Just before Christmas I got a brand new 3 series diesel touring. It's great, though the MPG I get seems a little disappointing compared with what I expected.
The thing had no go at all when new, and got considerably better after it had done 500 miles. Its now done 3000 miles and although going better, and I have run it in along HJ's suggestions, the MPG is little different.
It seems to average out at 41-42 in normal driving around. This is a mix with very little town driving, mostly runs of 15-40 miles in the country.
On a long trip to Scotland and back at New Year it managed 44 MPG.
My friend has a VW Bora 115 BHP that cannot be made to go under 50 MPG however it's driven.
Is mine still tight? If so how long should I expect to wait for it to loosen up?
Or is mine worse than usual?
I'd read reports of people getting in the 50s before I got mine.
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Apparantly it can take up to 15,000 miles for the engine to be fully bedded in.
The Bora is smaller, lighter and less powerful than the BMW so you should expect better economy in the VW.
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Espada III - well if you have a family and need a Lamborghini, what else do you drive?
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The Bora is smaller, lighter and less powerful than the BMW so you should expect better economy in the VW.
Just because it is less powerful it does not mean that it will be more economical, less powerful engines have to be worked harder.
Assuming it is a 320d it should do approx 48-50mpg on a run though 44 is not bad if it a mix of commuting through traffic. using the performance on back roads etc. However if it is a 330d 44mpg is good.
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I forgot to say, its a 320d. I was expecting 48-50 on a run and actually got 44. In more mixed driving its around 41-42. I did a careful run over 35 miles the other day oand it managed 46, but I was very lightfooted. I did a brim to brim to check the trip computer and it's accurate within 0.5 MPG.
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As already mentioned if you are running your car in sensibly along H.J`s guidelines, it will take up to 15k before the engine is fully loosened up and performing at its optimum.
Local economy depends very much on your local terrain, i.e. number of hills and traffic density and the ability to utilise 5th gear to the optimum. My 320d Touring manages the same as yours (41 -42) locally, but I live in Cornwall with plenty of steep hills and not too much scope to maximise 5th gear. The best I have achieved on a 330 mile journey on mainly motorway conditions at 80 mph cruise is 49 mpg. From my experience to exceed 50 mpg you will need an extremely light foot, but it certainly will be achievable once your engine is fully run in.
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It will bed in. Trust me. I am on my fourth new BMW diesel they take a while to settle in. It is easy to get the MPG down by "enthusiastic" driving !
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I've done approx. 16,000 miles in a 320td (6-speed box)with overall average 49.5 mpg, never dropped below 48.5 overall. Rural situation with some low-gear mountain climbing. Recent 600 mile trip at 52.9 mpg. Extra weight of Tourer would account for say 5-10% off these figures
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I guess it's all too easy to take advantage of the lovely drivability of these cars and so wreck the mpg. I've not got it below 40 which is pretty good considering the performance that it has. A ST200 Mondeo driver the other day was quite surprised I could keep right up with him.
Am looking forward to when it beds in. I was thinking of getting an extra oil change in (service indicator says around 18K miles) along HJ's recommendations but maybe it will bed in quicker if I leave it as is and do the extra oil changes once the first service has been done at the normal interval.
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Manual or auto? I had an auto 320TD SE Compact and accepted that the MPG was significantly less than the manual. However, the best I ever did was on a French motorway, Normandy (no hills)free flowing, little traffic. Got within hairs breadth of 50mpg doing 80mph.
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I have been running a Y reg manual 320d with 70k on the clock for over 12months. I have found I can get in the high 40's on general motoring but 50 plus on the limited motorway driving that I do.
Remember asking sales rep when I bought it was 50mpg overall possible.The surprisingly honest answer I got was it pretty unlikely!!
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When i spoke too bmw about a 3 series (bought a vw golf in the end)they were very honest and showed me plenty of respect!! it was a pleasure talking to the dealer?(made me feel guilty that i left without buying ordering a car!!!(spoke to some dealers that seemed like they wanted to get home for there tea,Ford,mercedes)i will be going back to taylors(boston)if im in the market for a bmw again!!!!
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I found that I was averaging 44-50 MPG in my Xsara (1.9TD) on motorways at about 80MPH, but when it came to driving around B-roads in Devon (lots of hills) and working it a lot harded my MPG actually went up to to 55.
Also, try using the Shell Diesel Extra (same price or cheaper as normal diesel, but stuffed full of detergents and a higher cetane rating). I started using it a month ago and the car is considerable quieter at cruising speeds - the only thing I can hear is the whistle of the turbo at 3000RPM. It now starts with no spluttering and pulls a lot more easily in 4th and 5th gear from low revs.
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Hi, I have a 2 year old 320D that I have had since new and certainly after about 5000 miles it has always averaged 48... I got 51 one week but I drove myself mad pussyfooting about, that 48 is on "enthuastic" driving, tho my journey is 100 mile Mway return trip..tho that is the 25 I should add!
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Friends always seem to get better MPG, have better sex lives and get much better yields of wheat per acre.
Don't believe them.
I bet they can't even work out MPG. You know the thing, the tank was about half full and I did about 80 miles, and then I had a quarter in, so I must be doing 53 MPG.
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A/C on or off ? It makes a big (or certainly a noticable) difference.
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A/C on or off ? It makes a big (or certainly a noticable) difference.
My 48mph is with the A/C on, I leave it on constantly, methinks Richmonds beemer is not well, they are not usually noisy!
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My 48mph is with the A/C on, I leave it on constantly, methinks Richmonds beemer is not well, they are not usually noisy!
As I thought... My car sounds very similar to a transit (not an exaggeration). If you come on and off the throttle around 2000rpm it emits a very loud diesel sound and when driven to up to about 4000rpm sounds horrble - makes a loud ticking noise.
At low speeds (in town) passengers have commented on the noise - I've always found it odd how numerous motoring journalists describe it as the most refined in its class!
It confirms my suspicion that the dealer simply can't be bothered to investigate - this particular model came with 3 years free servicing and maintenance so they would have to fix it and it probably requires some "internal" investigation.
Thanks again for info
Rich
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I'm so glad I've found this forum - it confirms my suspicions.
My 2004 320D Tourer returns an average of 34mpg - 80-90% motorway driving (over 18K)
The dealer has plugged it into the diagnostics and it shows no faults.
I do not drive the vehicle hard but if driven only in town it returns just 26mpg - it also sounds like a transit van.
Does anyone have any suggestions of the cause or any pointers as to where to go next.
When the dealer returned the car they said it must be down to my driving style! as the computer noted no faults.
Where can I take it from here - I have a 28 grand car that is unpleasantly noisy and eats fuel - I calculate that over 18K I have used at least £500 of fuel more than necessary. It should be returning at least 49mpg according to the type of driving I do. With the air con turned off and a ridiculously light right foot I can get 38mpg at 60mph. Surely there is a problem.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated as the dealer seems less than interested. "The computer says no".
Cheers
Rich
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All I will say is forget Man recommended..Check out what the weather is going to be..Has more an effect than. well work it out for yourself...
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Steve
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Does the dealer have another one of similar mileage that you could try?. If they both give the same result then you can be reasonably sure that there is nothing "wrong" with your car. Doesn't help your situation though.
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I'd find yourself a new dealer, or a good specialist in your area.
The problem with computers is that everybody forgets that they're designed by humans, and they think that if there was something wrong with the computer, it'd tell us exactly what. But what if there was a problem with the computer its programmers didn't tell it about?
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>>>Where can I take it from here - I have a 28 grand car that is unpleasantly noisy and eats fuel - I calculate that over 18K I have used at least £500 of fuel more than necessary. It should be returning at least 49mpg according to the type of driving I do. With the air con turned off and a ridiculously light right foot I can get 38mpg at 60mph. Surely there is a problem.>>>
Richmond you did`nt mention whether your car is a manual or auto version, as the auto is approx 10% less efficient than the manual. Having said that there is no way that it should only be returning 38 mpg at 60 mph with the air con turned off.
I would most certainly switch to another main dealer for their appraisal, - what County do you live in as it would also be helpful for you to join one of the better BMW forums such as
www.bmwland.co.uk where you would gain the benefit of much helpful advice on good main dealerships in your area.
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Richmond - You could also check out this URL for BMW main dealership appraisals :-
www.unixnerd.demon.co.uk/garages_seng.html
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I tend to agree with you there is something wrong with your particular 320D?
I have a 330D and get around 45 to 47 mpg all the time.
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"Richmond you did`nt mention whether your car is a manual or auto version, as the auto is approx 10% less efficient than the manual. Having said that there is no way that it should only be returning 38 mpg at 60 mph with the air con turned off"
Thanks for all the advice - my car is a manual so spends most of its life in 6th!
Dude, thanks for the link to the garage appraisal site - I have been using a certain dealer in deleted and, well I'll let the quote speak for itself:
I have deleted the location and the quote about the dealer in question. If anyone wants to look up opinions on dealers, please use the appropiate link on this thread, but please do NOT repeat them here. Thanks - Hugo BR Moderator
I'm off somewhere else - I'll keep you posted.
Cheers
Rich
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Does your service interval indicator show a "debit" or "credit" in relation to your actual mileage? If it has a credit this would indicate "gentle" driving, and, therefore, if you are getting low mpg something is wrong.
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I ran a 330d (manual) for 90,000 miles and averaged 38mpg. If you're doign a lot of motorway miles at 80+ it hits the consumption pretty hard. I could manage mid 40s if I stayed below 65-ish.
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Similar to my MPG. All to easy to keep the "econometer" on the stop
(that's bad)
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