[22andcounting]

My 520d Auto has now completed 3500 miles on a diet of only shell v-power and is currently returning 46.7mpg. I am really disappointed at these numbers as 95% of its life is on the mway at 70-80mph and I always drive for economy. Previously I have always beaten BMW's numbers for 'combined' and usually achieved the numbers for extra urban - as my cars have a relaxed motorway cruising life with very little urban driving. As a test this week on my once a week commute from Sheffield to Slough i drove at 65mph on the M1 and M40 and 56mph on the A43, plus a very gentle 'tootle; into and out of Slough (approx 5 miles) the result? A massively disappointing 51.3mpg. As someone who managed to get 39.9mpg out of a 330i I am definately not happy with 46.7 from a 520d

[ben_e71]

Originally Posted by 22andcounting

My 520d Auto has now completed 3500 miles on a diet of only shell v-power and is currently returning 46.7mpg. I am really disappointed at these numbers as 95% of its life is on the mway at 70-80mph and I always drive for economy. Previously I have always beaten BMW's numbers for 'combined' and usually achieved the numbers for extra urban - as my cars have a relaxed motorway cruising life with very little urban driving. As a test this week on my once a week commute from Sheffield to Slough i drove at 65mph on the M1 and M40 and 56mph on the A43, plus a very gentle 'tootle; into and out of Slough (approx 5 miles) the result? A massively disappointing 51.3mpg. As someone who managed to get 39.9mpg out of a 330i I am definately not happy with 46.7 from a 520d

Do you have std auto? Std 17" wheels? Air-con on?

[stephen3rd]

When i took a 520d MSport with 19"s and normal Auto from my dealer for 24 hours i wanted to see what is was like with different types of driving.

First session was on B roads and kicking the arse out of the car and the car managed 43MPG. The next day was a relaxed A road run from Glasgow to Oban and back and i managed 53.3MPG.

When i returned the car to the dealer he didnt believe that i had managed that MPG until i showed him the screen. He said he had never seen that type of MPG in the new 5.

I was well impressed given that the car is almost 2 tonnes.

[Robin_NL]

So 51.3 MPG(UK) = 5.5068 litres/100km continental. For a 184PS 520d that doesn't sound bad at all imo.

My 535iA does combined after a year 10.7 litres/100km = 26.4 MPG(UK)
and that's fine with me, coming from a E90 M3 LOL everything is fine with me related to MPG and the size of that bloody M3 fueltank!

[22andcounting]

STD auto, 18" wheels, no Aircon, in the past had no problems achieving BMW figures, but miles away with this one, I used to get 48 out of my e60 3.0d, and I jumped into the 520d for better economy, given this and the problematic transmission I am far from happy this car is as it should be

[northernmonkey]

Originally Posted by 22andcounting

My 520d Auto has now completed 3500 miles on a diet of only shell v-power and is currently returning 46.7mpg. I am really disappointed at these numbers as 95% of its life is on the mway at 70-80mph and I always drive for economy. Previously I have always beaten BMW's numbers for 'combined' and usually achieved the numbers for extra urban - as my cars have a relaxed motorway cruising life with very little urban driving. As a test this week on my once a week commute from Sheffield to Slough i drove at 65mph on the M1 and M40 and 56mph on the A43, plus a very gentle 'tootle; into and out of Slough (approx 5 miles) the result? A massively disappointing 51.3mpg. As someone who managed to get 39.9mpg out of a 330i I am definately not happy with 46.7 from a 520d

39.9 from a 330i??? Combined? You must only drive downhill on your own with a tail wind I never got more than 26-27 out of mine and I don't drive hard at all.

I can't decide if I'm impressed or worried by your achievement

To save me looking what do BMW claim the combined 520d figure should be?

In my 530d I am getting 38 round own and 45-46 on the mway which I'm happy with though to be fair I don't pay much attention to it I just know it's better than my 330i because I visit the garage less, not really put any specific diesel in it gets anything.

Have you tried varying your fuel supplier? Sounds like you only use shell nowt wrong with that but I know in my 330i the odd time I put in the shell super unleaded it always felt like it just evaporated out of tank I swear they put stuff in their fuel that does this. Or it could be just playing tricks with me. Seriously though if you have only used one brand wouldn't hurt to try another for a while just for hell of it see if there was any difference.

[22andcounting]

@northernmonkey, lol, my dealer calls me 'driving miss daisy' , 330i was an e90, did 42000 miles, i bet all but 2k on the m1/a43/m40 cruising, avg speed 46mph, mpg 39.9 on shell vpower only. was also a manual which makes a big difference.

Good idea to switch brands, sadly the shell station is 200 yds away and the nearest BP is blooming miles away.

[Robin_NL]

Originally Posted by 22andcounting

@northernmonkey, lol, my dealer calls me 'driving miss daisy' , 330i was an e90, did 42000 miles, i bet all but 2k on the m1/a43/m40 cruising, avg speed 46mph, mpg 39.9 on shell vpower only. was also a manual which makes a big difference.

Good idea to switch brands, sadly the shell station is 200 yds away and the nearest BP is blooming miles away.

I always prefer BP Ultimate 98(they do have Ultimate Diesel don't they?), luckily only 400 yards from where I live. Better performance and economy than Shell V Power(97?)

[22andcounting]

@robin hood, yep to BP ultimate, gonna search some out and try a diet of that for a couple ok k's

[k44ENT]

Are these figures off the OBC or have you worked them out? The computers are sometimes not all that accurate. I have tried mine on Shell Fuel saver (best for economy) , Shell V-power (makes it and my previous 520d rattle on light throttle). BP Ultimate (pretty good for economy and noise) and Esso (cheapest overall and the engine runs smooth)
Tend to run mine on Esso now and drive the car quite hard and i'm getting around 45mpg (20% town, 40% a-roads and 40% motorways). Mine is a sports auto with 17" wheels and the aircon makes little or no difference.

[golfcaddy]

On my run to work and back which is mainly motorway I have managed to squeeze just over 60 mpg from mine, according to the OBC. I've tested the OBC previously and it's reasonably accurate. That's a 42-mile trip door to door, in morning rush hour. I can be a pretty frugal driver and tend not to brake much, stay in the inside lane at around 60mph and try to drive smoothly without stop/starting or fast increases in speed.

Car is an F10 520d, one of the first models last year (July 2010). Now has 25,000 on the clock.
Standard 8-spd Auto, VDC set to Comfort. Standard 17-inch alloys at normal pressure, air-con off.

I think that's pretty good for a big heavy car like this one. I too was a little unsure to start with as I was only getting similar mpg to you when I first got it. I think it will take some time to really break the engine in and get good mpg, so don't despair yet!

With less frugal driving on the motorway, occasional bursts of speed etc. I usually get around 54mpg which I'm more than happy with considering the type of car and the performance you get when you need it.

[Breach]

For Shell V-Power the only benefit is that they put cleaning additives so that the engine doesn't get any fuel residue buildups. I don't think there's any performance improvement whatsoever vs normal diesel fuel.

[22andcounting]

Yep, I'm dropping the v-power, my 330i definitely loved the petrol juice, but not convinced this 520d is loving the diesel. Gonna try the ultimate and see how that goes, if I can blooming find any, BP is q rare as hens teeth around here

[andyk500]

Now done 10k miles in my 520d M Sport with sports auto, nearly every tank is Tesco diesel as there's one by work and another near home. Good mix of motorway and other roads and it gets driven hard, averaging 47.5mpg, which I reset every 2000 miles or so. I'm very happy with this considering aircon is on on all the time as well as all the other toys. (I did run it in carefully for the first 2000 miles though)

Many people have posted figures from 38-52 mpg for their 520d's which is strange to have such a wide range, but I think it is just shows its the luck of the draw which car you get. Seems that it doesn't matter how careful you drive if you've got a poor mpg car your stuck with it......

[Stewie griffin]

Might get flamed for this but it's my opinion only. Had a 335d and ran in to the book. Car was slow and used oil al it's life. Had another and let's say I used the rev range earlier on. Car was smoother, faster and 10% less juicy.

Had 320 d new for miss us who drives like a nun. Car did 41 at best and wasn't at it's best. I then had a f11 with same ed engine drove it like second 335 and this car that was probably 300 kg heavier ( ok has 8 sp box) did 47 whatever

My current 530 d does 39.5 overall whatever I do. It always covers around 600 miles per tank of diseasal

[k44ENT]

Originally Posted by 22andcounting

Yep, I'm dropping the v-power, my 330i definitely loved the petrol juice, but not convinced this 520d is loving the diesel. Gonna try the ultimate and see how that goes, if I can blooming find any, BP is q rare as hens teeth around here

Try some standard Esso and see what you think

[stephen3rd]

Originally Posted by russell b

Might get flamed for this but it's my opinion only. Had a 335d and ran in to the book. Car was slow and used oil al it's life. Had another and let's say I used the rev range earlier on. Car was smoother, faster and 10% less juicy.

Had 320 d new for miss us who drives like a nun. Car did 41 at best and wasn't at it's best. I then had a f11 with same ed engine drove it like second 335 and this car that was probably 300 kg heavier ( ok has 8 sp box) did 47 whatever

My current 530 d does 39.5 overall whatever I do. It always covers around 600 miles per tank of diseasal

Drive it like you stole it! The advice I was given by the dealer years ago and I still stick to it.

[HighlandPete]

Originally Posted by andyk500

Many people have posted figures from 38-52 mpg for their 520d's which is strange to have such a wide range, but I think it is just shows its the luck of the draw which car you get. Seems that it doesn't matter how careful you drive if you've got a poor mpg car your stuck with it......

There does seem to be some variation, but I'm not convinced it is necessarily the engine in most examples.

A wide spread of results is normal for any model, the driver accounts for about 30% variation in consumption for a given example, and the variables of driving conditions can double/halve consumption, so we have a wide scope to start with, without the finer details of engine tolerances.

I remember reading a test of two drivers in a Peugeot 406 HDi, both averaged the same speed over the same city to city run, one used something like 25% more fuel to do the exact same drive, in near identical conditions. The 'heavy' footed driver was amazed the same car could return more mpg, without compromising the speed.

HighlandPete

[k44ENT]

Agree Pete, I can get much better MPG out of the wife's car than she can and I drive quicker than her. Also, as I've already said, are the figures quoted on here from the car's computer or done the old fashioned more accurate way?

[Dilemma5]

A poor 33 mpg not happy get about 100 miles or so for £40!

[22andcounting]

Originally Posted by HighlandPete

There does seem to be some variation, but I'm not convinced it is necessarily the engine in most examples.

A wide spread of results is normal for any model, the driver accounts for about 30% variation in consumption for a given example, and the variables of driving conditions can double/halve consumption, so we have a wide scope to start with, without the finer details of engine tolerances.

HighlandPete

So here is an interesting comparison. This week I have had the pleasure of using a 520d msport loaner from my dealer. The car has done just under 4k, is running on 19"s and shell fuel. I did my economy 350 mile run in economy mode - and averaged 55.6mpg. Unlike my car this car has been driven hard since birth so my guess is treat them mean to begin with and then reap the rewards later.

I had a long talk with the Master Technician at the dealership and he was not suprised at my findings. He said that there are so many adaption parameters in the car its mind boggling and that the car can change hundreds of settings depending on slight variances to how it is being driven, ambient conditions, fuelling etc etc. He said that sometimes being less conservative with the car will subsequently result in better economy when you are being careful as the car will respond differently to a life of pure conservatism. His advice is to drive the car nice and hard for a couple of k's, effectively write off the economy and then see how it goes.

[HighlandPete]

Suppose it depends on what we call working an engine, compared to thrashing it. I'd agree some engines are now not worked hard enough, desires for economy being a big part of the issue, plus the torque levels mean not enough revs get used by many drivers.

I'm all for giving an engine a work out, still not convinced we should ignore the run-in/bed-in regime, but do agree for many drivers running a car in properly will mean driving them harder than they would once bedded in.

I'm sure some engines are not at optimum efficiency due to how they are used. But that is a big subject as it includes acceleration rates, influence on BSFC, best rev range to keep pumping losses to the minimum, etc.

HghlandPete