My little mpg challenge w/5.0i

[tlow]

So I got tired of filling up 2x’s per week and only being able to fill $100 per fill up at the pumps and with gas at $6/gallon I wanted to see how much mpg I could get driving like a granny. This is probably 60/40 hwy/city. I would also consider it very normal driving conditions ie got caught in stop n go traffic a few times, had to gun it to get out of the way merging,Etc. I live in San Diego and it is by no means flat.

Super boring to drive obviously. Few observations. All done in eco mode. The free/wheel coast works super well. I noticed it’s actually faster to use coast going downhill vs small throttle when the hill is moderately steep. Seems like the transmission drag actually prevents the car from speeding up down hill. Secondly cruise control is pretty bad for conserving mpg. Lastly, it feel likes bmw optimized the drag around 60-65 mph or 100kph would be my guess. I kept the speed in this range. Once you go over 70 the car really feels more aero draggy with constant throttle/flat road.

[Clifton]

OoooH, I'll Play! Stats for my X5d below.

[///d]

I consistently see 30+mpg out of my d if I keep it under 65mph. Anything over 65 and I see significant drops in MPG.

I also agree that cruise negatively impacts MPG, but I hate not using it.

Also, keep in mind that eco mode really only benefits city driving.

[crystalworks]

Originally Posted by ///d

I consistently see 30+mpg out of my d if I keep it under 65mph. Anything over 65 and I see significant drops in MPG.

I also agree that cruise negatively impacts MPG, but I hate not using it.

Also, keep in mind that eco mode really only benefits city driving.

^ x2 all of the above.

Can't drive less than 75mph on Texas highways. You'll get run over.

[tlow]

Originally Posted by ///d

I consistently see 30+mpg out of my d if I keep it under 65mph. Anything over 65 and I see significant drops in MPG.

I also agree that cruise negatively impacts MPG, but I hate not using it.

Also, keep in mind that eco mode really only benefits city driving.

I disagree strongly on eco mode not being useful on the highway. Between coasting and keeping the revs low it definitely helps. You need to be really conservative and maintain constant throttle but it’s definitely a gain.

[///d]

Originally Posted by crystalworks

^ x2 all of the above.

Can't drive less than 75mph on Texas highways. You'll get run over.

Yeah it seems as soon as you get outside of rural USA the speeds increase quite a bit. Even a lot of our back roads are being bumped to 60 and 70mph limits. most 2 lane roads in places like WY, ND, SD, etc. are 70mph limits now. I feel manufactures need to start designing and tuning for optimal performance at todays average speeds, not 20 years ago average speeds.

[tlow]

Originally Posted by Clifton

OoooH, I'll Play! Stats for my X5d below.

What app is that?

I tried to get a diesel but it’s hard to find m sport diesels with dhp 😕 but can’t complain other than constantly filling up the tank. I love having the hp

[///d]

Originally Posted by tlow

I disagree strongly on eco mode not being useful on the highway. Between coasting and keeping the revs low it definitely helps. You need to be really conservative and maintain constant throttle but it’s definitely a gain.

ECO mode is really only doing anything with fluctuating speeds/throttle input. Most highway driving is consistent speeds/throttle input. Yes, it does limit some power consuming accessories, but unless you're going to run with no A/C, no heat, no radio, etc those savings from limiting accessories is negligible. It does benefit some on highway, but not nearly as much as city driving. I've done 500+ miles on a tank at non-stop highway speeds with ECO mode and had little difference in calculated MPG compared to a tank without, usually not enough to even compare it, but if I run ECO with a highway/city mix, or if I know I'm putting mostly city on a tank ECO mode I see a much larger difference in MPG.

Terrain is also going to play a big part in that as well. Highway driving on hilly roads will benefit more from ECO mode than highways in flat areas. Drive across SD in ECO mode and you will see very little change in your MPG.

[///d]

Originally Posted by tlow

What app is that?

I tried to get a diesel but it’s hard to find m sport diesels with dhp 😕 but can’t complain other than constantly filling up the tank. I love having the hp

I wouldnt be too upset, diesel prices are still climbing and aren't expected to taper off when gasoline prices do. Yes we get better mileage, but we are paying more also. It's probably a toss up right now as to which is more bank friendly.

And we are under constant scrutiny and Greta thinks we are the devil so...

[Clifton]

Originally Posted by tlow

What app is that?

Fuelly app or you can just use the web fuelly.com

[tlow98]

22.5mpg is actually pretty good @tlow!

[Vivek.]

Interesting, 22.5 is damn good for the 50i. I think the 60-65mph aero optimization is a result of the tall/large body. In my experience the V8 5-series is better around 80 than 60.

My 35d averages around 26mpg if I do mostly highway with a ~40mph avg speed

[hpram99]

We're neighbors! Having a similar set of experiences.
The Shell in my part of town only gives me max $85, or just under 2/3 tank.

I get about the same mpg without eco mode. If you have active/dynamic cruise control the fuel economy is definitely worse, it's terrible at keeping pace with cars.

[tlow98]

Ok, so I tried this today on a 100mi round trip in the Bay Area. It was about 70/30 highway/city. Got 25.9 true door to door mileage. I live in a huge hill and general the Bay Area has a lot of elevation change.

I do this trip every Saturday and the difference in how much the needle moved on the tank was pretty shocking. It’s kind of hard to hyper mile! But rewarding.

[Gkacmaz]

Eco pro is useless on the highway unless you're going less than 60mph. Most effective in the city although it feeld more like a hindrance in terms of driving
I average ~16mpg.
Highest mileage i got out of a full tank was ~450 miles but that was purely highway driving from Michigan Detroit to NYC going 60-70mph i probably would have gotten 500 miles if i stretched it.
Honestly tho this car isn't meant for saving gas. I plan on driving V8 as long as I can since it's a dying breed.
And even though Gas got way more expensive it's still a far cry from the prices in Europe, lived in Germany for the majority of my life and it's more than double the price here in US
I have to say the 50i Is pretty efficient despite being so heavy with so much power. My Toyota sequoia gets 13 on average and that thing barely moves when you push it

[tlow98]

Originally Posted by Gkacmaz

Eco pro is useless on the highway unless you're going less than 60mph. Most effective in the city although it feeld more like a hindrance in terms of driving
I average ~16mpg.
Highest mileage i got out of a full tank was ~450 miles but that was purely highway driving from Michigan Detroit to NYC going 60-70mph i probably would have gotten 500 miles if i stretched it.
Honestly tho this car isn't meant for saving gas. I plan on driving V8 as long as I can since it's a dying breed.
And even though Gas got way more expensive it's still a far cry from the prices in Europe, lived in Germany for the majority of my life and it's more than double the price here in US
I have to say the 50i Is pretty efficient despite being so heavy with so much power. My Toyota sequoia gets 13 on average and that thing barely moves when you push it

Agree on dinosaur Toyota mpg. Honestly, I don’t know how their v8 cars manage to do as badly as they do?

Disagree on eco pro only being effective in the city. It works great on highways costing down hills as the transmission decouples.

[blue dragon]

rookies
37.9 MPG

https://f15.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh...ostcount=12772

[Gkacmaz]

Originally Posted by tlow98

Agree on dinosaur Toyota mpg. Honestly, I don't know how their v8 cars manage to do as badly as they do?

Disagree on eco pro only being effective in the city. It works great on highways costing down hills as the transmission decouples.

The annoying thing is it only decouples if you drive it yourself meaning no Cruise control. As soon as you use cruise control it leaves it In gear all the time

[tlow98]

Originally Posted by Gkacmaz

The annoying thing is it only decouples if you drive it yourself meaning no Cruise control. As soon as you use cruise control it leaves it In gear all the time

Agree that is annoying, but cruise control is so wasteful… it seems like cruise control and efficiency are mutually exclusive. It still takes a brain to think and see what’s happening a half mile up and plan best for efficiency.

Tho, admittedly, cruise control is essential on long trips. It’s worth the trade off in peace of mind for a few more gallons.

[tlow]

Originally Posted by blue dragon

rookies
37.9 MPG

https://f15.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh...ostcount=12772

Diesel. Doesn’t count 😂

[tlow]

Originally Posted by tlow98

Ok, so I tried this today on a 100mi round trip in the Bay Area. It was about 70/30 highway/city. Got 25.9 true door to door mileage. I live in a huge hill and general the Bay Area has a lot of elevation change.

I do this trip every Saturday and the difference in how much the needle moved on the tank was pretty shocking. It’s kind of hard to hyper mile! But rewarding.

I noticed I could probably get 25-27 mpg with mostly highway. Is that about where you’re at?

[tlow98]

Originally Posted by tlow

I noticed I could probably get 25-27 mpg with mostly highway. Is that about where you’re at?

A bit more. 35i, after all. Tho, I must admit, sometimes when I’m stomping on it I wish I had that ridic 5.0 POWA.

But like I said 22.5 for the v8 is pretty awesome.