2008 BMW 135i: Mileage Update

The coupe is amazing. I only drove the 128i, but I couldn't imagine needing any more power. I have never driven a car that felt so confident at 100 mph, especially when it only felt like 40. This was the first beemer I've ever driven, and can now understand why they are always the bar to beat.
 
BMW hands down as some of the best engineers of any automaker, and I hope I can be a part of that when I graduate. :)

BMWs are wonderful vehicles that consume large quantities of gas and tire rubber. Get used to it!

My 330i gets 23mpg in the city and 30-ish on the freeway. And I live in LA.
Of course I had to drop it off this morning to get a love tap from a neighbour repaired. His insurance provided me with a new Chevy Cobalt. Oh...my...gawd. My 2003 Wrangler with 60K miles has better steering. I kid you not.

I get 22 mpg in almost all city driving. I'd say that's not bad for a 300 hp rocket that can hit 60 in 4.8 secs!
 
Desmo, is your 330i a Step or a stick?

Wow Ed, you're averaging about what i average in the legacy. we all have to admit, we're not the most conservative drivers around. i floor it when i have open road or when i have to get around people so i can GET to said open road- which usually means that i'm flooring it 90% of the time. that $5.09/gal gas might deter me... eventually...

That's not bad mileage at all. If only it took regular gas though... Automakers need to start remapping for regular fuel in light of these gas prices- at least for naturally aspirated engines. We all know turbos need premium because of the increased combustion temperatures.

I average 20mpg in my 330i (6-speed) in city driving, so the figure doesn't surprise me at all. I'd be curious how much highway driving went into it. My highway mileage is anywhere from 27-30 depending on how much time I'm trying to make up.

I had a 1997 328i sport package for about 40,000 miles over which it averaged 28.5 mpg on premium, which I thought was reasonable. City driving never fell below 24mpg. That car had plenty of real-world power and speed (too many tickets kind of speed), but obviously not twin-turbo 300hp. Still, the 135i is a thirsty beast.

How does this mileage compare to the E46 M3's? Similar horsepower, and I'm wondering if BMW's recent turbo strategy is really garnering any fuel economy benefits versus N.A. engines.

My wife's X3 2.5 gets pretty good mileage for a truck- 18-21 mpg around town and 25 mpg at an 80 mph cruise. That last number was obtained with four people on board and a full cargo hold.

bimmerjay my 330i is a stick.

Regular gas... on a turbocharged engine? It's pointless to even have the turbo(s) if you're going to degrade the performance by making it run on 87.

"Regular gas... on a turbocharged engine? It's pointless to even have the turbo(s) if you're going to degrade the performance by making it run on 87."
 
Direct injection can solve this problem so it is not pointless. DI lowers the cylinder temperatures enough to enable a high compression ratio while using regular fuel (ie GM's 3.6L DI). Pressurizing the intake charge with a turbo brings the temperature back up forcing you to revert right back to premium. However, if the compression ratio was stepped down a few notches, you could theorhetically run it on 87.

You wouldn't make the same power, it's pointless, get a N/A engine that will run on regular. The price difference is 20cents per gallon, if you can't afford 20 cents per gallon get something else, like a Rio.

The only thing pointless are your ridiculous posts and the utter lack of intelligence you possess. Are you not aware that GM is preparing a 1.4L DI turbo four cylinder ? They will also be introducing a version of the 2.0L DI turbo for the mainstream sedans and possibly the Camaro as it makes the same power as the port injected 3.6L HF V6 but with better economy. What's the sense in selling a high performance, highly economical engine if it sucks down premium? If you weren't so short sighted, you would be able to anticipate a trend that will begin to take place- n/a engines will begin to be replaced with smaller displacement DI turbo engines that deliver the same performance with greater economy. Also, premium is more like $.25-30 higher than regular now a days. With gas prices increasing, people aren't going to want to make this compromise any long- you will see.

"You wouldn't make the same power, it's pointless, get a N/A engine that will run on regular. The price difference is 20cents per gallon, if you can't afford 20 cents per gallon get something else, like a Rio."
 
I agree 100% I look at it this way:
If I drive 15000 miles per year and average 28 mpg-as my Mazdaspeed work beater does-I'll use 536 gallons of fuel. If premium is 25 cents more than regular the difference in cost will be $134. That's a whole 37 cents per day. I'd say that if you are worrying about 37 cents you should probably get a Razor Scooter...