Cooper MPG

[bibbage]

Just filled my tank with 48 Lts / 10.56 gls after doing 391.5 miles = 37mpg, interestingly the on board computer was saying 39.3mpg average, although this had not been reset since the fill-up before this one. I have been driving sensibly, no hard excelleration or heavy breaking, but at cruising speed 70 - 80mph. Not sure I can keep it up much longer though!
Over the last two fill-ups I've done a longish trip (200 miles or so) on each and then the rest is just local short trips. The fuel used was standard unleaded 95 octane.
Having read a few threads on MPG I just thought I'd share this with you all for comments.

Cheers
Bibbage

[Root Ginger]

Sounds good for a Cooper (I assume it's a Cooper).

[MarkW19]

Very impressive! The most I've got out of a tank is about 340 miles, this if of constant 70-80mph motorway driving in 4th/5th.

During normal driving I usually get about 240.

[minicabrio]

There was a brilliant thread started recently here: http://www.mini2.com/forum/first-generation-mini-cooper/109259-big-cooper-mpg-poll.html

[uncle albert]

Be grateful - I rejoiced the other day when, for the first time, I got just over 300 miles to a tank of Optimax (and that was proper Granny driving)!

James

[Electric Sheep]

The most I've ever got out of my Cooper is around 410 miles. The least - when it was brand new - was about 330.

[MarkW19]

Thats impressive!!

Whats your driving style?

[bibbage]

My normal style of driving is not aggressive, I leave plenty of room between me and the car in front and I try to anticipate so that brakes are not needed. The only difference over the last 2 tank fills is that I have not been excellerating hard through the gears.
It can't last though!!

[MarkW19]

I dont drive aggressively either, & plan ahead & take it easy in traffic. But I can never resist putting my foot down on a nice open road or to overtake at a suitable place, especially now after my mth remap!!

My car appears to be much more thirsty than yours

[sonicfleck]

My finacee and I have a 2005 Mini Cooper with a CVT. For the first 15 months we lived in Houston, TX and we got an indicated 27.3mpg on the computer. I reset the computer serveral times and it always averaged out to 27.3mpg over a few tankfulls. Then at the end of February we moved to Greenville, SC. I reset the computer when we got here and have reset it twice since then and all three times it settled on 31.3 mpg. (14.7% increase) We've put about 4,000 miles on it since we moved.
Has anyone else seen such drastic changes based on location?

I was quite dissapointed with only getting 27.3 mpg in Houston and am very happy with the increase. I haven't done anything to the car to get this increase. The differences I know of are:
1. Less humid
2. Higher elevation (went from 50 ft above sea level to about 1,000 ft)
3. No longer using reformulated gas (Houston has quite a smog problem!)
4. Went from driving in the completely flat Houston (biggest hills are the overpasses) to driving in the hills here and periodically driving through the mountains.

The speeds we are driving are similar, mix of highway and urban driving is similar (in texas we didn't even get 30mpg on pure highway driving with the exception of the time I got a puncture in the run flat and I drove 50mph for about 150 miles (run flats are handy, but EXPENSIVE. . .puncture was in the sidewall so it couldn't be repaired)

The temperatures are cooler here in SC, but even in the "winter" in Houston our mileage never got better so I don't think think it is the heat or A/C usage. Fiancee uses the A/C most days on the highway and when I drive it it's almost always with the windows down and sunroof up no matter if it is highway or urban. So we get a good mix there.

Even flogging it a bit :-D through the mountains up and down very windy steep two lane mountain roads it averaged over 30mpg. Our other vehicle is a 1994 Dodge Ram 1500 with a 5.9L V-8. I get the same 15mpg here with it that I got in Houston. (I know 15mpg is horrible, but the truck only gets driven ~200 miles per month and I'm happy with 15mpg since it is rate as 12city 15hwy)

What do other people get with the CVT? My fiancee's driving style is rather tame but averaging 75-80 on the highway with several places she has to floor it to merge in traffic every day. She normally drives in D. I normally drive using the Steptronic mode and drive spirited (but not abusive) then switch to D when I get on the highway.

I'm quite curious as to what type of fuel consumption other owners of the CVT are getting.

Also, does anyone know how to increase the throttle response from a standstill? I find it quite annoying from a stop. I can't believe how slow the engine revs innitially. . .to me it takes so long it can be unsafe. We plan on keeping this Cooper for another 2-3 years then buying an S with a manual. We bought the CVT as my fiancee didn't know how to drive a manual and I didn't think rush hour traffic in Houston was a good place to learn how. . .and we got it before the S was available with an Auto. I like the idea of the CVT over a standard Automatic but it seems possibly the computer is limiting power till the car gets moving. Once I get the car going a bit it responds well.

Any input from other owners would be appreciated. I'm a new memeber on here and this is my first post.

-thomas

[KPKalle]

Welcome to MINI2 Thomas

I don't own a CVT so can't really answer your question. But perhaps the engine is now run and that gives better consumption figures?

Anyway have a look and search in the CVT and Cooper S Auto forum to find some answers. Also, there's a sticky at the top of that forum which is to do with CVT driving technique. Maybe worth a read

[sonicfleck]

Thanks! I'm going over there right now to take a look.

[callen]

Quote: Originally Posted by sonicfleck

Thanks! I'm going over there right now to take a look.

Well I have (had) two things in common with you but unfortunately not the one item you wanted which was the CVT. But anyway......I currently live in Houston and have a Cooper and have averaged 30 MPG in mixed City/Highway driving in Houston for first 3 tankfuls. Live in NW Houston and drive downtown. I am a little disapointed and hope after some miles I'll get an increase. Sure the humidity, temps and gas formulations don't help.

[KrisMcGrath]

i dont think i have ever done more tha 300 miles in my ONE :S
My first car and am 17 so what can i say

[PMB]

I just filled up this morning. 410 miles and it took 45 litres, so roughly 41 MPG. The car has just done 1250 miles so I can start to open her up a bit. I guess the MPG will go down from here!!!