i take what i read in those mags with a grain of salt.
most try to be overly dramatic esp. C&D. I don't think any of them are car guys anymore, they are trying to hard to be celebrities.

 

According to C&D, the observed fuel economy was 26 MPG. This seems low compared to the reports here. Thoughts???

towtruck

 

Right foot deeply planted in the throttle-body and a twisty road. No "normal" driving to balance it out.

"Fuel economy can also be impressive—the feds rate the Clubman S with a six-speed manual transmission at 26 mpg city/34 highway, although, as they say, your actual mileage will vary depending on how often you dip into full boost. We averaged 26 mpg over the course of our test."

 

So it's true; there is no free lunch.

towtruck

 

Definitely, I'm getting 29.5 doing some easier footed driving on an auto, i'd assume a manual to be doing low 30's. They probably counted their acceleration runs in that as well.

 

That figure includes all of the testing they did at the track. Generally, C/D's mileage figures are on the low side because of this, often lower than city driving figure even.