C280 - 16.8mpg !!

[FF99]

My 2 year old (newly acquired) 2008 W204 C280 (14,700 miles) is showing around 16.8MPG for Central London driving. Not particularly bad traffic, just the usual daily commute in from a nearby suburb. On occasion a journey might rise to 18 - 19 MPG. Average speed on these journeys is a pathetic 12 - 14 MPH

This seems atrocious, even for London driving.

This information is all taken from the on-board computer, as I have not yet done enough broadly similar mileage between tank fills to work out 'real consumption' How reliable are the consumption figures the computer provides ? It has some odd readings when set to show just the consumption slider bar, oscilating wildly and often rising to 80MPG wihlst moving, and rising to 60MPG after pulling off from the lights, and then sliiping back to something more modest.

It is going back to the dealers in the near future for a couple of cosmetic issues. Should I be complaining about the consumption, or is this not abnormal ? If I complain what should I be asking them to do ???

 

[st4]

About right I'd say for city driving. What did your old BMW achieve?

For the MPG bar to move this will be when your foot is off the go pedal the car will say its doing 80mpg plus as an infatesimally small amount of fuel is being used but the car is moving.

 

[FF99]

About right I'd say for city driving. What did your old BMW achieve?

For the MPG bar to move this will be when your foot is off the go pedal the car will say its doing 80mpg plus as an infatesimally small amount of fuel is being used but the car is moving.

My 1999 523 did around 19MPG, but everyone (the dealers !!) kept telling me how much more fuel efficient the newer engines are.

If this is about correct, what do the published urban average consumption figures relate to ??

 

[wemorgan]

My 1999 523 did around 19MPG, but everyone (the dealers !!) kept telling me how much more fuel efficient the newer engines are.

If this is about correct, what do the published urban average consumption figures relate to ??

Here are details of the test:

VCAcarfueldata.org.uk - Fuel Consumption Testing Scheme

 

[st4]

My 1999 523 did around 19MPG, but everyone (the dealers !!) kept telling me how much more fuel efficient the newer engines are.

If this is about correct, what do the published urban average consumption figures relate to ??

They lied. A large petrol automatic car, city traffic, ain't gonna be good. I had an X5 4.4i and that would be about 7mpg in stop start. Thats not too bad. Give it a run on the motorway and will get to 30mpg and beyond. Remember, its still a new tight engine, needs time to bed in.

All the published figures are gained in the lab, not the real world.

 

[NormanC]

The published urban figures relate to a totally artificial test conducted on a rolling road. They bear little to no relation to the consumption you may achieve in real life.

The only use they have is to give some sort of comparison between different models of cars as all cars have to complete the identical cycle on the rolling road.

 

[FF99]

They lied. A large petrol automatic car, city traffic, ain't gonna be good. I had an X5 4.4i and that would be about 7mpg in stop start. Thats not too bad. Give it a run on the motorway and will get to 30mpg and beyond. Remember, its still a new tight engine, needs time to bed in.

All the published figures are gained in the lab, not the real world.

Its not that new ! 2 years and 14.5k miles on ....

I certainly did not expect the published figures but less than my old car is rather disappointing !

I know it is what it is, but does everyone reckon the computer is actually accurate ?

 

[NormanC]

Put very simplistically the c280 engine is 20% bigger than your old 523. Even if it is 15% more fuel efficient it's likely to have worse consumption.

 

[FF99]

I did manage to get a run of a few hundred yards today at 30MPH with my foot very gently but consistently down on the pedal (no mean feat in London !) and the sliding consumption bar graph seemed to range upwards and downwards in the 40 - 60MPG range. How is that ?

 

[Alfie]

My 2 year old (newly acquired) 2008 W204 C280 (14,700 miles) is showing around 16.8MPG for Central London driving. Not particularly bad traffic, just the usual daily commute in from a nearby suburb. On occasion a journey might rise to 18 - 19 MPG. Average speed on these journeys is a pathetic 12 - 14 MPH

This seems atrocious, even for London driving.

This information is all taken from the on-board computer, as I have not yet done enough broadly similar mileage between tank fills to work out 'real consumption' How reliable are the consumption figures the computer provides ? It has some odd readings when set to show just the consumption slider bar, oscilating wildly and often rising to 80MPG wihlst moving, and rising to 60MPG after pulling off from the lights, and then sliiping back to something more modest.

It is going back to the dealers in the near future for a couple of cosmetic issues. Should I be complaining about the consumption, or is this not abnormal ? If I complain what should I be asking them to do ???

I am getting 16 - 18mpg in town from my C55! This morning though I got 20mpg which was great. I would have thought you would do a bit better than mine!

 

[st4]

I am getting 16 - 18mpg in town from my C55! This morning though I got 20mpg which was great. I would have thought you would do a bit better than mine!

Is that in London city traffic?

A petrol V6 is usually 1-2mpg off its petrol v8 counter part.

 

[renault12ts]

I was tootling about town this morning. The "since start" figure was 20 mpg for 7 miles completed. Don't drive in town.

 

[Adam230K]

I am getting 16 - 18mpg in town from my C55! This morning though I got 20mpg which was great. I would have thought you would do a bit better than mine!

Congrats on the car! must have missed it

As for this thread, 16mpg from a c280 in town is ludacris. I was achieving that in town from a 540i, and sometimes better if i was very light footed!

Get some codes read and see if something's going on. I guess a 6cyl car can get that bad if you are hoofing it around town... but i've never had a 6cyl car so I wouldn't know.

 

[Alfie]

Is that in London city traffic?

A petrol V6 is usually 1-2mpg off its petrol v8 counter part.

Nope its an 8 mile drive in rush hour between Woking -> Knaphill(Homebase) and back. Negotiating the school crossings and all the commuters

 

[FF99]

Get some codes read and see if something's going on. I guess a 6cyl car can get that bad if you are hoofing it around town... but i've never had a 6cyl car so I wouldn't know.

It is true that I am not a very gentle driver, but then I am not that heavy footed either. Now that I have all the different displays, I am going to try and improve my driving habits !

Can you elaborate on the suggestion to get some codes read ? Presumaby the dealer will do this when it goes to them, back but I would like to know exactly what I should be asking them to do / tell me.

 

[iscaboy]

It is true that I am not a very gentle driver, but then I am not that heavy footed either. Now that I have all the different displays, I am going to try and improve my driving habits !

Can you elaborate on the suggestion to get some codes read ? Presumaby the dealer will do this when it goes to them, back but I would like to know exactly what I should be asking them to do / tell me.

In city traffic, you never, ever, ever, ever, need more than 1,500 RPM, this is as true of an auto box as a manual. Braking should be equally light and gentle.

Now re-define your "not that heavy footed" in the light of the above.... I suspect I could drive your car on the same route, make the same schedule, and get as a minimum 50% more mpg, maybe even 100% more.

 

[FF99]

In city traffic, you never, ever, ever, ever, need more than 1,500 RPM, this is as true of an auto box as a manual. Braking should be equally light and gentle.

Now re-define your "not that heavy footed" in the light of the above.... I suspect I could drive your car on the same route, make the same schedule, and get as a minimum 50% more mpg, maybe even 100% more.

I never watch the rev counter, but am now going to rise to this challenge and see if I can't improve on the MPG, although I would challenge you to get over 33 MPG when travelling stop / go at 12 MPH

BTW, does anyone have access to a 2008 brochure which has the published C280 MPG figures in it ?

Speaking also of RPM, when the car is started from cold, the engine rises to something like 1,200 for a few seconds (long enough to be clearly noticeable), before dropping back. Is that how it should be ?

 

[iscaboy]

I never watch the rev counter, but am now going to rise to this challenge and see if I can't improve on the MPG, although I would challenge you to get over 33 MPG when travelling stop / go at 12 MPH

Actually, you'd be amazed what you can get out of an ordinary car.

years ago I bought the (now ex) wife a mint mk3 cortina, she hated it and said it was weedy and underpowered and drank too much fuel... (she wanted a porsche /audi 924)

to prove a point I got in the driver's seat, tucked my right foot under the front of the seat, and put my left foot over the clutch.

using nothing more than the "tickover" throttle opening we pulled away (no, not a flat road or downhill by any means, it was actually uphill) and progressed through the gears, using only the clutch pedal and when needed the brake pedal.

at times we were in top gear.

10 minutes later we arrived at her place of work, manoeuvred around the car park, and parked in her space, still having not once touched the accelerator.

instead of the 20 mpg she was getting out of the 1600 lump, that journey was nearer 50+

While I would not advocate driving down the M5 at 500 rpm in top gear, having a genuinely light foot, light braking, driving SMOOOOOOOTH, will utterly transform your mpg while not making any real difference to overall journey time...

if you are prepared to sacrifice some journey time, sticking to a STEADY 60 mph on the motorway in preference to constant speed changes around a mean of 80 mph will also make VAST differences to your motorway mpg.

In town I basically don't get above 1500 rpm, except for maybe 2 or three seconds to 1700 here and there due to the road etc, manual or automatic, english french or german car

going from A to B I don't get above 3000 rpm, usually being around 2500/2700, manual or auto, eng, fr, or ger car.

I suspect I'm getting IRO 30/35 around town with my 300d, not a light car. Getting 45/50 on a run.

SMOOOOOOTH is the secret.

Smooth is fast.

"Fast" is slow.

"Fast" is poor mpg and brake and tyre life

"Fast" is not relaxing

 

[Simon_M]

My CLK280 (W209) is about that, very poor.

 

[BaldGuy]

I dont look in either car!!