BMW 3-Series Real World MPG

absolutic · December 2007

That is a great mileage. Mine on my 328i is steady 19.1-19.3 mph 80% City/20% stop-and-go freeway. I do use sports mode sometimes. I have 11,000 miles on it. I assume it will improve a little as I drive another 5-10,000 miles and I will be very happy.

I assume with new EPA testing rules come around 2009, we are going to see more realistic figures. Hopefully, they will take cars off treadmills to an outside environment this time

idoc2 · December 2007

I drive a 2007 328xi. 60% hiway 40% hilly country roads in CT with a few stop lights. I average consistently 22MPG on 93 octane. This has been true from my third tank of gas. In cold weather I may get 1 or 2MPG worse. I am not lead footed. On the hiway over 100+ miles without stops I can get as much as 27MPG at 70-75MPH (by BMW speedo which we all know reads 4-5MPH fast at this speed). This seems to be consistent with others.

Idoc

shipo · December 2007

"I assume with new EPA testing rules come around 2009, we are going to see more realistic figures."

Correct me if I'm wrong, however, I believe that the new EPA mileage ratings went into effect for the 2008 model year.

http://www.epa.gov/fueleconomy/

Best Regards,
Shipo

davidd3 · December 2007

Mine on my 328i is steady 19.1-19.3 mph 80% City/20% stop-and-go freeway.

Your city/highway mix is heavy on city driving (80%) and even your highway miles (20%) are stop and go. I think 19+mpg is good for your particular circumstances.

I have 11,000 miles on it. I assume it will improve a little as I drive another 5-10,000 miles and I will be very happy.

My 2006 330i has 35,000 miles on it. While many people say gas mileage improves after the first x,000 miles, I have never personally experienced it. With my cars, the mpg from the beginning is pretty much the same throughout.

Mr_Shiftright · December 2007

I agree. By 3,000--5,000 miles you are locked in.

dmaccioc · February 2008

I live in the SF Bay Area and have been averaging 19-20 with stop/go traffic (70%) and highway (30%). I have just over 6700 miles now and for the last 500 or so miles my mileage has jumped up pretty significantly, averaging 23.0 without a change in driving pattern. Nice! I've only been filling it with Shell 91, seems to be a pretty good formulation.

I was able to fill up one day, get right on the highway, and drive about 45 minutes WITHOUT traffic (I was shocked) doing 75-85mph and averaged 32.3 mpg roundtrip. The engine is clearly fuel efficient if given the right opportunity. Looking forward to a weekend trip to LA in a few weeks to get an even better assessment.

Just wanted to post my results thus far, will keep you posted after the LA trip (approx 5 hours). Still can't believe I haven't changed the oil yet, I'm starting to lose sleep about waiting another 9k miles to change it!

Mr_Shiftright · February 2008

With the BMW 6 cylinder engine, you need to be able to spend time in overdrive gear for the mileage to improve significantly.

new0rder · March 2008

I think the bridge stone RFT with noise got the mileage low, I am getting about 20.2 50-70 mph on highway, day to day work travel 24 miles. I was getting more when the car is new. atleast 23mpg

circlew · March 2008

Tire pressure is key.

Regards,
OW

arm51 · March 2008

The 328i manual that I drive sporadically usually gets around 22-23 mpg in the city if driven carefully. When I drive with a bit more enthusiasm, it drops to about 17-19 mpg. On the highway, it generally sits around 30; however the best tank so far has been 32mpg.

davidd3 · March 2008

For a long time the mpg feature of my BMW's on board computer was quite accurate, varying from actual mpg by no more than 0.25mpg. Now, 2.5 years later, I'm noticing it regularly indicates an mpg which is off (always too high) by 0.5mpg to 0.75mpg. This is my first car with this feature. Are these things just not too accurate or is mine off enough to have it checked out on the next visit to the service center?

fedlawman · March 2008

Maybe your tires have worn down?

davidd3 · March 2008

Maybe your tires have worn down?

Nope, that's not it. The car is only 2.5 years old and I've been doing the winter tire/wheel package changeover thing. Neither set is worn down (though I have a cupping problem with the OEM tires and I'm going to run the winter tires longer this year, perhaps until near the end of my 3 year lease).

davidd3 · March 2008

I check mpg by hand too, on a regular basis. I was just wondering how accurate the readings from the car are. It seems that your experience has been the same as mine in that the readings from the car are a bit optimisitic.

You certainly are getting good gas mileage for a V8. I think that BMWs have remarkable fuel efficiency for such powerful engines. I'm getting 24.5mpg overall from my 330i; that's roughly 60% highway, 40% local. I came out of a G35, which got about 22mpg with the same driving.

hpowders · March 2008

Sorry, but I deleted my post due to the fact this is a 3 Series mpg forum, not about the 5 Series!

As I said before, I found the same thing as you with my 545i. The car's readout was always a bit too optimistic.
After I found that out, I started keeping the mpg stats. by hand. I keep a pocket calculator in the glove compartment for that purpose. After the first year, I became less enthusiastic about "keeping score". From the chart I kept by hand, I averaged about 21 mpg over 9000 miles with 70% highway, 30% local errands. Pretty impressive for a powerful V-8, IMO. I'm sure the mpg would have been closer to 21.5 or so, using the car's readout.

I guess BMW wants us to believe our mpg is better than it really is so we keep coming back for new BMW's!

nkeen · March 2008

Mine is indicating 27.3 mpg over the past several thousand miles, about 60/40 highway/urban with the occasional 150 mile trip.

kirkr · March 2008

On board computer has calculated 28.3 to 28.5 over 46,000 miles 90/10 highway/urban. I commute 90 miles round trip daily. Manual calculation thru the first 20K was 27.9 to 28.3.

Regards,
Kirk

erik10 · April 2008

Our 2006 325i Convertible with automatic transmission got 29.4mpg from Sarasota to mid-MI a few weeks ago. A 2 day trip running 70-80 mph most of the way fairly frequent food and rest stops.

davidd3 · April 2008

2006 330i A/T. 33.1mpg according to on-board computer for round-trip of 250 miles, almost all highway @ mostly 70mph.

gtom71 · June 2008

I've had my 325i and it has about 55k miles on it. Just recently drove from NYC to Boston. I got 28-30mpg on both legs of the trip w/ A/C use and a fully packed car. 2 kids/ 2 adults and luggage. I averaged probably around 75 touching 90 occasionally.

Usually I get 22-25 in the city driving between NJ, NYC and Long Island and Hwy around 27-30 depending on how spirited I drive. I've seen the computer hit 34mpg on a fresh tank and right onto the hwy, but only going about 60 on the flats. Usually can't stay like that for long.

Looking to get a 3 series convert, after I trade in the sedan for a minivan.

nopcbs · June 2008

2003 330i zhp 6-speed

Suburbanish-city driving: 19 mpg

Highway @ 65 mph on cruise: 34-35 mpg

Both on premium; regular does not seem to make much difference.

The city number is a little disappointing as my wife's RX330 does 17-18 mpg and it is a big lump.

Sure hope they start doing hybrids or importing manual shift diesels.

dmaccioc · November 2008

I have an '07 328i, auto, non-Sport. I live in the SF Bay Area and usually sit in a bunch of traffic, so I normally only average about 21-22mpg.

When my parents were visiting in September, they took my car down toward LA for an overnight stay. They got 36.8mpg on the way down!!! I did the math, and it's true. My dad said they filled up, got directly on the highway, set cruise at 70, and didn't hit any traffic. On the way back, they got 32mpg - I think partially because my mom drove for an hour and she didn't use cruise control.

Last week I had to go up to Sacramento for work (105 miles each way) and averaged 33mpg, setting cruise at 75 at some points. Very happy with the fuel economy!

Is there any particular reason why my car gets such good numbers?

kyfdx · August 2010

Started driving this to work.. for the last three weeks... Suburban interstate commute of 20 miles (17 on freeway)... plus errand running outside that..

1st tank.. 25.1
2nd tank... 25.9

Not bad for 235hp and 18" performance tires..

disco99 · August 2010

Not bad at all..Those are incredible averages. I think you meant "17" local..correct? I hope you're not just cruising at 50 MPH on the right lane on the freeway. (haha).

I just picked up a 330 xi(255 HP with 18's)...and my average over the first tank is 21..Great car to keep on the highway.

kyfdx · August 2010

17 of the 20 miles are freeway...

disco99 · August 2010

Oops...My goof.
Point well taken.

kyfdx · August 2010

27.2 mpg... Better mileage.. not as much fun...

edwardsf · October 2010

I have an '07 328iT, auto, non-Sport. I drive fast and love to accelerate onto freeways and in back roads but do try to coast up to urban and suburban stops.

Town - 20 mpg.
Highway - 75 mph - 29 mpg.

roadburner · October 2010

1975 2002 Slushbox w/ Weber 32/36 carb
City/Suburban: 20 mpg
70-75 mph cruise: 26 mpg
Note that the automatic is a three speed with a top gear ratio of 1:1 and it does not have a locking torque converter

shipo · October 2010

I thought you were going to convert the 2002 to a manual transmission. Whaddya waiting for; for me to come down there and help you?

roadburner · October 2010

I thought you were going to convert the 2002 to a manual transmission. Whaddya waiting for; for me to come down there and help you?

The engine and transmission only have 9000 miles on them and I currently have other higher priority uses for my hobby car budget. That said, the '02 is a sweet car; I could easily see running a 1973 tii with A/C and a 5 speed conversion for a daily driver- at least as long as there is no salt on the roads...

Mr_Shiftright · October 2010

What's really impressive is that you get good MPG with the Weber---usually, Weber conversions lead to disastrous MPG, but of course it depends on how skillfully you or the source you get them from, jets them up. Most Weber conversions I've run into are way over-jetted (for track use basically).

roadburner · October 2010

The 32/36 swap was a very popular conversion for the 2002, Bavaria, and 2800/3.0 CS Coupes. The hot Weber downdraft is the 38/38. A number of '02 guys run them, but you really need a Schrick cam to justify going that big- and then everyday driveability usually suffers. My car also has a Bosch Red coil and a Delta Mark 10B CD ignition system(remember those?), so I'm fairly sure that there's not much more fuel efficiency to be found...

kyfdx · October 2010

Don't quote me..

But, I think my '67 2000CS (with a '69 engine), had 40/40 Webers.. I was told they came off of a 911...

They were a little boggy starting out, but the car really came on late...

Fuel mileage? Who cares? It was 1985.... :P

Mr_Shiftright · October 2010

not likely...Webers from a 911 would be downdraft. Yours were probably 40 DCOE.

nephron · March 2011

Sorry folks, I have a 6 spd 2006 325xi with 58,000 miles on it and live in snow country. I would offer to you that I don't come close to some of these numbers. I will disclose that I:

a) do mostly city driving (75% or so)
b) reset my computer once a year
c) keep all service current and tires inflated properly

I am not a speed demon but I would say that I am an "enthusiastic" driver (why the hell else would you be driving a 3-series?!).

All told for the each of the last three years, I consistently have gotten 17 mpg. With babying and paying attention to fuel economy, perhaps I can get up to 19 mpg in the city but it's absolutely a hassle. Highway is more like 23.

If you guys really get these numbers then great. More power to you but I can say that I don't come close.

tturbo · November 2011

I drive a 2009 135i with a 3.0 twin turbo and a manual 6spd.

It's not a 3 series, but uses the same engine and drive line as the 335i.
I know have about 24K miles on it. I average 21-22MPG and that's pretty much year round in the Chicago area. I live in the suburban area and do not go to and drive to the city regularly. My commute is about 15 miles each way and it's about 50% steady highway, usually at 70mph.

Within a tank of gas I do drive it aggressively and will do a few fun enthusiastic drives.
Given the power of this car and the fact that I do use that power at times, 21-22mpg is not too bad.
Producing and using 300hp and 300lb ft of torque requires fuel.

I check my tire pressures regularly, and I do 41psi in the rear and 39psi in the front.
This is higher than the standard that BMW recommends for city driving. These pressures are in line with what BMW recommends for sustained high speed driving.
I use these pressures as they work for my 135i.

Make sure you check your air pressure regularly as it can change quite a bit from summer to winter and then back to summer. Roughly, a 10F degree results in 1psi of difference.
So, if you last checked your tires in warm early September and it was 80F, and it's now 40F, your pressure could be at least 4psi lower than it should be. That won't trigger your tire pressure sensor, but it will result in lower mpg. Combine that with oxygenated fuel for winter use, which is in pumps now for those areas that require that fuel, and your mpg could be 10% or more lower than it was during the warm months.

shipo · November 2011

Sorry nephron,

Both my 328i and my 530i (5-Speed manual models) never-ever got worse than 22 miles per gallon for a single tank of fuel in New York City metro traiffic. The flip side is that both cars were easily able to return low to mid thirties on longer trips.

I submit to you that there is something very wrong with your car.

steveaccord · January 2012

I do believe what you say. I have a 2008 335xi and I noticed that in city traffic when driven in automatic (basically a stop sign at every intersection in the uber regular grid of Chicago south side) the car would scantily make it to 15 mpg. On the 36k+ miles run up to now the overall mileage I am getting is 21 mpg. It could definitely be better but I tend to drive highway miles at rather sustained speed (and use the manual transmission mode). Using the option of actual estimation of MPG while driving I tend to get a 21 mpg estimate on highway at around 2400 to 2700 rpm depending on the incline of the road. Overall I am satisfied since all the numbers come down to mean a full tank a week for me anyway.

mmejia · March 2012

I drive a 2007 328i coupe, auto transmission. I am getting 25.5 avg mpg driving in the city and highway. When I was do lots of city driving it was 24. I am very happy. Has 65000 miles on it now.
Thanks for reading.

mrmichaelwill · June 2016

mrmichaelwill said:
Which model is that?

So far the posts here where 325i/328i/330i with mpg 20 to 30 average depending on city or highway use.

I am currently pondering replacing my old battered 1997 Geo Prism with a nice 3-series BMW, but I am so used to getting 30mpg out of driving 15% city 85% highway without having to limit my desire for speed in any way (read: above 80 where traffic permits) that I wonder how much worse it would be with the stronger, newer and more expensive car... I don't want to be stuck behind hybrids just to be fuel efficient ;-)

Fast forward to 2015 - replacing Volkswagen Jetta with Volkswagen eGolf, 100% electric getting about 90 miles of range, considered it our secondary car with the honda odyssey being the primary car, because of limited range of the eGolf. Turns out its so much more fun to drive than a gas car and that 90 mile range per day are enough in 99% of all cases that we use it as our primary car and fight over who gets to drive it. 'I go more far so we save more gas' - my wife wins more often than I do.

Fast forward to May 2016 - replacing Honda Odyssey with Tesla Model X 90D, yay ! We put 20500 miles on the eGolf since we got it January 2015, and will keep it as our short range convenient local car, and use the Model X especially for long distance trips, because of the comfortable seats, range, autopilot, mind blowing windshield views, and just overall awesomeness

Our household is now 100% electric cars, solar panels on roof provide enough energy to cover both cars and AC in the summer.

stever · June 2016

Nice - the payback period on my house is ~13 years and the numbers just didn't work out for us in our current circumstances (thinking of moving, etc.). The owner of one of the solar companies here has a dedicated panel just for his EV.

BMW 3-Series Real World MPG

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