2013 528i xDrive Gas Mileage

Hello All,

I am brand new to BMW (just picked it up less than two weeks ago) so not sure if this is normal, but I am driving a 2013 528i xDrive and my first tank of gas averaged only 19.5 MPG. I drove mostly on comfort mode. My highway and city driving was probably almost a 50/50 split.

Anyone else driving this car, what are you getting as far as mileage? Can the gas mileage be affected by using the heated seats, heated steering wheel, defroster, etc? It's cold here in CT and I'm turning those on every time I get in the car!

You just got the car and you can't look at your mileage from the first tank of gas. Wait till you put a couple of thousand miles on the car before you worry about the mileage. Your mileage will get much better the more you drive the car. I have a 2011 535xi with 26,000 miles on the clock and I average 25.6 miles per gallon in the same type of driving you do. I would think you should do much better than that. Relax and enjoy your new car!

It takes a while for the BMW to learn your driving style. Usually gas mileage gets better as you go along.

Having said that, if you are just doing short trips in the winter, you are going to get poor mileage anyway.

OK, sounds good. Didn't realize it will get better after time. Thanks to both of you!

Originally Posted by JPetrillo

OK, sounds good. Didn't realize it will get better after time. Thanks to both of you!

How did you measure the mileage?

I have a 2012 528 xi with 8700miles. Around town stop and go I avg. 26.5. On a recent road trip of 1300 miles my avg. on car computer at 67 mph avg. speed was 30.5 mpg. It will get better.

Originally Posted by miamiboyca

How did you measure the mileage?

You can see it in trip information or in efficient dynamics both in the control display.

Originally Posted by Bikie

I have a 2012 528 xi with 8700miles. Around town stop and go I avg. 26.5. On a recent road trip of 1300 miles my avg. on car computer at 67 mph avg. speed was 30.5 mpg. It will get better.

Wow, nice. It's amazing (to me anyways) how it can get so much better over time. Why is that?

It won't. If you got 19.5 on your first tank, you're probably not going to get much better, maybe 10%. Your driving style is apparently not very mpg friendly.

If you are driving in Sport most of the time you won't see great mileage. I usually drive in Comfort(default) mode. A $550 speeding fine moderated my boy racer urges.

Don't rely on trip information. That takes a long time to calibrate. Fill your car and set the trip to 0. Drive until close to empty then film the tank again. Divide the number of miles by the number of gallons.

Lay off the lol pedal and wait until it breaks in before complaining

The mileage already seems to be getting better since my original post a few days ago. I'm on my second tank of gas now and averaging about 23 MPG without changing my driving habits. How/why does it get better over time?

Originally Posted by AutoUnion

Lay off the lol pedal and wait until it breaks in before complaining

I wasn't necessarily complaining; was more less just wondering what I can expect.

Originally Posted by JPetrillo

The mileage already seems to be getting better since my original post a few days ago. I'm on my second tank of gas now and averaging about 23 MPG without changing my driving habits. How/why does it get better over time?

I wasn't necessarily complaining; was more less just wondering what I can expect.

Again, are you just using the computer to measure it?

Originally Posted by miamiboyca

Again, are you just using the computer to measure it?

Yes, sorry; still using the computer. I'll track it manually next time I fill up

Originally Posted by JPetrillo

Yes, sorry; still using the computer. I'll track it manually next time I fill up

That's not a reliable way, especially in the beginning.

Originally Posted by miamiboyca

That's not a reliable way, especially in the beginning.

Good to know, thanks. I didn't see your first message until after I already refilled.

Originally Posted by JPetrillo

Good to know, thanks. I didn't see your first message until after I already refilled.

The computer averages, so all that initial stop an go at the dealership gets averaged with your actual driving. Nothing more accurate then a pencil and paper

Originally Posted by snj1013

It won't. If you got 19.5 on your first tank, you're probably not going to get much better, maybe 10%. Your driving style is apparently not very mpg friendly.

Interesting thoughts here. Where did you get your 10 percent estimate? By my careful analysis it comes out to 28.668 percent.

You are saying that your mileage improved 28.668% after your first tank to your current average with similar driving habits. I don't buy it. Modern automobiles don't really break in like automobiles produced 40 years ago.

My point is that driving style/habits have a significant impact on the fuel efficiency of a given vehicle. I believe these styles/habits do not really change and the mileage you get initially isn't going to change much.

Originally Posted by JPetrillo

You can see it in trip information or in efficient dynamics both in the control display.

It's much more accurate to divide the amount of miles traveled on the trip counter by the amount of gas filled into the tankafter filling up Like MiamiBoyCA said. I average 30 on the highway in my 528, The trip computer says 27. That's ten percent difference!

Originally Posted by DPP528

It's much more accurate to divide the amount of miles traveled on the trip counter by the amount of gas filled into the tankafter filling up Like MiamiBoyCA said. I average 30 on the highway in my 528, The trip computer says 27. That's ten percent difference!

Good to know, thanks! I need to fill up soon and will manually calculate the gas mileage. We'll see if my results are similar to yours...