[ontheroadagain]

Took me a few reads to see that you do have the Cooper not the S and it's standard. Good for you with those great mpgs! I think most of us forget how much of a difference the miles per hour we drive can make - as your post has so clearly detailed. I am going to try to practice more self control on my longer trips down the NJ Turnpike but I may have to drive on the side of the highway because just about everyone seems to be averaging 75mph!

Thanks for your post Dr. J.

[Dr. J]

Sorry yeah it's just a cooper, not an S. Aside from the $4500 upcharge, what dissuaded me from getting an S was the mileage. Understandibly the fuel economy goes down because it provides more HP.... but I'm not going to be drag racing in it so who cares?

I-95 in CT is the same.... lots of people whizzing along at 80mph+. There are other benefits to driving 65 - I find myself changing lanes alot less, because I'm not fighting to get through traffic. Also I don't have to worry if I see a cop because I'm going the speed limit. I'm not sure how an auto would do in these circumstances, but I'm beginning to see why the stick saves gas (this is my first stick car) - I find myself staying in higher gears longer (that is, while slowing down), whereas for example my old automatics would downshift right away anticipating that I'd want alot of acceleration. There is definately something to be said about having more control over the car in general.

My father-in-law is one of those people that is set in his ways and can't comprehend how speed plays a role in MPG. My brother in-law just got a brand new civic a few months ago and I think the EPA mpg is "supposedly" 33 mpg or so. Last week when I brought the mini over to his house, he asked the MPG and when I said 40+ MPG he said I would never get that much as my brother in law was only getting 29mpg or so in his civic. Now when he calls and asks how the car is doing and mentions MPG, I tell him the current # of 42ish and reiterate that the fuel economy is ALL in how you drive the car!

[ontheroadagain]

Right - don't I know 95 North/South in CT! I live just south of the CT border.

I have the automatic Clubman Cooper, but it's very new - I only have about 150 miles on it and most have been very short local trips, very local. Right now my mpgs are at about 30, but I'm expecting much better mileage once I start doing some serious driving on the highway, etc. I have heard that this newer automatic does very well and that the cruise control also is much improved - though I've never been a cruise control driver, I can see how on very long trips it might come in handy. I would not at all be surprised to find that using cruise control would help with mpg savings, too.

Of course you are so right about not needing to "fight" to change lanes to get ahead, etc. Just thinking about it can make me feel tired, though I have to admit I've been guilty of it. Really, if it's only saving 30 minutes, saving one's life is surely more important! Not to mention saving those dollars.

Looking forward to getting to know my new bigger MINI better in the very near future.

[Dr. J]

I hit 43.9 mpg yesterday on my ride home (55 miles ish). As I said it's HEAVILY dependent on your driving style and even the smallest bid of idling will make a dent. The ride home was uneventful - I didn't spend much time idling and I caught a few more lights than usual - maybe that was the difference.