E36 fuel mileage question.

I've been battling a growing lust for Bimmers for a while now and during my daily craigslist searches I've come across some pretty surprising mpg claims. I've found rough 325's with close to 200,000 miles and the owner claims 30+mpg.

My recently resurrected Scoob has returned a BEST of 27mpg and averages around 24 with mixed, non WOT, mostly below 3000 rpm driving. That's with 40 psi in the tires, LWSP in the gearbox and rear diff., fresh plugs and wires, a new fuel filter, a new air filter, new knock sensor and new O2 sensors.

I realize that an AWD car won't get the same mileage as a 2wd car but the Brighton is about as stripped as it gets; manual windows and locks, no A/C and should weigh around 2,700 lbs. with me in it, at least 400lbs less than an E36 with a me sized driver.

From what I've found the E36 325 should get around 18mpg in the city and around 26 highway but lots of people are claiming 30mpg or more. Are they exaggerating or were the cars under rated as far as fuel economy goes?

My 98 E36 M3/4/5 gets 22 mpg in combined DD city communte and 26 mpg on the highway at 75 mph if I drive normally. If I drove it like I stole it the mileage goes to 19 city and 24 highway. If I hypermile the mileage goes to 23 city and 27 highway. Interestlingly the EPA rating for the 98 M3 is better than the 328 of the same year by 1 mpg.

I think these people are rounding up. Just like the CL ads that say a NA Miata gets 36-40 mpg highway (the absolute best I've done in a NA Miata is 33 mpg).

I had a friend with a 328i and he claimed an OBC reported 30 mpg avg on the highway. Low 20s around town (low traffic)

I dont know if the OBC is accurate or not.

Also, if the odometer is as optimistic as the speedometer in most cars that gives you an extra ~10% fuel mileage.

The biggest factors after the driver are the degree to which the engine has been maintained and the type of transmission. The auto boxes are going to kill mileage; that's only one of several reasons to avoid automatic BMWs.

The maintenance question is more complex. There are a whole bunch of places where minor vacuum leaks can and will occur. The intake tract, secondary vacuum lines, and the CCV system are all likely shot on any car over ten years old if they are original. Each and every one of those will cause mileage to decline. Pre-cat O2 sensors must be replaced every 100k miles or mileage will plummet. All the basic tune-up stuff - air filter, spark plugs, etc. - must be dealt with as well.

On my 5-speed 525i (M54), with all the maintenance up to date, 30mpg (verified) on the highway is obtainable without undue difficulty; 23-24mpg around town is normal. But I've seen poorly maintained automatics get far, far less.

In reply to RandyS:

WOW!

Over 100 more horsepower and 1 liter more displacement than my Scoob and nearly identical mileage!

Gotta love those Bimmers!

I'd believe 30 in a 318 if you kept your foot out of it. I regularly would get high 20's in the E30 318; when I tried for one tank to really drive carefully I saw 33.

The_Jed wrote: In reply to RandyS: WOW! Over 100 more horsepower and 1 liter more displacement than my Scoob and nearly identical mileage! Gotta love those Bimmers!

Well, it is also driving two less wheels!

mtn wrote: I'd believe 30 in a 318 if you kept your foot out of it. I regularly would get high 20's in the E30 318; when I tried for one tank to really drive carefully I saw 33.

Was that the m42 or the m10? My m10 gets about 25 mpg highway. My timing may be WAY off though.

Taiden wrote: Was that the m42 or the m10? My m10 gets about 25 mpg highway. My timing may be *WAY* off though.

Mine is the M42. The E36 had the M42 and M44. I think that the M44 came out after 1996.

When I had my M Coupe with an S52, I figured with my normal driving habits I got about 17-18 city and 24-25 freeway.

I get 28ish hwy, 22-25 city, in my '98 328is.

I get 20 city with 239k, shifting at 3k or lower, in my '93 325is. Thats according to the obc. Also, the maf could use a good cleaning and Im thinking it has a vaccuum leak somewhere lol.

The_Jed wrote: From what I've found the E36 325 should get around 18mpg in the city and around 26 highway but lots of people are claiming 30mpg or more. Are they exaggerating or were the cars under rated as far as fuel economy goes?

LSx???

The wife swears she routinely got 30 mpg with her '97 328iC automatic. The car had low miles, new O2 sensors, and new plugs and air filter. I would observe 26-28 in mixed driving. Her commute is nearly all highway, so maybe she's right. Wait, what am I saying? My wife says the car gets 30 mpg so you damn well know it gets 30 mpg. You try to say otherwise and I will have to kick your butt.

RandyS wrote: My 98 E36 M3/4/5 gets 22 mpg in combined DD city communte and 26 mpg on the highway at 75 mph if I drive normally. If I drove it like I stole it the mileage goes to 19 city and 24 highway. If I hypermile the mileage goes to 23 city and 27 highway. Interestlingly the EPA rating for the 98 M3 is better than the 328 of the same year by 1 mpg. I think these people are rounding up. Just like the CL ads that say a NA Miata gets 36-40 mpg highway (the absolute best I've done in a NA Miata is 33 mpg).

You're M3 mileage is terrible! I used to get better than that in my 360hp supercharged '95 M3!

Although you must have a heavy foot since my Miata can actually get 37 mpg in town if I'm nice, but lower on the highway because of the gear ratio.

Moral of the story is it's all about how you drive it.

My 318ti can get up to 35mpg on the highway if I keep it exactly at 65mph. Usually I see around 26/27 in mixed town and highway driving

I averaged ~28mpg in my E36 M3 over the ownership of the car. Mostly conservative highway, no hypermiling FWIW.

this past spring i bought a '93 325is 5sp (pre 95 very commonly had mechanical LSDs and obd1 for simple v8 swap...) as i needed something cheap and decent on gas. i'm driving roughly 70/30 highway/city (but when i say city it's stoplights everywhere so VERY city) and i've been averaging about 380miles per tank which has been between 26-28.5 mpg total.

i've only once gotten under 26mpg and it was when i wasnt commuting on the highway much AND included an autocross. they can get just as good mileage at slower speeds, like 35-45mph as they can about 70 so long as it's consistant speed too.

i still dream of a ford 302 swap though... post school commute.

I get mid-high 20s all the time in my stock 98 M3. It will get over 30, but you have to be cruising at about 50 mph to get it.

It's pretty hard to beat a recent BMW I-6 for combining power, smoothness, and fuel economy. They are amazing engines.

Always remember, when speaking of gas mileage, some people lie, some estimate, some can't add, and then there are the minority- those who divide miles driven by fuel used over a long period of time, resulting in something approaching truth.

Note that my mileage calcs were for the time period I owned it over every tank. (over 20,000 miles). Average per tank: 391miles. I guess that puts me in the minority.

aggreed. I always figure mine out at the pump

In reply to Streetwiseguy:

True, it's highly subjective but apparently the E36 mileage stated by those on craigslist must not be that far off given the mpg claims of Bimmer owners here. I'm very impressed; not only is the chassis used as a means to measure EVERY other car's ability to go, turn and stop they get decent mileage too!

Every time I put gas in either the Scoob or the Burban I fill it completely (with the same "topping off" method each time) and calculate the mileage using the trip odometer. It's not an exact science but I feel it's a fairly accurate real world representation of the fuel economy.

The Scoob is my work car and my commute is 50/50 city and highway. It's also only about a 6 mile drive which brings the numbers down a bit, especially in winter. Since I brought it back to life it's averaged 24 mpg.

The Burban has returned anywhere from 12-15 mpg in the city and 17-19 on the highway. The lower numbers are mostly due to the A/C.

The more I research them the more I like Bimmers. I will own one, it's just a matter of time!<img src="/media/img/icons/smilies/laugh-18.png" class="smiley" alt=""  />

mixed hwy/city in a 318ti with m42 - I can get 400 miles out of 13.5 gallons of prem (10% ethanol) - 29.6 mpg - low 30s hwy only. 207k, not maintained all that great by PO.

I think they are exagerating, 18/26 is almost exactly what I get. I am geeky enough to have a gasmileage spreadsheet with a sheet for every car I ever owned. It goes as low as 16 when I do lots of short trips in cold weather. 92 325i 261k 4D 5 speed. Chip, intake, exhaust, 225 summer tires (it seemed to do around 1mpg better on the original 205 all seasons)

SupraWes wrote: I think they are exagerating, 18/26 is almost exactly what I get. I am geeky enough to have a gasmileage spreadsheet with a sheet for every car I ever owned. It goes as low as 16 when I do lots of short trips in cold weather. 92 325i 261k 4D 5 speed. Chip, intake, exhaust, 225 summer tires (it seemed to do around 1mpg better on the original 205 all seasons)

You get 18 city?? Yer a stoplight drag racer! Is that redline in every gear?