My wife got a lease return and told me she was getting around 21 mpg on her first two fill ups. She showed me the receipts and I did the math too and she was right. The car is a 2008 Clubman S with 32,000 miles and still under warranty. The car is driven in normal mode and she drives like a soccer mom would. What should I check to correct this as my wife was hoping for better mileage than this?

 

Not sure about soccer mom driving. The ones here in SFL are nuts driving more aggressive than I. Have you done a carbon cleaning? When I did mine the MPG was better along with throttle response. At first it was tuff to drive because it was so much more sensitive. Did you do frequent oil changes every 5-10k miles?

 

You failed to mention if it is a manual or auto trans. or when last service was performed... Autos tend to get lower mpgs vs manuals (especially if it's alot of in-town driving)
As arnk mentioned a good carbon cleaning or a good fuel system cleaner run through it.

 

Will the car coast freely when in neutral? Dragging brakes can draw down the mileage quite a bit.

 

It's an automatic and my wife drives like a little old lady. We have only had the car for around 500 miles and the Carfax was clean. We bought it from a MINI Dealer and I have a call in to them to talk to their service advisor. I'm not sure when the last service was done - but I am trying to find that out ASAP!

 

I would say right foot, they cause the worst gas milage.

What type of driving are you doing? Around town, stop and go? If so, I don't think the milage is too far off. If that was highway, then yes something is wrong.

What is everyone else getting in the Clubman S's?

Good luck,

Nik

 

The car is driven very easy.It's mostly around town.

 

Also make sure the tire pressures are correct.

 

Driving an S like that is like putting a thoroughbread in front of a plough. Take it out on a back road and blow the cobs out of it once in a while with a good ol' Italian tune up.

 

I've taken it up my favorite mountain road and put it in the sport mode and it boogies.

I'm just concerned that it only gets 21 mpg.

Below is my favorite back road.

 

Since you don't know the service record, change the oil, the air cleaner, and check the tire pressures to start off. When buying a used car, those are the first important things to do, that way you start off fresh and with peace of mind knowing what's been done.

 

In addition to "Benis'" recs you might throw a new set of plugs into it also. Who knows how previous owner drove, maintained and fuel used.

 

I called the service department on Sunday - they were closed, got their voice mail - and the service tech called back yesterday while I was at work. I called again this morning and got their voice mail again and I am waiting for their call back. If I remember correctly, the salesman told me they went through everything on the car but they are sometimes known to embellish on the truth.

 

You will probably see some improvement with a oil change, spark plugs, and especially if you remove the carbon build up. I would not expect a huge improvement, since the EPA only gives the 2008 MCS Clubman automatic a city gas mileage of 23 mpg. My MC averages about 37 mpg with mostly country roads, lots of turns, and no stop lights. When I do mostly city driving, the mileage drops considerably. Short trips with lots of stops not only has a huge effect on the gas mileage, it also adds to the carbon buildup. Punching the throttle once in a awhile is not only fun but helps clean out the engine. Drive it like a MINI when you can.

2011 MC replaced 2007 MCS

 

I found out that my MINI was serviced on Feb 2011 at 29,000 miles and again by my dealer on March the 8th 2012 at 32,000 miles. I now have 33,000 miles so at least I'm glad that has been done.

The service tech scheduled me for a complete scan of the car while it's still under warranty and will give me a MINI loaner for the day.

Today on the freeway I was getting 31+ mpg by the computer, so maybe all the city driving is why it's getting 21+ mpg.

After the full scan I will repost the results in case they may help someone else on here.

 

Start by checking the loose nut behind the wheel (I love that quote!), then try shaving off about 1/2 inch of lead weighing down the right pedal

 

The nut behind the wheel is pretty tight.

My problem is the car is not being driven hard - and should have a litttle better mileage numbers than it's getting.

I hope to find out more when it goes in for a complete check over this month.

 

You said it is mostly "around town" driving. What town is "around town" in.

I ask because if I drive "around town" in Gardner MA where I live I get about 27 MPG but when I have to spend time in Boston MA my "around town" mileage is down around 22-23. When I drive my normal work commute I get an average of about 29-30. If I drive long distance highway I get 35+ and even as much as 40 on one trip.

Oh and if I really get on her in the twisties I can get the mileage down to less than 19 MPG

 

I've noticed a drop in mpg on my 09 justa lately. We are in the midst of a heat-wave in the southeast; triple- digit temps for several days. There are air conditioning loads likely biting into the mpg and also the OBDII is reporting inlet air temps of ~145° - this is probably taking a bite out as well.

 

It's a little town north of San Francisco called San Anselmo. The fastest speed limit in town is like 30 mph. She works in town and has about a mile commute each way, but she does volunteer work at the local school where our son goes that adds a couple of miles of driving.

 

My wife always gets worse mileage in our car than when I'm driving. She rushes up to stops and brakes at the last minute, then she romps on the gas when she leaves a stop.

She is a poster child for what not to do, if you want good mileage!

Dave

 

So majority of the time seems like it would be spent 3rd gear, maybe 4th? Sounds like decent milage to me.

Nik

 

One way to improve fuel mileage: don't accelerate up to stop lights -- let up on the gas as soon as you see you're going to have to stop. Others may slip in front of you. So what?