BMW Canada's fuel economy ratings

[goldminer]

According to the BMW.ca website the fuel economy for the M3 is as set out below.

Fuel Consumption

City, man/auto (L/100km) 15.3/15.3
Combined, man/auto (L/100km) 12.8/12.9
Highway, man/auto (L/100km) 9.7/9.9


This says that the 6MT gets slightly better fuel economy than the 7-speed M-DCT equipped car. However, the BMW international website says that the M-DCT gets better fuel economy than the 6MT. The press release for the new transmission in January also said that M-DCT "reduces fuel consumption by a significant margin".

What gives? I have a question submitted to BMW right now on the matter.

[brainspotter]

I really don't think that there should be any difference between the two in city driving as the majority of fuel is used starting/stopping and idling. It does seem strange that they have "auto" AKA DCT as poorer on the highway..but it would not be unusual for the Canadian site to be wrong - it took them months to list the car on the site even though it was available.

[goldminer]

Originally Posted by goldminer

According to the BMW.ca website the fuel economy for the M3 is as set out below.

Fuel Consumption

City, man/auto (L/100km) 15.3/15.3
Combined, man/auto (L/100km) 12.8/12.9
Highway, man/auto (L/100km) 9.7/9.9


This says that the 6MT gets slightly better fuel economy than the 7-speed M-DCT equipped car. However, the BMW international website says that the M-DCT gets better fuel economy than the 6MT. The press release for the new transmission in January also said that M-DCT "reduces fuel consumption by a significant margin".

What gives? I have a question submitted to BMW right now on the matter.

Well BMW Canada finally replied to me with what seems to be a non-sensical answer. Yes the M-DCT is more efficient but it actually gets worse gas mileage and I shouldn't compare North American automatics with European ones. Here is their response exactly with the names removed to protect the innocent and guilty.

Originally Posted by BMW Canada

Dear Mr. *******:

Thank you for contacting BMW Canada.

Please note that European tests to determine fuel economy differ from those in North America. The M-DCT transmission is more efficient however the numbers should be compared to an automatic transmission within the same market.

Sincerely,
*****
Customer Interaction Specialist
BMW Canada

Is it just me or does this make no sense at all. I wish I could meet a CA or a support specialist who actually knew something about the cars they sell.

[schnell325]

Seems about right for the 6 spd on cruise at the speed limit on the highway.....only tested it once though

[goldminer]

Originally Posted by schnell325

Seems about right for the 6 spd on cruise at the speed limit on the highway.....only tested it once though

I think that you may have misunderstood. I wasn't really asking whether the presented mileage looked reasonable but rather why is the M-DCT presented as being worse than the 6MT. BMW's head office claims the M-DCT car gets better mileage than the 6MT.

[goldminer]

Well I finally got hold of someone at BMW Canada who could provide a reasonable explanation. Here is the text of an e-mail which I received.

Originally Posted by BMW Canada

Dear Mr. Xxxxx:

Thank you for contacting BMW Canada. While ECE driving cycle and EPA fuel economies will always vary due to differences in the tests and fuels, the M-DCT transmission is more fuel efficient than a 6MT when the more conservatives modes are selected. When the M-DCT is in a max performance mode, it is less fuel efficent that the 6MT. The Canadian numbers represent an average of these two figures.

Sincerely,
Xxxxx
Customer Interaction Specialist
BMW Canada

[shagkie]

Hi guys,

Did anyone manage to get the 15.3 L/100km or the 12.8 L/100km combined mileage from their car? So far I have 1300 Km on my car and there's no way I can bring it down to 15.3 unless I drive like a grandma. I drive pretty normal and conservative most of the time but I'm getting 16.1 L/100Km right now and it's in the breakin period so I don't go over 5K revs.

[darkseid2k]

Originally Posted by shagkie

Hi guys,

Did anyone manage to get the 15.3 L/100km or the 12.8 L/100km combined mileage from their car? So far I have 1300 Km on my car and there's no way I can bring it down to 15.3 unless I drive like a grandma. I drive pretty normal and conservative most of the time but I'm getting 16.1 L/100Km right now and it's in the breakin period so I don't go over 5K revs.

I'm in the breakin period currently as well, roughly around 1200km on the car at present and on my 3rd tank of gas. I'm currently averaging 12.9L/100 KM which is pretty surprising. About 70% of that is on the highway at present but it's not as thirsty as I thought it would be. I believe that after the 2000km service it should get a bit better as well (as well it should get even better in the summer). Typically I'm between 120-140km/h on the highway easily (in the torque range) as I'm trying to use the rev range (below 5500K) as much as possible during breakin.

All-in-all.. satisfied for a V8.

[Vise]

Still in the break in period as well... got about 1700kms on my car and have filled it up 4 times so far. For each full tank I've averaged anywhere from 16.5L/100kms (all city, driving hard) to 13.2L/100kms (mostly highway, driving hard). On long highway trips I've averaged under 12L/100kms so pleasantly surprised... but man does the fuel economy ever take a hit when driving hard in the city.

[Jimmer]

I am well out of my break-in period (15000km, bought car Oct). I live approx 15min outside Calgary so drive that part highway and then the rest is city. On slippery days I'm in auto mode in the slowest shift setting. If it's not slippery I'm in S mode no lower then 3rd shift setting (usually 4th). I'm currently sitting at 12.0L/100KM. When there is many slippery days in a row and I'm living in auto it can get to 11.6L/100KM.

[Vise]

My first tank after break in was 15.6L/100kms... ouch!

[Edman951]

i run around 14.8 to 15.0 on my 6mt with 5500km
But i still reving it alot, so economy average is high

[syncros]

I'm at average 15L on my E92 6MT with almost 5000Km. Mostly highway crusing at 130Km/h with quick accelerations in city. Not bad for this car I find.

[sparkyg]

Originally Posted by shagkie

Hi guys,

Did anyone manage to get the 15.3 L/100km or the 12.8 L/100km combined mileage from their car? So far I have 1300 Km on my car and there's no way I can bring it down to 15.3 unless I drive like a grandma. I drive pretty normal and conservative most of the time but I'm getting 16.1 L/100Km right now and it's in the breakin period so I don't go over 5K revs.

I am at 3500 km and I am getting about the same as the posted so no problems here.

The engine will burn more fuel in winter than in summer too so keep that in mind.