bmw and fuel economy

how is bmw going to address the growing issue of fuel economy? is the hydrogen powered engine a reality? lexus is aggressively pushing their hybrid engines (the politically correct engine of the moment). i have my doubts about the staying power of the hybrid. that said, the one thing that is very disappointing to me about my 530 xi t is the gas mileage. around town it plain sucks. 14-15mpg at the most. highway mileage is not bad, i have gotten as high as high 20s on long trips..just wondering. i dont think diesels are the answer either...

I'm happy with the highway mileage of my 530i. 30-31 mpg driving 75-80 mph on average...my around town mileage is low 20's, yours seems really low by comparison.

Originally Posted by Me530

I'm happy with the highway mileage of my 530i. 30-31 mpg driving 75-80 mph on average...my around town mileage is low 20's, yours seems really low by comparison.

And this includes driving with a heavy foot due to this incredible urge you get when listening to the engine or feeling that incredible grip on the road.
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Originally Posted by mdsbuc

And this includes driving with a heavy foot due to this incredible urge you get when listening to the engine or feeling that incredible grip on the road.

I can just imagine how an M5 feels!!!!

To get this thread back on track....
I believe BMW, will, in the short term, promote diesels. It's a proven technology.
In the long term, I believe BMW will promote hydrogen.

I thought this was informative, the second half of the video talks about the non-hydrogen things that BMW is doing:

http://www.bmwusa.com/uniquelybmw/Fu...chnologies.htm

In my 2007 525 with about 2,600 miles, I'm consistently getting about 28 mpg with a mix of 20% city 80% highway driving. The car is doing just about as good on gas as my 2002 Accord 4-cylinder was doing, but the BMW is a lot more fun to drive.

i dont know whether it is the added weight of the wagon combined with x-drive, or what but my around town mileage has sucked from day one. i do drive the worst pattern: short distances on a cold engine. what can i do? everything is close by my house. under 17 mpg gallon does suck. i really wanted the wagon body style, so i guess i have to put up with this but i am not happy about it. i love the car otherwise. somehow diesels just dont seem like the answer to me. the noise they make is very unappealing.

Unfortunately I would think the added weight and power needed to drive all the wheels would take more fuel. Please do not go into a rant about it is only AWD when needed, I know this, but still.

I REALLY considered a 530 wagon, but just did not want AWD.
The wagon looks so cool and is oh so handy.

Just FYI...Y, cold engine short drives will delivery poor mileage in anything.
My WIFE drives a Passat wagon and nearly all her trips are 5 miles resulting in about the same mileage as you. When we switch cars for any reason I get nearly 24 mpg city in her car.

Originally Posted by mullman

Unfortunately I would think the added weight and power needed to drive all the wheels would take more fuel. Please do not go into a rant about it is only AWD when needed, I know this, but still.

I REALLY considered a 530 wagon, but just did not want AWD.
The wagon looks so cool and is oh so handy.

Just FYI...Y, cold engine short drives will delivery poor mileage in anything.
My has drives a Passat wagon and nearly all her trips are 5 miles resulting in about the same mileage as you. When we switch cars for any reason I get nearly 24 mpg city in her car.

yea, i here you regarding short distance trips with a cold engine. no way around it. i do love the wagon and get great use out the rear hatch with fold down seats. a friend of mine was ranting about the new lexus gs hybrid (my brother has the gs 300 awd non-hybrid). i took one look at the lexus website. they want over 55k BASE price on that car! with the option package it prices out to like 65k. that is a very poor value imho. what you save in gas you make up in a check to your lexus dealer!