[Chrishumes]

Right, after 5000 miles I'm averaging 40 on the comp. proper mix of motorway (70ish!) and commuting in traffic.

Is this what to expect then? I wanted mid to high 40s tbh....

[Tuffty]

My 335d does a bit of everything but does it all in Sport mode. As a result I average about 29mpg. I was amazed at how slowly I had to drive it to get into the 40's.

[Captain Cow Pat]

I'm mostly doing short journeys, a lot round town and a few cross country blasts. And the odd fast motorway blast. I average around 36mpg. I also find the rapid acceleration hard to resist especially in sport mode (engine and gearbox).
I'm happy with my economy as I know if driven more sedately and on longer journeys the economy can improve greatly. I've even managed a couple of 62 mpg crawls along the motorway (but it does become really boring).

[gtsussex]

After 8k in the 335d, I'm getting average of just under 38mpg. My potter to work is nothing other than a potter. It's 40 limit B roads that are policed so 50mph whole way. That works up my average. Yesterday I did Birmingham and back (by 9am), set the cruise at 89mph and got 38.4.

If I get a move on, it'll dip it down to around 34mpg.

Economy has got better as the miles have piled on (and the engine has definitely loosened up).

[Steve C]

I'm averaging 38mpg from B-road blasts and town driving (and a 150mph run).

On the occasion that I do a long A-road run I get mid-40's. Don't think I've been on a motorway yet!

[HighlandPete]

Originally Posted by Chrishumes

Right, after 5000 miles I'm averaging 40 on the comp. proper mix of motorway (70ish!) and commuting in traffic.

Is this what to expect then? I wanted mid to high 40s tbh....

I assume you knew you'd have a penalty for having xDrive, more than the official figures will suggest.

If you want more mpg you'll have to modify the use of the right foot.

I reckon you are doing quite well at 40mpg with the mix you indicate. Have you brim to brim checked, to see if the OBC is on the mark?

HighlandPete

[ll71]

I'm average about 47 in my 320D xDrive if that helps. I'll tell you how it goes on a run as I'm setting off way opp north tonight.

PS the penalty for xDrive is c. 75kg, about 1 passenger.

[d4springer]

I'm currently in the 50's, but I have been taking it easy past few weeks, some motorway cruising at 70 between Edin/Glas and some back roads. Roads are starting to freeze over early mornings so I'm still trying to determine what grip I get on the S Drive, must admit I could figure this out quite quickly in the E92, maybe the different steering.

[gatsojon]

Originally Posted by ll71

I'm average about 47 in my 320D xDrive if that helps. I'll tell you how it goes on a run as I'm setting off way opp north tonight.

PS the penalty for xDrive is c. 75kg, about 1 passenger.

Plus a little for additional transmission losses in the X- over S-Drive.

[gatsojon]

Originally Posted by d4springer

I'm currently in the 50's, but I have been taking it easy past few weeks, some motorway cruising at 70 between Edin/Glas and some back roads. .

Yep I concur with that figure. Motorway cruising speed makes a massive difference above 60 ish as aerodynamics begin to play a more significant role. At 60 mph, I get 60 mpg broadly speaking. It's a tough ask to stick at that though.

[HighlandPete]

Originally Posted by ll71

PS the penalty for xDrive is c. 75kg, about 1 passenger.

Originally Posted by gatsojon

Plus a little for additional transmission losses in the X- over S-Drive.

It isn't really just the weight, transmission losses will have penalties in both acceleration and cruising, so hence my first comment on official figures not being representative of the actual mpg shortfall with xDrive.

We have a similar situation with VW with same engines/transmissions in similar vehicles, one with 4-Motion and one without. Real world mpg shortfall is at least double that of the indicated combined official figure variation, just for specifying 4-motion. Figures indicate about 3 mpg difference, but nearly a 10 mpg difference of the two vehicles in reality. Just taken on a new VW (without 4-Motion) so will see how it relates to the other identical vehicle.

HighlandPete

[gatsojon]

Originally Posted by HighlandPete

I... Figures indicate about 3 mpg difference, but nearly a 10 mpg difference of the two vehicles in reality.

HighlandPete

Interesting when you look at Captain Cow Pat's and my Fuelly signatures - currently exactly 10 mpg difference (F30 S-Drive v F31 X-Drive).

[ll71]

I'd trust BMW's numbers which are at least in a controlled environment. They don't relate to real world driving no but it's the only way for an accurate comparison.

BMW state there is between a 3.9 mpg and 2.8 mpg difference between 320D M Sport S Drive and X Drive. An old rule of thumb is that for every 5% of weight you lose about 2% MPG. Therefore 2% of the mpg loss is due to the weight as 75kg is 5% of the curb weight.

This would indicate that the parasitic losses incurred through the xDrive system account for between 2% and 4% of the overall difference which is total is between 4% and 6% between the two cars.

Frankly that small amount can be accounted for by driving style in the real word. For me xDrive is about security during the 3-4 months of the year when the weather is really crap and for a 6% ish degradation I think it's worth it in my situation.

4-motion/Quattro and xDrive are all very difference systems and will have different losses. Unless we're mirroring the driving conditions it's impossible to compare outside of the official figures. It would be interesting to see what the VW and Audi websites say about the MPG differences in their AWD systems.

[chetalien]

I've a 330d xdrive on order. IF I can get 40 that would be double the figures i'm currently getting on my z4m. I would be very pleased

[HighlandPete]

Originally Posted by ll71

I'd trust BMW's numbers which are at least in a controlled environment. They don't relate to real world driving no but it's the only way for an accurate comparison.

BMW state there is between a 3.9 mpg and 2.8 mpg difference between 320D M Sport S Drive and X Drive. An old rule of thumb is that for every 5% of weight you lose about 2% MPG. Therefore 2% of the mpg loss is due to the weight as 75kg is 5% of the curb weight.

This would indicate that the parasitic losses incurred through the xDrive system account for between 2% and 4% of the overall difference which is total is between 4% and 6% between the two cars.

Frankly that small amount can be accounted for by driving style in the real word. For me xDrive is about security during the 3-4 months of the year when the weather is really crap and for a 6% ish degradation I think it's worth it in my situation.

4-motion/Quattro and xDrive are all very difference systems and will have different losses. Unless we're mirroring the driving conditions it's impossible to compare outside of the official figures. It would be interesting to see what the VW and Audi websites say about the MPG differences in their AWD systems.

Sure the official figures are the true comparisons in test conditions. But as we all know the conditions are not reflective of the road load imposed by real world drivers. 'Real world' MPG shortfall is well established and documented, also from test data analysis.

The official EU test regime is a very light test, as such does not typically load the vehicle transmission as we'd do in day to day driving. Far easier to get good figures and closer to each other for the xDrive and sDrive, in those light conditions.

Ignoring the driver variations, the same as speed destroys economy due to driving thought the air, so we have a similar effect from drivetrain losses as speed increases. If we drive very light the mpg difference (x vs. s) will be similar to the test figures, drive normally (or harder) and the mpg gap will widen, just as user data is indicating.

My example with VW illustrate the EU test get a relatively close set of figures in test conditions, real world driving shows the mpg gap widen, that is from experience. BTW, results are from the same driver, same use, same driving habits, same 2-year period, over at least 20k miles in each vehicle. Only real variable is the mpg.

HighlandPete

[zooberoo]

335d - mainly drive on A and B roads in Comfort, sometimes Sport.

[John_330d]

I have had my 330d xdrive for about 2 weeks & done 1200 miles. I mainly do motorway miles & try to stick around 70

I have done some full tank to empty calculations & getting 45mpg.

I use to get about 58mpg with my old f30 320d, so although it is a drop, I wanted an xdrive & 3l & expected about 45mpg so not too bad.

I think a lot of town driving & putting your foot down you would easly get down to low 30's

[The_Lurker]

F30 335d xDrive here - mixture of B roads/heavy traffic/A3/M25 nothing along the lines of a "long" motorway cruise yet - done 500 miles. Mostly comfort mode, very occasionally Eco Pro and likewise Sport Mode.

Average MPG hovers around 35.5! Whilst an improvement on the E60 535d touring (that was about 27.7 average on the commute to work) it is definitely below what I was expecting. I would be happy with early 40s TBH but don't think I do enough distance driving to get to that. Right foot temptation is always too great - though it is never what I would call "drive like you stole it"

[The_Lurker]

Originally Posted by zooberoo

335d - mainly drive on A and B roads in Comfort, sometimes Sport.

Very similar to me, zooberoo.

[Chrishumes]

Glad I started the thread now, looks like my figures are about right then. You can see a 320d does say 50, a 335d about 37 etc so all good.

[dopper99]

I think 35mpg for the 335d is what I'd expect. You have to "pay" for that performance! Diesel or not its a 313bhp car.
The extra weight and xdrive are against it - but - big torque and grin factor make up for it for sure.

[Boosted321]

I'll state the obvious. Its totally dependent on how you drive. On a rush hour urban commute I can see anywhere between 31 and 38 (335d), right foot accounting for 95% of the variation. I've seen 50 on an economically driven mixed road journey (no Mway) and regularly see low to mid 40s when I operate my long way round high speed milk fetching service

Car currently has around 1000 miles on it.