i got a loaner 2008 MC when my 2007 MCS was at the dealer and to my surprise i got better gas mileage out of my MCS, let me explain why. i realized after comparing the on board computers that i get average 32 in my MCS and i was getting around 28-30 in the MC. why you ask, i was driving the way i want to drive in both. not like a maniac but with some spirit, the way both cars are made to be driven. and funny enough the MC took much more gas and throttle to drive "normally". for instance getting onto the freeway uses MUCH more gas in an MC than an MCS because of how hard the engine has to work to get to the same speed. so after 4 days with the MC and all kinds of driving tests, the only way i got better mileage than my MCS was to drive it like a granny. the gas savings payoff is just not there like one would think.

and for the record i can get 38+ easy driving on the highway in my MCS taking it easy on the throttle.

 

Interesting. I have hand computed the mileage on my 07 Cooper, with 18500 miles, since July 07. I have a lifetime average of 36mpg. This summer I have been getting 38mpg on her. I'd say my driving has been about 60 freeway/40 city.

 

what is your driving style?

 

Don't quote me but I think a person that would buy a MC would more likely to be a conservative driver. (I'm talking out of my butt) Because I see fast MCs around here too!

 

thats the thing... if you are somewhat of a spirited driver, someone will use more gas driving an MC than an MCS to get the same performance up until a certain point. then there is a ceiling the MC hits and the MCS exceeds performance wise and the MCS starts using more fuel to reach these higher levels. but driving both at the same semi spirited rate the MC takes more fuel to match the MCSs performance in day to day spirited driving. so it can be said, just like in my experience with my driving style that the MC uses more fuel using my " and my others on here" driving semi spirited driving style. making the MCSs engine far more efficient.

i will guarantee that anybody that drives an MCS on here that gets into an MC and drives it the way they are accustomed (driving it like they would day to day, not like they do if they were at the track) for a few days will see much lower miles per gallon on the MC than their MCS. it takes a lot less effort and therefor fuel for the MCS engine to perform the same tasks as the naturally aspirated MC engine.

 

This is not going to make me want to buy an mcs.

 

On my MC I get 38 around town in mixed city/freeway driving. On an interstage run of 200 miles I've gotten as high as 45 with cruise set on 68.

 

Actually, I got an MCS loaner for a couple of days and got 28MPG versus the 32MPG I get in Romi.

It is easy to take either car an make them get worse gas mileage. If you drive both cars to their strengths, then the MC will normally get better gas mileage than the MCS. The MCS will get you there quicker, if traffic allows. In my case, that would be a rare thing.

My driving manner is limited to the surrounding traffic. When you are in bumper to bumper traffic, 90% of the time, you are pretty much simply going with the flow.

The statement, "the way both cars are made to be driven" is your own opinion. It is not a fact by a long shot. The fact you got worse gas mileage in an MC simply means you do not know how to drive to its strengths.

 

LOL i will stick with my MC.....i am getting 39- 40.1 and this tank is higher

 

28-30 on the MC? You're doing it wrong.

 

The OP does have a valid point, the car doesn't make as much of a difference as the driver. Top Gear did a test of a Prius vs the new V8 400+hp M3 for 10 laps around a track. The Prius tried to go as fast as possible and the M3 just had to keep up. The M3 actually got better MPG.

 

Using the EPA's Compare side-by-side for both 2007 & 2008 versions Cooper & Cooper S Automatic give an interesting comparison.

First would be that mpg difference (is so slight) should not even be a consideration in your choice of Super or not. My choice was primarily My Driving enjoyment followed by percieved longivity (also preferred the styling ).

There would be no doubt that your mpg's will vary far more from "Driving Style" than Turbo or Not.

Looking at the Table linked above; 2007-2008 shows a 1 to 2 mpg improvement and only factor I know of the would account for this, is the way the Alternator is used (and may account for my early dead battery), but it saves import of half a barrel a-year on the 'S'. {The 2008 MINI's only draw from Alternator during decelaration ~ so-called "recovery from braking" }..

I would have expected a greater range of 'best to worst' on the SuperCooper but flav may be correct in that it could be the opposite; just looking at 'the reported' (from 2-5 vehicles) shown on chart.

Notice that the Average reported from 7 MCS's and 4 MC's differ by 0.4 mpg and Averages reported on NAM are similar.

My first 1150 miles have been oriented towards a proper seating of the rings (within MINI's Recommended Break-In Limits) since I would rather that there be a lot less gas going into my lube oil over my next 180,000 miles. So, my 'mpg' (city) for first three tanks will be mid-20's (did see mid-30's on 400 miles of highway, avoiding 'steady-speed' whenever possible).

 

Something else to consider: Most states use oxygenated fuel in the winter months which reduces your MPG. Also, different brands and different octanes will give different results. Make sure your comparisons are reasonable.

 

it makes sense. topgear did a comparision between prius and the new m3 on their track.

prius leading and being driven as fast as it can go with the M3 only having to keep up with the prius. the m3 had much better fuel efficiency than the prius

 

Com'on people! Let's be more scientific and objective about the approach. Both cars need to be driven in a closed circuit in the exact same manner (ie, same mph set on CC). Both cars need to be fueled at the same pump with auto cutoff.

 

This is getting down right silly now.

 

You'll lose.

I've been alternating between driving Shawn and Tristan, and there's no noticeable difference in the mileage between them. I don't have that much data on driving Shawn as a daily driver post breakin yet, but the few fillups I do have are pretty much the same between the two. If there is a difference, its only 1MPG or so.

On my normal commute, Shawn's getting 24-27MPG, averaging 26.2 and Tristan's getting 24-26 averaging 25.3. On a long trip Shawn got 32.2, Tristan got 31.8.

Around the same period last year, Tristan was averaging 26.9, getting Shawn seems to have affected Tristan's mileage, I think I do drive Tristan harder now, but the mileage come down to Shawn's level, not dropped below it.

 

the 2nd gen MC does better than the 1st gen MC too. I could get 24 or 25mpg in my '03 MC by shifting at 6,000+ RPM and running the canyons. I could get it much worse by doing a track day. Although the MC had the potential for really good gas mileage, if you drive it hard, you'll lose out on fuel economy..simple.

The time I've spent in an '07 and and '08 MC--even in an automatic, the fuel economy was superior to what I could get, and in sport mode still allowed me to drive in a fun spirited way.

The bottom line is that an MC driven aggressively is still fun, but driven moderately will reward you with fantastic gas mileage without compromising things like a spare tire. =)

My modded '05 MCS always yields 240-300 miles per tank though I've gotten 170 miles through very hard driving--but it's no where near what my '03 Cooper was capable of.

 

I personally get 27-28/34-35. Hasn't changed in over a year in my MCS. I can imagine that I'd be more on the throttle with an MC esp. at first. The throttle use affects mileage more than anything else, that's why highway mileage is more consistent, not as much throttle use. And if you drive on most interstates your avg. cruising speed is about the same too. It's hard to average over 65mph on a 1500 mile trip. I bet if my wife had an MC she'd get 5mpg better than me. If I had one I'd get about the same as I get withmy car.

 

I've found that staying near 65 mph and using the cruise control to minimize speed variations has gotten me between 36 and 43 mpg on my MCS. The key is to keep the air drag as low as possible by keeping the speed down, get into the highest gear as soon as possible and maintain a consistent speed.