ipp

Instead of ignoring it, I would've liked it if BMW put a more useful gauge in it's place -- even if it means they do it only on the 545. My '89 M3 has an oil temp gauge there instead of the mpg gauge that all other E30 style cars have. The E60 doesn't even have an oil pressure or coolant temperature gauge on any of it's models. (Anyone know what other car manufacturers are still putting this type of gauge in their cars?)

/../

That's my $.02...
[/quote]
I think I got it the first time, we are thinking different. Mayby because the fuel is much more expensive over here. And our goverments don't want us to drive thirsty V8s. (niether do I)

But from the mpg gauge i've learnt that in some speeds I can improve my mpg 10-15% just by go a little faster on the motorway.

Rudy

Improving mpg by going faster -- that's cool! Maybe I should pay more attention to the gauge after all!

ipp

yepp!

JDN

Okay. So we want/need an oil temp gauge, water temp gauge, and a fuel economy device, IMO. I can get by with the OBC warning on oil pressure and low oil.

That mpg needle has always been Rudy's foglight. Priority wise, I would have to agree with him, but would miss it if wasn't there.

BurgessMW

Drive as though there's an egg between your shoe and the accelerator pedal. And, remember, 55 saves lives. TELL IT TO CONSUMER REPORTS!!!!!!!
[/quote]That egg/pedal method doesn't work very well for me. The little analog gauge shows clearly that method has the car accelerating FAR longer than is necessary and the gas mileage noticeably suffers.

Brisk accelleration gets the car up to speed quicker and once at speed, you're basically cruising with very little throttle. And by brisk accelleration I'm not talking a 0-60 run, just getting to your target speed at maybe 30-50% throttle. Nothing that would attract attention from the law but probably enough that would have you ahead of other traffic.

I'm getting 19.2 MPG. My commute is surface streets with speeds varying from 35 - 60 mph with a little stop and go thrown in for good measure

So somebody said, save gas by going faster? Yeah, it's actually true. Then again, maybe the V8 behaves differently from the I6...

acribb

I don't think that "Analog" MPG gauge is accurate at all, personally. It's just a gimmick.

Rudy

I didn't think I was that passionate about it!


Since I never really pay attention to the instantaneous needle, I can't say I'm an expert on the best technique for maximizing mpg. I think there are other factors that have to be considered. If you are talking about acceleration from a standstill, maybe the egg concept doesn't apply. If you are talking about changing your speed on the highway from 60mph to 70mph, the egg concept may hold true...

BurgessMW

I didn't think I was that passionate about it!


Since I never really pay attention to the instantaneous needle, I can't say I'm an expert on the best technique for maximizing mpg. I think there are other factors that have to be considered. If you are talking about acceleration from a standstill, maybe the egg concept doesn't apply. If you are talking about changing your speed on the highway from 60mph to 70mph, the egg concept may hold true...
[/quote]

So far and granted my experience is limited with this car, but so far that method seems to be absolutely worthless.

The car just has too much power and you're wasting it if you don't use it. Once I'm up to speed, I use hardly any throttle. 30-50% throttle is not asking much of this motor yet it gets you to cruising speed very quickly.

It really seems as though the car was engineered for spirited driving and performs more efficiently when driven that way.

But once more. I'm new to this car and many you have a lot more experience than myself.

Rudy

Sounds like you're experiences are "up to speed" with the car Burgess!

This is my third V8 5-series and clearly, it's not about the mpg!!

Iceman

Well said. I guess that's the same reason there is no coin holder in the E60... E60 drivers don't have coins...

I couldn't agree more with you, Rudy.
I don't care about my mpg. I want to have FUN, and looking for the best mpg isn't much fun...


Instead of ignoring it, I would've liked it if BMW put a more useful gauge in it's place -- even if it means they do it only on the 545. My '89 M3 has an oil temp gauge there instead of the mpg gauge that all other E30 style cars have. The E60 doesn't even have an oil pressure or coolant temperature gauge on any of it's models. (Anyone know what other car manufacturers are still putting this type of gauge in their cars?)[/quote]

I ignore it pretty much, and I would ignore the oil temp too. I don't know what kind of gauge I wouldn't ignore in that place...


Yep. I get the best results when cruising the highway with 100mph...