I have a MC Auto that is about 3 weeks old and have only run through a couple of tanks of gas with my OBC saying I am getting 33 mpg in mixed driving. Was wondering if the wheel sizes (16" & 17" vs. my 15") could be making the difference in the OBC mileage estimates? Does MINI recalibrate the OBC for each wheel variation or do we all have the same calculator? If it is all the same you would think mine would be accurate and larger sizes would be optimistic. I checked my first tank and it seemed to match but, will check actual in the future to see if I am fooling myself with the OBC reading. BTW my window sticker estimates 35 for what that's worth.

 

The MINI uses the same computer for all cars. The overall rolling Diameter of the tires are roughly the same.

 

Damn and I thought my 34.9 MPG was low LOL!


Stupid JCW didn't give me 1-2 extra MPG!

But my car is mainly driven highway. More highway than city driving.

My car is a Manual 09' MC, btw.

 

Hmm

Looking at this website, it seems like the average mini driver is getting 26 MPG

http://www.fuelly.com/car/mini/cooper%20s

 

I have been averaging 29.2 mpg for some time now, that includes "spirited driving", city driving (stop n go), as well as some highway driving. When I reset to ZERO, I slowly go back to 29.2ish after a week or so!

 

34.5 mpg for me - mostly highway miles.

 

Lately I've been averaging 31.5 in my MC, but that's with 90% city driving. Mostly "spirited" plus I just got bigger, slightly heavier wheels.

 

I have a 2010 MC auto and have been getting 43-49mpg, depending on the kind of driving I've been doing. Quite an improvement from the 2006 MC auto, where I was getting around 33mpg.

 

I use Fuelly, it is a Great Site, I hand calculate exclusively, though I haven't had to fill up due to health issues and not being able to drive My Molly, I like the Data Charts and the ability to see what other's with the same vehicle are doing.

Thanks for the Great Tip...I already knew, but other's may not!!

 

Wow! That is amazing....you must be really be going easy on the gas peddle. I would be intersted in how you drive to achieve such high milage as I can only get 33 as indicatd by my OBC so far.

 

All mpg mentioned is computed by ME, not the on board computer. I wouldn't trust that thing any more than I'd trust the silly gas gauge. Recently I ran to 157 miles on a full tank, and the gas gauge was ONE ACORN down out of the ten. I'd burned about five gallons of gas; nearly half the tank, with the gauge indicating ten percent down. I use the TRIP ODOMETER as a gas gauge. The dealership svc manager had no answer for this problem, which I brought to his attention just before I hit the 3 year mark. Anyhow, back to the mileage issue...
07 MCS with a six speed...I continually pull 29-30 mpg around town, sometimes close to 31. Freeways, with cruise control at 65 I've pulled 37 mpg, but even driving w/o cc and driving slightly faster, I still manage 34-35 with ease. With city driving, I've found the key to higher numbers is keeping your shift points low; like 3k rpms or less.
I'm betting that the OP doesn't adhere to the 3k line on the tach. It's the fast way (no pun intended) to lower your mileage. Of course, it's a given that stomping on the gas pedal to see how fast you'll fly to 3k and shift is not going to work for you. It's about moderation. Try it for a tank, and let me know how it works for you. Or just go drive like you stole it and have a good time. Either way, you get what you pay for.

 

I don't think it is a "problem". It appears the 2nd Gen fuel guage was designed to be non-linear.

 

Most gas gauges work this way; half a tank is 4/10ths on the guage and then it excelerates to the empty/reserve.

 

I'm noticing the same, and I don't like it! It is very counter-intuitive when "half" does not mean "half"!


I know the gauge is only a rough estimate, but for all the cars I've driven (a Saturn, a Mazda, and two Toyotas), I've never seen it this non-linear.

 

Somebody point out to me a site called Fuelly where you can "Share and Compare" milage. I noticed there's not H1's listed on there. Maybe those owners don't want to know what their milage is.

For the Cooper S' its interesting. Most seem to get 26mpg but theres also a pool right around 30mpg. http://www.fuelly.com/car/mini/cooper%20s

 

I range from 22mpg (includes a twisty round trip on GMR/GRR) to 31mpg, drive to San Diego and back, 95% hwy. I average 25.5 for my regular commute pattern of 70h/30c. I guess i'm not the anomaly i thought i was.

 

Mine is a justa automatic. At about 7K, the little car seems to have settled down to an in-town figure of about 32 mpg and a typical highway rate of about 35. The air conditioner seems to exact about 1.5 mpg penalty -- 30.5 in-town if I have it on all of the time. Oddly, the air conditioner seems to do nothing to the highway mpg.

I've found that the rack really cuts the mileage on the highway (to about 33) and having the sunroof open seems to do the same.. Highway mileage with the rack and open sunroof falls to just above 31 mpg. And one final anomaly, putting the bike on the roof rack seems to do nothing -- same mileage with or without the bike (its a pretty streamlined road bike, but it still adds frontal area and adds to the drag co-efficient in my mind).

But to maximize everything, I ditch the rack, close the top, and turn off the air conditioning. That takes it back to the typical 35 mpg highway rate.

 

Your mileage may vary!

I think it's clear that the OP's mileage for auto Justa Cooper is suspiciously low. But low tire pressure will drop your gas mileage like a stone. So, check it.

 

I can't really explain it, to be honest! I drive the same as I did in my R50 auto, which averaged around 33MPG. I don't really consider myself leadfooted or lightfooted. Most of my drives consist of a 10-minute jaunt across town to work, the fastest part of which is 45MPH. There is a woman in town with an 09 S and she's getting 37MPG.

 

since my last fill up and "casual" driving to and from work, I averaged about 23 or 24. then I stepped on it for the hell of it (you know, the hell of it), rating went down to 21 and stayed there until I got home. :D

 

Wow my 2010 Justa gets 34mpg based on the odometer. And I drive it like I stole it.

 

That sounds right to me haha i guess we are prolly the only Cooper drivers that get their Coopers goin Lol! I have somewhat the same, but yes i also do kinda get the MINI spirit meter going when I drive. Nothin wrong with showin' a lil' fun eh?

 

I'm driving for mpg but I still get on it every now and then. My computer shows me 40.3 right now. Since I don't top off, I'm only using my computer for mpg estimation. From experience, the computers are about 2 to 3 mpg off. Even in my '05 MC and '08 MCC, I could race around in the mountains on MINI runs and the computer would still read 34/35. Hearing mid 20's mpg on any MINI to me is extremely low.

 

According to GasBuddy I'm still getting 33-34 mpg. I don't necessarily drive like I stole my MC but I have very little patience for other drivers so my driving is definitely "spirited." Occasionally, usually about once a tank, I really zoom and it's like a switch flips. It's great! I still haven't discovered the full limitations of this car's power.

 

On a trip from LA to Phoenix, I averaged a little less than 30 mpg in my '10 MCSa. Going it was myself and my wife. Going home, we picked up our daughter. Made little difference in mileage.

"Normal" driving, which is 60-65% hwy nets 26 - 27 mpg. That is by calculation, not obc. As others have noted, the on-board computer is way off, at least 10% higher than calc'd values.

While on the road back from AZ, I checked the odometer vs the mileage markers, and the odo seems about right. The speedo seems to be reading 3 - 5 mph high. hmmmmm. Sorta confirmed by City of Santa Monica's radar speed checks (no speeding ticket, just a read-out) on a local boulevard.

My tuppence on the candy-corn gas gauge. I think the candy corns represent only the bottom portion of the gas tank level. It's as if the first 3 to 4 gallons don't even register. The last ten gallons are about (not exactly) worth a candy corn each.

Using the trip odometer to fill up with gas comes from my first car ('55 VW bug) not having a gas gauge, and the many motorcycles I have ridden over the years.

ymmv