Is there a fun, petrol car that will do a genuine 40mpg?
Discussion
kambites said:
Do any of you guys with Cooper Ss actually average 40mpg or is it more a question of "it should be possible but no-one would ever actually do it"? It's very impressive if it can average 40 without trying.
Definitely possible. I have a slightly longer commute now and I am getting 41mpg without too much thought.I have managed 49mpg on an intentional economy drive over 50 miles.
'Normal' weekend driving it can dip down to 32mpg.
Mike
lukefreeman said:
Coming from someone who owns a "sporty" hatchback, 90% of the time I'd rather be in our Elise.
I get that but Elise and possibly MGF, MR2, new MX5 and GT86/BRZ aside, most of the vehicles that qualify will be sporty hatchbacks. Yes, I would love an Elise and not even going to pretend that a FWD hatchback will be as fun to drive but it's not necessarily suited to every occassion, such as ferrying kids, long motorway/highway journeys and large supermarket shops. A good FWD hatch can still be fun (albeit not quite as much fun) and cover a few more bases, which is why I expect you own other vehicles too 
kambites said:
As above, an Elise will do it.
I get about 45mpg on the motorway and about 35-40 cross-country, depending on how hard I'm driving. I actually average about 33mpg, but that's almost entirely on my four-mile commute so the car is barely getting up to temperature before I get to my destination (for comparison, the Octavia gives around 25mpg on a the same trip).
If you want to get decent economy while driving relatively hard, you need something light.
A Smart Roadster will be very hard to get under 40mpg whatever you do and is still quite fun.
Yes, light makes complete sense but I'm actually pretty surprised that an Elise can do 40mpg, as I thought for aerodynamic reasons that open cars were not good in this respect. I was always shocked how poor the fuel economy of my mk2 MX5 (1.8) was given the relatively light weight and slow performance. I guess fuel economy was always a strength of the K-Series though and the Elise is exceptionally light and can out accelerate considerably more powerful but heavier cars.I get about 45mpg on the motorway and about 35-40 cross-country, depending on how hard I'm driving. I actually average about 33mpg, but that's almost entirely on my four-mile commute so the car is barely getting up to temperature before I get to my destination (for comparison, the Octavia gives around 25mpg on a the same trip).
If you want to get decent economy while driving relatively hard, you need something light.
A Smart Roadster will be very hard to get under 40mpg whatever you do and is still quite fun.
Edited by kambites on Tuesday 3rd March 20:09
Good to see you can have fun and economy with respectable power though in the form of a Fiesta ST, Swift Sport, MINI Cooper S etc.
Will the new Cooper S, now it has a 2.0 engine still do 40mpg? More robust than the old engine too?
Genuinely surprised on the BRZ too, as I've driven several boxer-engined Subarus (both NA and turbocharged) and fuel economy has never been a strong point but I guess they were AWD and the BRZ isn't, as well as being lighter.
I wouldn't have thought there are many (any?) 'fun' cars that will do a genuine 40mpg... especially not while you are actually having 'fun'.
But I love these types of threads anyway... usually full of people claiming they can get 45mpg out if their 4.0 V8 barge, "on a run" of course.
But I love these types of threads anyway... usually full of people claiming they can get 45mpg out if their 4.0 V8 barge, "on a run" of course.
OldGermanHeaps said:
Had a nova gte with a 2.0 redtop dropped in with jenvey throttlebodies and megasquirt. That was fun and did 43mpg driven sensibly. It was hard to avoid the temptation not to drive sendibly though.
I think this is the answer to this thread. Plenty of cars which can do 40 mpg, and also be fun to drive, but not at the same time.
daveinhampshire said:
My old 135i used to get 37mpg on the motorway, I was surprised for such a large engine but a lot of other owners seem to report the same. Round town though was in the 20's though I doubt there are many fun petrols that can do much better than this.
My old 130i would return 40mpg sat @ 70mph with the cruise control on, but 26mpg inner city 
DanB7290 said:
Bit of an unusual choice, but how about a Kia Ceed/Pro Ceed GT? Cracking motor, 1.6 turbo, 201bhp, 40mpg real world easily achievable, plus a 7 year warranty all for c£20k!
Really?, manu claims up to 38. So im guessing 35 real life.Also 200bhp & 40 mpg from a petrol would make it the most efficient in it's class.
Anyone know of any other engines that are good for 200bhp & 40mpg? (non diesel)
Antracer said:
Really?, manu claims up to 38. So im guessing 35 real life.
Also 200bhp & 40 mpg from a petrol would make it the most efficient in it's class.
Anyone know of any other engines that are good for 200bhp & 40mpg? (non diesel)
If you mean 'on a run', then a Cooper S 184 (2010 on) will see 40mpg+ on a 70mph motorway run easy enough. Ours is an auto and low 40s is the norm for my 100 mile commute at 70mph. Best was 47mpg.Also 200bhp & 40 mpg from a petrol would make it the most efficient in it's class.
Anyone know of any other engines that are good for 200bhp & 40mpg? (non diesel)
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