Many tankfuls of premium unleaded have come and gone in the life of our long-term BMW X5 since we last reported its fuel economy.
Our lifetime average is now 15.7 mpg. Before this update, it had been 15.9. Before that it was 16.6. I feel a trend.
The farthest traveled on one tank was recorded by Karl Brauer back in May: 364 miles (during which he got 17.5 mpg).
We've managed a couple tanks in the mid-18s, and a couple way down in the 10-11 mpg range.
Someone even pushed the fuel envelope once and waited until the 22.5 gallon tank only had .398 gallons left in it to mosey on over to the gas station. It wasn't me. I swear.
Bryn MacKinnon, Senior Editor, Edmunds.com @ 16,825 miles
ibognar says:
04:53 PM, 09/23/08
When I see these fuel economy updates, particularly the "suprisingly low" ones, I always wonder what type of gas is going in the car.
It's getting harder and harder to find pure gas around here. I have a list of stations I go to. Most now carry E-90 (10% Ethanol) which extracts a 15-20% fuel economy penalty.
What are you fueling the LT test cars with?
slickersdrip says:
07:13 PM, 09/23/08
I'd guess they were using premium unleaded, as Bryn said that they had many tankfuls of premium unleaded. I'm probably biased as I'm in Texas and expect a 93 octane of just real gas, though.
I'll never understand why Edmunds bought the X5. It is of no interest to any car enthusiast that I know (and is more of an iconoclast of sorts), and unlike realistic cars (such as the CX-9, Aura, or Fit) it also manages to be out of the price range of most readers. It's like the unnecessary aftermarket brakes of automobiles. At least Inside Line wouldn't ever invest in something like that...
altimadude00 says:
09:44 PM, 09/23/08
". . .it also manages to be out of the price range of most readers."
While that statement does represent me, it doesn't necessarily represent the readership as a whole. The same could be said for a majority of the vehicles in their long term garage.
sgude says:
04:45 AM, 09/24/08
I HATE E-90. I get at least two mpg less on it in my 325i than on real gas. Uhhh -- just what is the benefit?
1487 says:
05:48 AM, 09/24/08
I forgot this vehicle was in the fleet. If it's not called M3 or GTR I dont want to read about it!