amount of time.

Buy or borrow a Scan Gauge II and see for yourself how to save fuel. It hooks up to your OBDII port and you get instant data readouts on mph, rpms, mpg, Load on engine, MAP, temps of air intake and water and throttle position.

At idle waiting for a light you are burning about 0.29 to 0.32 gallons per hour which is very low. While it is true you are not going anywhere you are doing pretty well. Worst mpg is always when you start up from a stop to about 20 mph. If you throttle up gently and smoothly you save gas, if you pounce on the gas you burn a lot more to get up to traffic speed which isn't very fast usually.

On the highway you can ease off the throttle or use cruise control whenever the road terrain is flat or slightly downhill. Going uphill slow a bit and be easy on the throttle to save fuel. You can usually half the fuel used during both situations. You can use the readouts to assist with your retraining.

Even though my 2003 MCS is mid modded I can still easily get 26+ mpg in mixed driving and up to 29 mpg with mostly highway driving but I have stock 15" wheels and tires on. Using 17" performance tires and wheels usually brings mpg down to about 25.

For best mpg-
Use premium fuel
Keep air tire pressure up (or make it slightly higher like 39 psi)
Clean your air filter regularly
Remove all excess weight from your car
Be smooth and gentle on the brake and throttle all the time.
Use the cruise control.

 

I believe I average about 21... I've been trying to save my fuel for about a couple months now but I still have the same MPG.

Abuzavi- consider yourself lucky, you're getting more MPG.

 

Oh, I do -- just for having the chance to drive the autobahn, to drive the Nürburgring, to wind out my R53 in sixth gear, etc. And to get what is apparently decent gas mileage, to boot? Oh, indeed -- lucky!

 

We've got two minis...one 05 MC and one 06 MCS. With my 05 (manual) I average around 36 MPG for a 70 mile round trip commute....part city, part rural driving....up to 65 MPH.

My MCS gets around 29 - 30.5 MPG for the same commute....depending on whether it's me, or my wife driving it.

 

I get on average 38 mpg on the highway and ~34 mpg in the city. I'll admit I drive like a grandma with a pot of high test coffee in her. But hey... its fun! And if everyone wants to blow past me on the road... fine. They can pay the speeding ticket, up ahead. (p.s. I've gotten my 06 MC up to 110 mph.. not much difference in 80 mph... ride wise)

 

Actually a 2005 Corvette is rated at 16 city and 26 hwy. I've heard owners getting upwards of 30mpg just cruising (hwy) in their Vettes.

 

I was talking about Nick more than I was talking about the Vette... I know Vette's "can" be fuel efficient... just like MINI's "can" be...

 

I've been feathering the accelerator these past couple tanks on my '02 MCS. I drive mostly city (one 2 miles stretch at 50mph, then 35mph stop n go for about 9 miles). The highway near me is under construction this summer, so would be similar results there.

I got 29 mpg last tank in these conditions, and it looks like between 29-30.5 mpg this tank.

I won't mention the first 2 tanks worth, since I've really just had this thing a month and beat it like a baby seal the first couple weeks.

 

I just drove from Baltimore to Kansas City to Augusta. Cruise control for most all of it, at the speed limit or very close.

30 mpg.

Cruise control and speed limits: Old dog, new trick.

 

When I picked it up and drove back 150 miles, the average was 34mpg. I live only a mile from work, and the last half tank turned out to be 23mpg. Still way better than the Jeep.