50i - Eco-Pro vs Comfort gas mileage

[SNG_]

Hello everyone as I drive my car more and more it does not seem like there is a big difference between comfort and Eco Pro. At least for my driving needs and habits.

Starting to think that it's not even worth putting my car in Eco Pro given the difference in overall responsiveness.

The only test I still need to perform is on my next road trip do one tank in Eco Pro and one tank in Comfort, being almost 100% highway.

What are the averages that you all get between Eco-Pro and Comfort?

[CatalinP]

Eco Pro is not designed for highway.

[SNG_]

Yes, I'm aware. My driving needs actually involve more city than Highway.

So if I don't see a difference in the city it will be interesting to see what happens on the highway.

[hufington]

Eco Pro gives me 1 to 2 additional miles in city traffic in comparison to Comfort when I drive 25 miles and it is mostly from the start-stop function. IMHO it's absurd to use it when you drive a 50i.

[Qsilver7]

Originally Posted by CatalinP

Eco Pro is not designed for highway.

Interesting comment...can you explain the why/where/how for that statement? (Not being argumentative...just curious to how you came to make the statement).

I just did a trip approx 400 miles (one-way) twice a few weeks ago and finally actually used Eco Pro mode...and did so on two different BMWs. The 1st trip was in my 2013 F06 650ix GC and the 2nd trip was in a 2014 F15 X5 50i. I can’t really say the MPG was that much different between Eco Pro and Comfort mode...but what I did find interesting was a difference in how Eco Pro mode affected the climate control system.

The ambient temps during that time was in the mid 90° F...and in both vehicles the IHKA was set at 70°F. In both vehicles after a while (since the trip was approx 6 hours each direction) it would get a little chilly and I was tempted to turn the stratified air dials toward the read area of the dials. But using Eco Pro mode automatically affected the climate control system in that it reduced its performance in some way and actually prevented having to do any changes to turn down the system.

In regards to driving performance...since the CC (cruise control) was set between 65 MPH - 80 MPH (depending on the posted speed limit) there was no real call for performance most of the time...but on the occasion where passing was required...the usual lethargic response of Eco Pro mode in city traffic wasn’t nearly as bad at highway speeds.

In my conclusion...using Eco Pro mode on the highway in sparse traffic conditions and steady speed is probably the only time that I’d use that mode again for any length of time. But not so much for MPG savings but moreso for how it affects climate control and probably for some of the other power savings this mode offers.

But using Eco Pro mode in city driving is like being kicked in the nutz...I find it totally emasculates the engine’s performance .

[CatalinP]

A tipical highway drive in Europe means cruising at constant speeds for a long time. The engine is always connected to the transmission, there is average load on the engine. Apart from the A/C which is dimmed in E o Pro, there is no other gain. With so massive engines, the A/C compressor does not make much difference in load anyway.
Eco Pro makes a big difference on country roads, where coasting saves a lot. Also, at least in Europe, you get some driving tips based on the navigation map of the area and the road ahead, in order to lift off the accelerator well in advance of a slow corner.
Of course the car behaves completely different in terms of performance, but that is to be expected.
In my opinion, trying to save fuel by driving a 4.4L engine car is pointless...

[1norseman]

If you stay under 70mph Eco Pro will make a small difference. So on the highway I see no use of it for some strange reason...
Sometimes on long off ramps, I turn on Ecopro, since it allows car to coast a longer distance if you let off the gas pedal. (engine won't "brake" in eco)
But most of the time I don't bother with it, such a small difference, and I would not have a 50i, if I was worried about the gas mileage. Also, in Eco Pro, the automatic shut off and on gets automatically activated, and can get annoying at traffic lights. You barely stop, and engine shuts off, only to restart 2 sec later. So I turn that off.

[mp25]

+1 on what Huffington said. I tracked it for a few months when I first got my 50i and it was only an extra mile or 2 and I had all city miles. 20 miles total or $2/$4 saved a tank.
I hate the start stop delay and for lights that are only 10-15 seconds long it just annoying and stressful having to wait that extra .5 second for it to restart then move. Having a 450+ HP car getting ripped off the line from an econo aveo/prius/ford escort/etc is super annoying. :P

[XXX5]

I have used EcoPro on several longer trips on the highway and I can say with certainty that it resulted in better mileage. It will actually tell you how much it has added in miles. I have gotten 22.7 mpg in EcoPro on these trips so I use it on the highway more than anywhere else.

[Gkacmaz]

When I use Eco Pro I don't gain many miles, be it on highway or city but when my wife drives she gets a few miles within 10 minutes, no idea how she does that.

[jiggz]

Who buys a 50i to drive it in Eco Pro mode Honest question...

To save 2-3 MPG while driving it in Camry mode?

[devlinsky]

Originally Posted by jiggz

Who buys a 50i to drive it in Eco Pro mode Honest question...

To save 2-3 MPG while driving it in Camry mode?

Very, very same question here.

[Gkacmaz]

Originally Posted by jiggz

Who buys a 50i to drive it in Eco Pro mode Honest question...

To save 2-3 MPG while driving it in Camry mode?

Honestly I do use it often. Because sometimes I just want a very relaxed cruise where I don't need the throttle response. Just because you have a 50i doesn't mean you need the power all the time. Sometimes you want to go hard and sometimes as relaxed as possible. Fuel efficiency wise it doesn't do much (at least when I drive)

[XXX5]

Cruising on highway it works fine, throttle response is still more than most cars and I can always switch out of it if I want more response.

[hufington]

I will be doing a 300-mile road trip next weekend and the SAV will be loaded to the brim. I will use Eco-pro for the sake of experiment and let you know how much the car claims it saved and the mpg figure. God help me not to get bored to death!

[devlinsky]

You will, sadly. However - godspeed!

Oh wait.

Godslow!

[kiran1103]

I got around 19 to 21 on my long trip with Eco-Pro

[ponytuning]

The only time we put ours in eco pro mode is when getting back home on a half mile dirt road which goes on an incline up to 700ft. We can't go more than 30mph due to the bumpy road so eco pro makes sense there, but savings are negligeable. If anything it's like playing a game to see how many 'miles' of gas we have saved. Other than that, comfort all the way and sport mode when we race others challenging us at the street light.

[AychShake]

I just use it when going downhill. You're not accelerating anyway and it's just so much smoother and quieter to coast down. Otherwise, yeh it's useless.

[CanadianLurker]

Originally Posted by devlinsky

Very, very same question here.

Originally Posted by jiggz

Who buys a 50i to drive it in Eco Pro mode Honest question...

To save 2-3 MPG while driving it in Camry mode?

Originally Posted by devlinsky

Very, very same question here.

Well, aside from the improved mpg / fuel $ savings there is the more altruistic aspect of reducing emissions to be kinder to the environment.

[devlinsky]

Fair point, of course.

However, from that perspective, you should see our coal-rolling colleagues from the Diesel ABC thread, where they chop off the DPF Systems from their cars.

Ok, back to the discussion - what's interesting, that since everyone here debates between the comfort and sport mode mpg differences, nobody seems to mention differences between normal and sport transmission mode.

Nobody ever uses that?

[Qsilver7]

Originally Posted by devlinsky

... what's interesting, that since everyone here debates between the comfort and sport mode mpg differences, nobody seems to mention differences between normal and sport transmission mode.

Nobody ever uses that?

It is interesting because across multiple BMW forums/platforms...since the introduction of the “driving experience” EcoPro/Comfort/Sport button/switch and as well as the steering wheel shift paddles...new BMW owners and some of the older BMW owners do seem to forget about the original/traditional “sport” programming that occurs to the engine/throttle/tranny when the gear shift lever is moved over into the STEPTRONIC S/M shift gate.

In fact...you hardly ever hear/see/read anything about STEPTRONIC. It does appear that the ultimate sport parameters happens when SPORT or SPORT+ is used along with sliding the gear shift lever over into the M/S gate (leaving it in that sport mode & not manually shifting). The f30 (3 series) forum where discussing this and came up with the chart below. The information can be extrapolated over into other models that have the same basic set-ups. Some models may have more or less options...like my f06 650ix GC has a COMFORT+ mode that is between Eco Pro & the default COMFORT mode.

Another interesting effect of using the gear shift lever “S” position is...even if you’re in Eco Pro or Comfort mode...if you move the gear shift lever over into the the “S” position...its another way to KILL the START/STOP function of the engine without having to press the button around the ignition START/STOP button.