What's your MPG on 2012 528xi?

I know we all buy BMWs for the joy of driving and because it truly is the ultimate driving machine, BUT...just out of curiosity, what is the MPG that everybody is getting?

I've had my car for about 2 weeks now and have already put close to 1200 miles on it. The 2012 528xi is rated at 22 city/32 hwy. With my '98 Acura 2.3L 4 cyl, I used to consistently get around 32 mpg, even with a busted exhaust on the muffler. On my new 5, driving the same exact commute in the same exact driving style (same speed, same roads, same acceleration rate, etc), 49% comfort mode/49% ecopro mode/2% sport mode), I've been getting about 29mpg per fillup. Seeing as the 528 is a smaller engine combined with an 8 speed transmission (it revs around 2500 at 80mph!!), and driving like a grandma typically at 65 during the break-in period, I was expecting to be getting more like 35. Anybody have better/worse mpg?

Originally Posted by awesomeo3000

I know we all buy BMWs for the joy of driving and because it truly is the ultimate driving machine, BUT...just out of curiosity, what is the MPG that everybody is getting?

I've had my car for about 2 weeks now and have already put close to 1200 miles on it. The 2012 528xi is rated at 22 city/32 hwy. With my '98 Acura 2.3L 4 cyl, I used to consistently get around 32 mpg, even with a busted exhaust on the muffler. On my new 5, driving the same exact commute in the same exact driving style (same speed, same roads, same acceleration rate, etc), 49% comfort mode/49% ecopro mode/2% sport mode), I've been getting about 29mpg per fillup. Seeing as the 528 is a smaller engine combined with an 8 speed transmission (it revs around 2500 at 80mph!!), and driving like a grandma typically at 65 during the break-in period, I was expecting to be getting more like 35. Anybody have better/worse mpg?

Your engine is lossing up. Your MPG will increase as you add mileage to your car.

Your new car is far heavier and larger than your Acura. Plus, a lot more powerful.

29 MPG in such a machine is a pretty good achievement.

With 1757 miles since mid Nov, my overall mpg average seems low at 24. The amount of city vs. highway varies quite a bit for me - highway is probably 45% or less. Based on the trip computer, I am seeing about 30mpg cruising the highway at about 75 on trips between NH and CT.

http://www.fuelly.com/car/bmw/528xi/2012

Don't expect your car to get the advertised MPG until you put at least 15k miles on your car.

Your engine is still breaking in which resort in a lower MPG.

I am getting 26.7 mpg average, with about 1500 miles on the car so far. About 1000 of those miles are highway.

If I drive very conservatively in comfort mode I get about 30mpg. This was on mostly hwy with less than 1000 miles on the car. If I drive in mixed sports mode and sometimes comfort mileage is down to 26 mpg. I think if I drive aggressively in sports mode all the time I get no better than 2008 535

What's the typical break in period for the engine? I've read the first 1000 miles are the most important. As soon as that 1000 miles hit, my friend and I went for a drive, and I got a bit aggressive with the sport mode and "manual" gears. I've also heard a lot of people say that it's bad for BMW engines, especially brand new engines, to idle in the morning to "warm up." I haven't seen that in the manual yet, but any advice on whether good or bad to let the engine warm up in the morning, especially when it's 32F or below?

Originally Posted by awesomeo3000

What's the typical break in period for the engine? I've read the first 1000 miles are the most important. As soon as that 1000 miles hit, my friend and I went for a drive, and I got a bit aggressive with the sport mode and "manual" gears. I've also heard a lot of people say that it's bad for BMW engines, especially brand new engines, to idle in the morning to "warm up." I haven't seen that in the manual yet, but any advice on whether good or bad to let the engine warm up in the morning, especially when it's 32F or below?

Do not warm up by idling.
Start the car and drive off.
Do not use high rpms until your motor is warm.
The oil temperature is a good guide for that.

Originally Posted by Sophisto

Do not warm up by idling.
Start the car and drive off.
Do not use high rpms until your motor is warm.
The oil temperature is a good guide for that.

What is the technical reason for not idling to warm up? Is this for the life of the engine, or just during the initial period of the first few thousand miles, and then it's ok to idle for warmup?

All,

I am about to order a 2012 528xi and i thought this would be a good thread to ask the question: How do you guys like your 2012 528xi? Any feedback? I saw some people not liking the sound and feel of the 4 cyclinder engine? Thoughts?

Originally Posted by Enzo

All,

I am about to order a 2012 528xi and i thought this would be a good thread to ask the question: How do you guys like your 2012 528xi? Any feedback? I saw some people not liking the sound and feel of the 4 cyclinder engine? Thoughts?

I can't say enough good things about it. This was my first bmw, and i test drove a lot of different makes and models. Personally, I could not distinguish too much between the 4 cyl and the 6 cyl. I'm sure if you really mash on the gas from a full stop, you may feel some difference between the 4 and the 6, but for usual driving, you do not feel any great lack of power from the new 4. Now if you were deciding between the 528 and 535, I don't know since I haven't test driven the 535. There's a 20hp difference, and not sure what the difference in torque is, but I'm sure you'd feel some difference between the two. Another reason why i love the new F10 engine is that BMW has managed to get the same torque and performance from a 2l/4cyl as they had in their 3l/6cyl. So if you're deciding between the 2011 528 or the 2012 528, you would not feel any difference in performance. And on top of all that, you have 15% more fuel efficiency with the smaller engine! Can't beat that if you drive a lot and using 93 grade fuel.

Originally Posted by awesomeo3000

I can't say enough good things about it. This was my first bmw, and i test drove a lot of different makes and models. Personally, I could not distinguish too much between the 4 cyl and the 6 cyl. I'm sure if you really mash on the gas from a full stop, you may feel some difference between the 4 and the 6, but for usual driving, you do not feel any great lack of power from the new 4. Now if you were deciding between the 528 and 535, I don't know since I haven't test driven the 535. There's a 20hp difference, and not sure what the difference in torque is, but I'm sure you'd feel some difference between the two. Another reason why i love the new F10 engine is that BMW has managed to get the same torque and performance from a 2l/4cyl as they had in their 3l/6cyl. So if you're deciding between the 2011 528 or the 2012 528, you would not feel any difference in performance. And on top of all that, you have 15% more fuel efficiency with the smaller engine! Can't beat that if you drive a lot and using 93 grade fuel.

I hear ya. I just can't imagine the longevity of the engine with moving around 4k pounds. I have no documented proof other than my gut feel but isn't it stressful on the engine components? Even while in London, Paris, and Rome on various trips, I saw more than a few 5s and Es but they always had the 6 cylinder. Now whenever I saw the 3 and C models, they always had the 4 cylinder.


I guess time will tell.

Originally Posted by jaisonline

I hear ya. I just can't imagine the longevity of the engine with moving around 4k pounds. I have no documented proof other than my gut feel but isn't it stressful on the engine components? Even while in London, Paris, and Rome on various trips, I saw more than a few 5s and Es but they always had the 6 cylinder. Now whenever I saw the 3 and C models, they always had the 4 cylinder.


I guess time will tell.

Hmm, unfortunately BMW only offers a small limited sampling of the various engine and transmission options that it offers in US compared to Europe. I never really thought about the size of the car compared to the engine size, but all i can say that it doesn't feel underpowered by any means. Engine longevity heavily depends on how you drive it, but i'm sure that bmw engineers considered the size of the vehicle when designing the engine. Hopefully if there are any problems, they will surface before I hit 50k. Or they end up having a total recall. But that's highly unlikely.

2500 miles in and getting 28 mpg average so far. Roughly around 60% highway and 40% city driving. Coming from a SUV that had 13 mpg or so average im loving the fact i rarely have to stop by at the gas stations.

I filled up today, reset my trip information and jumped on the freeway for the approx. 8 mile trip into downtown Houston. Traffic was fairly heavy but moving at about 60 mph. Until I had to slow down about a mile outside of downtown, the trip mpg leveled off at 40.6 mpg. Even with some stop and go traffic and a couple of red lights I managed 36.8 mpg for the trip into downtown. That's amazing for a car this size.

My overall average is around 25 mpg. Stop and go traffic with a bunch of red lights in suburbia kills the mileage on these cars.

David, I like that traffic is fairly heavy but you are moving at 60mph. I can't get anywhere near that usually in the morning on the way to work. Going in to the office traffic is pretty bad, takes me an hour to go 14 miles, half of that is stop and go driving up hill. Get about 20 miles per gallon. On the way home traffic is much lighter, I get about 28mpg. Best I have gotten for a drive so far, and I live in LA so it is all traffic, is 30.3 mpg. But like I pointed out in another thread, I traded in a 2004 x5 for this car and lifetime on that car was just over 15mpg. This is a huge improvement.