My Countryman had its first fill up this past weekend after putting on 257 miles of fun filled driving for a week. It was a nice mix of city and freeway driving, with normal break-in period driving style. It also had to suffer some notorious LA traffic, especially on 405. Time to calculate the real world mileage figure to see how my MINI Cooper S Countryman has done! Read More >>
MINI's official mileage rating is 25 City / 32 Highway with combined rating of 28 mpg for Cooper S Countryman with 1.6-liter Turbo engine and auto trans. While I didn't get MINI for the best possible mileage, my real world mileage wasn't much of a steller.
Based on the information via MINI Connected, fuel level was at 1.4 gallons before fill up. Then, after 11.05 gal or $46.85 at $4.24/gallon, it was 12.7 gallons - a bit weird as math doesn't add up (12.4 gallon fuel capacity according to MINI manual). Basing on 12.4 gal tank, my MINI used 11 gallons for total traveled distance of 257 miles resulting in rather poor mileage performance of only 23.4 mpg. (OnBoard computer confirms at 23.4 mpg) This is somewhat understandable considering break-in period driving style and worse than normal traffic conditions I drove on. Also, according to other Countryman owners on NAM, the official mileage rating actually does correspond to real world fuel consumption - many report combined rating somewhere in between 25 and 32 mpg. So, I do expect better performance under normal driving condition.
As for the grade of gasoline, while cars such as Hyundai Sonata 2.0 Turbo achieves very high output and efficiency with regular unleaded gasoline with octane rating of 87, MINI requires premium unleaded gasoline with minimum octane rating of 89 for its 1.6-liter turbo engine. MINI does recommend Super premium gasoline with AKI rating of 91, and I plan on sticking to it. Since the typical difference at fill up is little more than a dollar at about 10cents/gallon more for 91 compared to 89, it isn't such a big deal and I'd rather enjoy the maximum performance out of my MINI. (I also have been filling up my vdub with 1.8T with premium 91 only - engine is still flawless after 125,000 miles) Also according to owner's mannual, MINI states using gasoline with minimum AKI rating may cause engine to produce knocking sounds when starting at high outside temperatures. This has no effect on the engine life.
One thing to note is its nicely designed fuel filler flap/cap. First, the fuel filler flap is only open when car is unlocked. Since it doesn't come with separate fuel door open switch, such design provides a security. Second is the integrated fuel cap holder design. Rather than hanging loose like many cars, the fuel cap is securely placed in the holder located inside of fuel filler flap. While this type of design is not new (my vdub also has similar design as well as BMW and other European, premium cars) it's this kind of thoughtful detail that sets MINI apart from the rest of the pack!
I agree.
ReplyDeleteIn the end filling up a tank with 91 over 87 is such a small difference that I think it's completely worth it - especially if you plan to keep the car a long time...
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Eric. How many miles does your Cooper S have now?
ReplyDelete91 grade is premium??? Sorry, but I really am shocked - we in Europe can't get anything worst than 95 (our "normal"), and I as a Cooper S user usually go for our "premium", which is 99-100+ @ 10% more expensive. It actually can be felt while driving by improved responsiveness and slightly improved fuel efficiency. Actually cold weather has a bigger positve effect on the engine than that. :)
ReplyDeleteWhat I am trying to say is that our MINI's must be tuned quite differently to offset for this fuel difference. May not be a good idea to purchase tuning electronics without considering this...
I've driven many Cooper S-es, and considering an S or SD Countryman for my wife, that's how I found your post. The figures seem to prove your S was improved, but not by a lot from prev gen.
On my current MINI, I would hardly go above 23 mpg, and 19 is a realistic figure for city driving. Really slow hw use (constant 50mph, no traffic, feathering the throttle) could temporarily give 33mpg. If pushed really hard (not recetrack, but let's say closed roads) well, 11 mpg - but what a fun!
There is an explanation for the above discrepancies of octane levels between Europe and the United States.
DeleteThe story on octane isn't as straight forward as you might think because there are a couple different ways of defining octane for gasoline.
You can search on RON (research Octane Number) MON (Motor Octane Number) and PON (Pump Octane Number) to get more information. Here is an excerpt from another forum entry on the subject. Be sure to check the specifics of the owner's manual as to the specific Octane number that is being referenced.
If you live in Europe or Australia, gas octane is measured in RON and, hence, you should fill your tank with 91 or 95 octane.
Another way of defining octane is MON, or Motor Octane Number. This is mostly used in aviation and is measured slightly differently... so the MON of a particular gasoline will come out about 8 to 10 points LOWER than RON... same gas, different measurement technique, different number. So, a gas with a RON of 91 will have a MON of 81 or 83.
In North America, octane at the pump is shown in something called PON, or Pump Octane Number, which is mathematically defined as (RON + MON) / 2 (you can actually see this equation on some pumps if you look for it). Since MON is 8-10 points lower than RON, the PON will be 4-5 points lower than RON. Therefore, a 91 RON gas is the same as a 86-87 PON gas (which is why you won't find a gas pump in Europe pumping out anything less than 91 octane and in US/Canada our pumps go down to 87). Therefore, in North America, you're perfectly safe to put 87 octane in your tank (equivalent to 91/92 RON) or 89 octane (equivalent to 93/94 RON).
The above post mentions a PON rating. This is also known as the AKI rating that appears on most gas pumps in the US.
ReplyDeleteThe Following is obtained from the 2013 MINI Countryman Manual. In short, the recommended gasoline is AKI 91. The Minimum quality is AKI 89.
Fuel specifications
Gasoline
For optimum fuel efficiency, the gasoline should
be free of sulfur or as low in sulfur as possible.
Fuels that are labeled at the pump as containing
metal may not be used.
Do not fill the tank with leaded gasoline or
gasoline that contains metal additives, such as manganese or iron; otherwise, long term
damage to the catalytic converter or other components may result.
Fuels with a maximum ethanol content of up to
10%, that is, E10, can be used.
The ethanol should meet the following quality
standards:
US: ASTM 4806-xx
CAN: CGSB-3.511-xx
xx: Always observe currently valid standards.
Do not fill the tank with E85, i.e. fuel containing 85% ethanol, nor with FlexFuel.
Otherwise, the engine and fuel supply system
will be damaged.
The engine is knocking regulated. Therefore, different grades of gasoline can be used for refueling.
Recommended gasoline grades
The manufacturer of your MINI recommends:
> AKI 91.
> John Cooper Works: AKI 93.
Minimum quality
The manufacturer of your MINI recommends
AKI 89.
Do not use any gasoline below the specified
minimum fuel grade. Otherwise, the
engine could be damaged.
If you use gasoline with this minimum AKI rating,
the engine may produce knocking sounds when starting at high external temperatures. This has
no effect on the engine life.
The use of poor quality fuels may result in
harmful engine deposits or damage. Additionally,
problems relating to drivability, starting
and stalling, especially under certain environmental conditions such as high ambient temperatures and high altitudes, may occur.
If drivability problems are encountered, we recommend switching to a high quality gasoline brand and a higher octane grade - AKI number - for a few tankfuls. To avoid harmful engine deposits, it is highly recommended to purchase gasoline from BP or Top Tier retailers.
Failure to comply with these recommendations
may result in a need for unscheduled maintenance.