N52 3L mpg

T

Theog

Member
Kent
Evening all

For those that dont know i bought a z4 a week and a bit ago. Amongst a number of things im trying to figure out the mpg and how it changes according to how hard you push it.

Prior to this i had a 1.9 tdi (seat ibiza fr with ~165 bhp). If you drove at 60 mph you could get 87mpg. At 70mph you could get around 60mpg. Overall with country driving mixed with fast and motorway it was an average of 50mpg. Very rare to get below 50 though.

As mentioned above, pushing hard and moderate driving produce very different mpgs.

What i dont understand is no matter what driving style i do, i almost always get ~29mpg for my 2007 3L si sport. So what is the score, why is it so stable regardless of driving style? Or am i missing something?

Thanks

T
 
Does the displayed mpg vary at all? Have you tried long-pressing the button at the end of the stalk to reset it? It might just be a very long term average.
 
As mrpt says, the trip computer needs resetting often to display more quickly changes to consumption.
I use my si most days & get mid 30's commuting, nearer 40 cruising on the motorway and high twenties if I enjoy the engine a bit more.
Very good for what they are imho
Rob
 
You need to stop driving it like your grandad. The go faster pedal is the one on the right! :rofl:

I usually average around 25mpg on mine and that's mostly town driving.

Highest mpg has been 37.7mpg on the motorway. Last week it was around 31mpg.

It does need a service in the next couple of weeks though.

Reset it and see how it goes.

Do this too... http://www.z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=195

And also reset the readings via the stalk and see how it changes with each tank of petrol.

I reset mine when filling the tank to make sure there's no sudden drop in mpg.
 
Ok there you go that maybe the issue!

I have read a few things (e.g about cruise control) where things reset on turn off but i didnt know you had to reset the mpg with the push of the control button to reset the average. Will give this a go tomorrow.

I tired working out the average mph from amount of petrol used today. Turned out to be 31mpg (mix of very hard driving and a lot of cruising on motorway). So very near the predicted amount on the computer. Therefore i thought what it was saying was near to accurate.

Will give this a look tomorrow with the reset and will report back! ;)
 
skelters said:
I usually average around 25mpg on mine and that's mostly town driving.
Click to expand...

Thank God you've said this! With the amount of people on here talking about getting mid 30's from their cars, I was beginning to worry that there was something wrong with mine. I drive from Harrogate to Bradford every day with mainly town driving conditions (traffic) and I get about 26 if I drive with the occasional heavy foot, 28ish if I drive sensibly and 30/31 if I drive like my dad AND there isn't too much traffic!

I'd love to know how you other guys are getting mid 30's. Do you get into 5th/6th gear asap and accelerate gradually or is there something else you're doing differently?
 
Anticipation and smoothness :P

Lower revs don't equal lower fuel consumption, you want the car running at the lowest RPM but still in the torque band. All other things being equal fuel consumption is proportional to throttle opening. Too high a gear and you need more throttle for the same speed.
 
Scooba_Steve said:
Anticipation and smoothness :P

Lower revs don't equal lower fuel consumption, you want the car running at the lowest RPM but still in the torque band. All other things being equal fuel consumption is proportional to throttle opening. Too high a gear and you need more throttle for the same speed.
Click to expand...

Can you put that into a real world example mate? I think I get what you're saying but not 100%.

Better to keep the revs up at 2500/3000 RPM in 3rd gear at 30mph rather than labouring the engine at 1300 RPM in 6th gear?
 
Garibo said:
Thank God you've said this! With the amount of people on here talking about getting mid 30's from their cars, I was beginning to worry that there was something wrong with mine. I drive from Harrogate to Bradford every day with mainly town driving conditions (traffic) and I get about 26 if I drive with the occasional heavy foot, 28ish if I drive sensibly and 30/31 if I drive like my dad AND there isn't too much traffic!

I'd love to know how you other guys are getting mid 30's. Do you get into 5th/6th gear asap and accelerate gradually or is there something else you're doing differently?
Click to expand...

It does need serviced which may improve the mpg but I doubt it.

Still better than the guy at work with the TVR Tuscan though. Think his is around 19mpg on a good day. That's when it's not crashing itself, trying to kill people, turning itself into a transformer, broken down or on fire!
 
skelters said:
Still better than the guy at work with the TVR Tuscan though. Think his is around 19mpg on a good day. That's when it's not crashing itself, trying to kill people, turning itself into a transformer, broken down or on fire!
Click to expand...

:rofl: :rofl: :thumbsup:
 
Garibo said:
Scooba_Steve said:
Anticipation and smoothness :P

Lower revs don't equal lower fuel consumption, you want the car running at the lowest RPM but still in the torque band. All other things being equal fuel consumption is proportional to throttle opening. Too high a gear and you need more throttle for the same speed.
Click to expand...

Can you put that into a real world example mate? I think I get what you're saying but not 100%.

Better to keep the revs up at 2500/3000 RPM in 3rd gear at 30mph rather than labouring the engine at 1300 RPM in 6th gear?
Click to expand...

That's the idea. The best bit of advice I was ever given is that every time you brake it uses fuel. Took me a while to realise that was indirectly as you have to use power to get back up to speed. Come off the gas early, avoid braking and you'll use less fuel. There's not a lot of point hooning it around town, the only place it gets you to faster is the filling station!
 
You know what, as stupid as it sounds, that is probably the best advice I've received so far!

I know this, everyone knows it from when they learn to drive but it does help to have it explained so simply like that!

I'll give that a go tomorrow on my way to work and see how it goes.

Cheers buddy! If you have any more tips, chuck em over!
 
Your figures are all meaningless without the actual speed that you drive at.

What is 'Motorway speed'? For me its's 80 mph! ( but don't tell the old bill!)
 
Garibo said:
Better to keep the revs up at 2500/3000 RPM in 3rd gear at 30mph rather than labouring the engine at 1300 RPM in 6th gear?
Click to expand...
1,300rpm is more than enough for the 3.0si so sixth is fine at 30mph. May need 5th on a moderate hill or less for very steep ones.
 
Mine is the 3.0i and I can get as much a 42mpg on a good long steady run but thats boring lol
It is usually showing between 33 and 35 but on my track day last week I managed to get it down to 11.8 :D :driving:
 
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