135i convertible actual MPG?

[cloverro]

I am thinking of getting a 2008 135i convertible as opposed to the 335i convertible because it is 300 pounds lighter and I assume it will get better gas mileage even though BMW's official specs for the two are the same.

1. Any '08 135i convertible drivers out there who can tell me what their real world gas mileage is?

2. Any thoughts on whether or not the lighter of the two will actually get better mileage?

Thank you.

[135Pats]

Very much so dependent on where you drive...i do alot of city driving, so my gas mileage is pretty abysmal, something in the 16-17 range. On the highway things improve to around 25-28 mpg. Its good enough for me, but its not a car that will save you much on gas. Also, the tank is very small, i believe its 13 gallons.

[Monterra]

Weight savings vs. 335i is likely mitigated on the highway by a worse (I believe) Cd. Tank is 14 gal.

[Dackelone]

Real world mileage is 18 to 25 mpg mixed. 14 gal tank.

[Shadowfax028]

2008 BMW 135i with 42k on the clock. I drive 17.4 miles to work and back per day. My milage is 17.2 mpg. 14 Gal tank.

[BrokenVert]

^the tank is 14 gallons

And you're right. It's very dependent. In stop and go traffic the car burns more fuel than my 302 Mountaineer.

But on the highway it's great. It's not too uncommon for me to see mid 30s indicated with the top down.

[Monterra]

Mid 30s? ie. 33-37? Sorry but that will require some supporting evidence.

[shodanusmc]

We have an 09 135 Vert with PPK1, average around 20 MPG, but can get up to 28 on the Highway. Sometimes as low as 16-17 if I drive it for fun!

[ejm3]

I average about 25-26 MPG in mixed driving probably slightly skewed towards the highway in my stock '12 135 convertible (mostly with the top down and AC off).

It very much depends upon how and where you drive. If you putz around down driving it like you stole it then you will do much worse.

I have fewer than 5k miles on mine and not a lot of long trips but on my way back from Cape Cod (~220 miles) a month ago I got around 29 MPG top up AC on most of the way. I was pretty impressed with that.

Overall I am happy with the mileage I get in my normal daily driving. However I also probably drive it more conservatively than many of the people on this forum.

As noted the car has a teeny-tiny gas tank so expect frequent fill-ups.

[drewh130]

my commute is all city driving. I average about 14.5 mpg. I'll be curious to see if that changes with the valves cleaned. (not to mention the new short block theyre putting in the car)

[drewh130]

plus I've been driving the same commute for the past 1.5 months in a 335i vert loaner. I'll check the mpg next time I'm in it and let you know.

[mike06612]

08 135 convertible, 88,000 or so on it.

Mileage totally depends on how you drive it. If I keep it at 55 and all the other things the commercials say to do for good gas mileage, on the highway I can get 31 or so mpg.

But if I wanted to drive at 55 we would not have bought a 135 convertible, so real world for us on the highway is about 25 mpg, city or stop and go 21 or so.

[singular]

Mine is an '09 vert. My commute is mostly spirited city driving, but I do some highways on the weekend. Around town I get about 16 mpg, but on highway I've seen nearly 30 mpg. Overall average, I get about 18.5.

A couple of observations:
- I switched to non-runflats last summer, no change in mpg
- I added PPK last December, no change in mpg
- Seems like I get better gas milage now than when the car was new. Others have made similar observations.
- The faster you cruise, the better your mpg. There's a thread where someone found something like 90-100 mph long distance yielded astoundingly good mpg!

[ejm3]

I noticed my mileage improved from when the car was new and I only have $5k on it.
First couple tanks weren't good but since then much better.

Also if mileage is your top priority then I don't think either the 135 or 335 are good choices.

[BrokenVert]

How quickly everyone forgets...I've been posting this picture on an off since 2009.



It's become darker but on the right notice it says 33.6


I've gotten better since then. And 34-36 isn't a challenge


And for the record I've noticed that the car gets its best mileage just below 2100rpm. That usually between 70 and 75.

Also. I did some quick math and I figure that the minimum drag point for the 145 is about 95 knots. That explains why I and several other members have noticed that mileag doesn't substantially drop off until above 120.

I've gotten 26mpg cruise while doing 110 in my car before.

[BrokenVert]

I should also mention that my mileage improved by about 10% when I switched to my lightweight 17s - even with the addition of 6cm of dunlop rubber in the front. My car riding lower by a half inch from stock also noted a marked improvement in mpg.

Both of those or relations make sense. I just didn't think that the difference would be so profound.

[sjp3003]

Originally Posted by drewh130

my commute is all city driving. I average about 14.5 mpg. I'll be curious to see if that changes with the valves cleaned. (not to mention the new short block theyre putting in the car)

I'm getting about the same, 14.7 mpg with city commuting on mt '12 135 vert.

[Ammonia]

I'm at 15.7 mpg over the past 3-4 months, and I drive like an idiot boy racer.