Still can't make up my mind, Cooper or Cooper S.

One factor for me is fuel economy. Looks like regular Cooper gets great mileage regardless. However, I'm reading figures all over the place with the S model.

Anyone with MCS average in the high 30's? Not just for sections of a trip, but for total average of a drive. Ive read that if you keep off the gas, shift at lower RPM's the turbo doesn't kick in and great fuel economy is possible.

Any thoughts or personal experiences on this would be appreciated.

-Jeff

 

I was worried about this too, especially after fuel went up about 75 cents a gallon between my order date and delivery date! I worried that I had made the wrong decision.

I'm really shocked at how moderate restraint can improve the mileage on my new Cooper S.

It's relatively easy for me to keep it above 30 in city driving, and 37-38 is definitely doable for a smoothly driven stretch of interstate. I think 40 is not out of the question if you're in a relatively flat geography.

 

I'm getting 33 MPG in my S !

 

I average 32.3 around the city in my '07 S

 

i also average in the 30s in the city and was able 2 get 40mpg on a recent 1100 mile trip

 

there is no perfect car. compromise.

 

For almost all city driving, taking it real easy, shifting at low rpm, I get 28 mpg (hand computed). The city driving is a combination of surface streets, stopping every block or two for a light or stop sign, and rush hour stop and go on the freeway. I suspect the people getting in the low 30s in the city are able to maintain a higher average speed with less stops.

On a flat stretch of highway, 60-70 mph, the OBC shows 36 mpg and it is 1 or 2 mpg optimistic.

 

I average around 29-30 MPG in the city and was getting 38+ on the highway. For the city driving I could probably get better but its hard to keep my foot from stomping on the gas pedal!!

 

My car only has about 1200 miles, but I am getting 30 mpg in mixed driving (this same driving would get me 17 mpg in my X5 3.0). On the freeway at 72 to 73 mph with air on I am getting 34 to 36 mpg. Even after break-in i doubt I will be getting close to 40 without driving a lot slower and not using the air. I am still blown away by the combination of performance and fuel efficiency. My four cylinder '93 318is was getting 23MPG in the same mixed cycle and the 2001 330ci was getting 22. I also looked at a VW R32, but I am guessing it would have gotten no better than about 20 mpg.

 

Good to see some realistic numbers... I'd agree with the earlier comment that "city" driving can mean different things to different folks. I'm only on my second tank, but here are my observations: First tank averaged 28 obs and about 26 hand calc. I'm not entirely sure since the dealer did the first fill. (If it was a little light, that would change things by a gallon or so.) Most of the tank was driving around the burbs and commuting into Philadelphia in rush hour traffic.

I took a road trip yesterday on my second tank and here's what I saw on the highway. I still have over half a tank left (I only drove 225 miles ;-) so no hand calc yet.)

Cruise control - on, set at 72 mph which yields 69.8 on the gps.
Air conditioning - on
Outside temp - 76
Fuel - Shell 93 octane
OBS indicated mileage - 36.2

 

If you're really that concerned with gas mileage, then just take the S out of the equation and save yourself some grief. The S is for maximizing the performance of the Cooper short of getting the JCW package. If that's not a priority for you, then don't stress over it.

I don't average in the high or even mid 30's for gas mileage. I get 32 combined. I'm ecstatic, but be aware that I'm used to 15 or so in the Lincoln Navigator I replaced.

 

I'm averaging 34.5 with lots of highway miles and careful driving during the week, and with some jumping on it without regard for milage during the weekend.

I've actually noticed that the best MPG seems to be around 2200 RPM, a bit after the turbo should have spun up, but I'm sure that has a lot to do with driving style.

 

We're getting 33.2 MPG, rush hour traffic, 25 miles each way. When we drove to NC from TX we got about 37-38. We've had Daphne since January and the gas mileage has gotten better over time.

 

I had a business trip yesterday and drove the 100 miles from Birmingham to Montgomery, AL. Fairly hilly interstate run. Tried to keep the speed and throttle pretty steady (73 mph) in my MCS, and got 40.9 according to the OBC. I was delighted.

Glad to confirm it's possible since I just ordered my license plate: 38MPG : )

 

Many folks get higher than 30mpg on the cooper s and some even get in the high 30s, but you should expect around 30 if you're doing a mix and maybe 33 or 34 if ur doing 70mph highway driving and u weigh around 200 lbs.

 

mine get 30-35 depend on how heavy is my foot

 

There have been a number of threads where folks have weighed in on the relative merits of the Cooper and Cooper S. They all seem to devolve into folks energetically defending their choice while riding the other guy for not having made the same one. I have an S. When I drive it like a "non-S" I get 37 mpg driving in my rural setting. When I drive it with my foot in it I get 33 mpg. In real life it's a mix. I chose the S because I could put my foot in it if I wanted and still get great mileage when I didn't. If Mini didn't make an S I would have bought the standard Cooper. Man, they're all so cool regardless of the model.

 

I have a S with automatic, and I average 30 mpg (hand calculated) for daily driving, which is stop and go, hilly city driving. I found no real difference for me in mpg between trying to drive it 'non-S' and just enjoying the S around town. I usually drive in manual sport mode. I still try to 'hypermile' as much as I can. Actually, I've found more of a difference in my mpg between different gas brands.

If I get it out on the highway, I can get upper 30s no problem. The best mpg I've gotten is 38.6 mpg (obc and hand calculated) on the way home from MOTD this year.

It seems my OBC is spot on, when its highway miles, and 1-2 mpg higher in the city than it is actually.

 

Only filled up 3 times so far with my new manual MCS, but hand calculated I'm getting 34.8 mpg in mixed city/hwy driving.... admittedly with a soft peddle, speed limit on the highway, and no "aggressive" driving. By the way, according to the OBC, it regularly displays mid to upper 50s mpg on straight and level, cruise control at 60mph. I'm having fun stretching the mpg without any of the extreme hypermiling stuff like drafting trucks, etc.

 

30 here, mixed city/backroad driving

if it were not for stop lights it would be quite a bit better

 

I have an S auto and I average about 28.7 (obc) and I calculated about that. Call it 29 or better as I am in a lot of bumber to bumber traffic in Socal everyday, the 91 freeway going east in the late afternoon, you no what I'm taking about. We have 20 discussions everyday it seems like about the gas prices and high food costs, dogs and cats living together, end of the world type stuff. Get the S. Still great milage, much quicker and better looking IMO. If you choose the MC it will still be a great car. Its a win win eitherway.

 

'07 MCS manual. I'm getting 26-29 (hand calc'd) in town with short trips and 39-41 on the Interstate between Baton Rouge and Houston with the a/c on. The key to good gas mileage is to play nice. The OBC is always optimistic (i.e. wrong) and generally 2MPG high. But then the speedometer is wrong too (low). The power (and fun) is there when I need it unlike with just-a-cooper.
However, my daughter is begging for a mini and we'll probably go with a non-S for the better mileage and less potential for the boyfriend to play.

 

I just did 60 miles round trip on interstate, 27mpg in my mcs, with cruise set at 80

having more weight in the car sure affects mileage, 2 adults, 1 kid, and 2 dogs, I get better mileage than that by myself in stop/go backroads/city!

 

I get 37MPG average in my S. This is very mixed city/highway and my foot is not so light. It was around 33MPG before I made performance modifications. Opening up the airflow boosted both performance and economy much to my surprise.

Both are unbelievably economical. Test drives are always the best thing to swing you one way or the other. The standard cooper is so underestimated. It still kicks the pants off anything even close in economy. You can't go wrong

 

My highest MPG has been 41 but I mostly average about 37 in mixed driving with a light foot. High MPG is definitely possible in an S!