lol, compared to my last car, the MCS practically sips fuel!

 

I'm still breaking it in, but my MCS is averaging 21.2mpg at 800 miles... we'll see what happens after a few more months to settle in. Admittedly, I don't practice maximum fuel economy. I like to zip around...

 

21.2 mpg! I really hope not! My BMW 740iL 8 cyl. gets 20! Picking baby up this Friday and I'm sure hoping to do a little better. She is an MCS and an auto but I was hoping for at least mid-20's.

Anybody else in the low 20 range?

 

I average low 20's unless I am on the highway for long distances. Then I can get around 28

 

True story folks, In college a friend had his drag race car (Mach One Mustang) and we were filling it up. He was going to put $20 worth of racing fuel and the rest of the $40 would be premium. He asked me to watch the pump and let him know when it it $20. He kept talking and I tried to cut in. He then proceded to tell me how rude I was. Then I shouted at him, "If you don't want $40 worth of racing fuel you had better shut up and stop right now."

If I remember racing fuel was up in the $2.899/gallon back in the early 1990's. By the time he let go the price was already $36!

 

Averaged about 23 MPG for the first 1000 miles. Since then (it has 3000 on it now) about 27. I attribute MPG on the first 1000 miles to 2 things:
1. Engine break in (a small part of equation.)
2. Right foot break in. There was a direct correlation between how big your smile is and how heavy your foot is. I followed the part of the break in procedure about not exceeding 3500 RPM but found it impossible to not use full throttle (if a Mini rep is reading this, I'll deny that statement and didn't hit full throttle until 150 miles were on it anyway.)
In this long thread it has surely been pointed out that gas mileage depends, greatly, on a number of variables. Most of the variables are controllable by the driver.

 

That's what I got during the last track day. And I was very content!

Matt

 

Well I certainly hope I can do better than that on long trips. Fuel economy was one reason I decided to move to a smaller car. Heck, I could pull 26 on the highway on my Ford Cobra, and I could pull 30 in my 95 Z28 (6th gear was a 0.5:1 overdrive). I expect to easily exceed 30 in the Mini with the cruise on @ 65.

 

Have averaged 30.5 mpg on my first two tanks of good ol' Shell 93. Ironically, my husband's Corvette averages an honest 28 with the same type of driving - of course in 6th gear at 70 mph his engine is turning only 1500(!) rpm. He still asks to drive my MINI as often as possible!

 

So for it's first 400 miles break I shouldn't feel bad that Scarlett is only in the 20s on mpg.? We've been adhering closely to the upper limits on rpms etc, and changed gas oncel

 

Well my first post here on the site, whoo hoo!! Not my first time to forums like this though. Hope to get some info and help when I can. That said..
This is a great thread, lots of info, however, I may be more confused now than when I started reading. I have an 03 S with 66k miles on it now and on the freeway I can get 31-34 mpg @ 67mph. You guys only gettin in the 20's need to break those things in!!
When I "drive" I only get low to mid 20 mpg. DOH!!

See ya on the road and on the site

 

I didn't switch to a MINI for fuel economy. That said, my '03 MCS settled in at about 24mpg city and 33mpg highway. Heavy-footed driving scrubs off about 1 mpg. Subtract a couple more mpg on the highway with a roof rack & two bicycles.

 

Current Prices in East Texas



Just an FYI on Murphys Gas (A.K.A. Wal-Mart)...which carries 91 octane here!

I have had 2 fuel injectors ruined from their watered down gas. One in my '99 Chevy Tahoe & 1 in our old Camry before we bought the '06 MCS.

Both of these instances happened in Nov. '05 along with about 75 other vehicles according to my best freind (the mechanic) who was finding water in peoples gas and all of them were only guilty of buying gas at Murphy's.

Our vehicles used to ran fantastic on it as well until we ran just a little too much "water" through them. Now I forbid Wal-Mart to sell me gas and everything runs fine.

Ever heard the saying "Spending a dollar to save a dime"...Keep buying gas at Murphy's and you'll save a dime now and spend many a dollar later.

 

Spill the beans OctaneGuy, where in SoCal is that pump?

 

i'm a new mini owner and am near the break in period for my MCS. i was wondering what kind of MPG everyone was getting? i've been getting about 22-25 with the majority of my motoring being highway. i thought it would have been higher, but maybe i was wrong.

thanks,
rick

 

2002 MCS over here...Bone stock...
Avg MPG is 28 city....usually around 34 hwy
Lately been getting 26 or 27 in heavy "spirited driving".

 

I'll be interested to see if my mileage changes over the next several fill-ups. I just hit my 1200 mile marker. And a co-worker recently taught me to drive lower to the 2000-2500 rpm mark on the tach when I don't need the acceleration, ie. unspirited commuter miles, to optimize fuel consumption. I had the habit of hovering in the 3000rpm point range from the GTI. Still , on full freeway stretches, I drive in the low 70s so I'm not only above 3000RPM to begin with, but I'm beyond the fuel economy optimization speed range anyway. But where it works to do so, I'm playing around with tooling in the lower RPM range. In reality, if I'm not zipping on the highway, I'm engaged in the aforementioned 'spirited driving' in the city anyway, so it probably won't make much difference...

 

2005 MCSc here so I am a bit heavier. I get around 25MPG. I normally like to be the first one off a redlight so I think that's pretty decent mileage for spirited driving

 

2006 MCS and I get about 20-25 SMILES PER GALLON in the city and about 28-31 highway.

I worked for UPS for 8 years so I really don't know how to drive slow

I tried the whole "keep it below 2500 RPM thing" to save on fuel consumption, and it does work to the tune of 27-29 MPG city...but it is just not for me ....when i shift before 3000 RPM I feel like I am riding with my Grandma (and she doesn't drive)

My normal driving consists of shifting at about 3500-4000 RPM ( maybe a bit more from time to time) and I can live with the 25 MPG city...I really do try to drive slower but it is just not much fun that way.

 

I still shift at 3000 or so, but the deal I was being grilled about was cruising at 3000. I was in the habit of cruising at 2900-3000, then up to 3500 to shift. Now I'm hearing to cruise at 2000-2500, and shift approaching 3000. That's unspirited driving of course. Now zig-zaggie, zippie, passing, fun driving at 200RPM!*

*all within legal limits and regulations and complying with safety logic, mind you!

 

SINCE DAY ONE...I HAVE ALWAYS USED BP...YOU KNOW...BRITISH
PETROLEUM...91 OCT..AND ON A MOST RECENT INTERSTATE ROAD
TRIP..4HOURS AND 15 MINS...I ATTAINED 40 TO 45 MPG ON MY FULL
TANK...!!!...NOT TOOO SHABBY..HUH..??

 

even 91 instead of 93 is noticable

 

Do NOT use anything under 92 octane, your engine will probably start knocking. I would never be so silly to use anything less, it's not worth the risk.

 

MINI reccommends 91 octane. I usually use 89. No knocking, no problems, of course I've only got 80K miles so far...

 

but it's there..... The timing gets retarded by the ECU, and you loose some power.

Never lower than 92? Well, all CA is 91 for supreme...

Matt