2004-2006 BMW 5 Series Diesel Real World MPG figures ??
Discussion
hi ppl,
just after getting a decent diesel at the minute and not sure what to get, its got be around about 40-50 mpg combined cycle usage.
looking at a 2006 bmw 5 series, 2.0 diesel model (i know its a bit slugish compared with the 3.0) but needs must!
so any idea of what mpg figures i would be looking at around town and on the motorway,must be some ppl on here using them on a daily motorway run.
parkers guide are quoting 40.9 combined cycle.
was even thinking of a 2006 3 series 2.0 diesel, but for the same amount of cash, the 5 series has alot more toys/extras etc.... for your money. unless the 3 series does alot more mpg, then wouldnt really be interested.
any info would be great.
thx
just after getting a decent diesel at the minute and not sure what to get, its got be around about 40-50 mpg combined cycle usage.
looking at a 2006 bmw 5 series, 2.0 diesel model (i know its a bit slugish compared with the 3.0) but needs must!
so any idea of what mpg figures i would be looking at around town and on the motorway,must be some ppl on here using them on a daily motorway run.
parkers guide are quoting 40.9 combined cycle.
was even thinking of a 2006 3 series 2.0 diesel, but for the same amount of cash, the 5 series has alot more toys/extras etc.... for your money. unless the 3 series does alot more mpg, then wouldnt really be interested.
any info would be great.
thx
A bloke here has the 520d M sport saloon I think its a 54 or 05 reg, he has covered over 90k it in from new Sales rep. He mainly drives the M way's and does get 55mpg++ when doing so and that is without the Efficient dynamics... those get combined 55mpg and extra urban i.e. M way well into the 60's.
177bhp to boot - makes the 525d kind of the unloved one as its not much more for the 236bhp 530d and that is mils quicker than the 525d & 520d yet similar Mpg to the 525d.
177bhp to boot - makes the 525d kind of the unloved one as its not much more for the 236bhp 530d and that is mils quicker than the 525d & 520d yet similar Mpg to the 525d.
thx for the reply,
wow, 55 mpg from a 5 series, looks like ill defiently be considering one then.
was also thinking 2006 3 series 2.0 diesel, would that be alot different mpg figure, same engine but lighter body ???
more of a fan of the 5 series as a whole package though, for 10k can get a 2005/2006 2.0 diesel ex fleet with all the toys/leather, compared to 3 series for same money but with cloth and standard SE options.
wow, 55 mpg from a 5 series, looks like ill defiently be considering one then.
was also thinking 2006 3 series 2.0 diesel, would that be alot different mpg figure, same engine but lighter body ???
more of a fan of the 5 series as a whole package though, for 10k can get a 2005/2006 2.0 diesel ex fleet with all the toys/leather, compared to 3 series for same money but with cloth and standard SE options.
Would take some of the claims you get on here with a pinch of salt... check out spritmonitor.de is my advice. Just done a search, about 25 of the latest 177hp 520d's on there ranging from lowest vehicle average of 31.2 mpg (over 8000 miles) to highest of 49.8 mpg (over 9,333 miles). That guy, the most economical owner, hits an absolute peak of 52.5 for a tank. The bulk of owners are showing from 35 to 45 mpg on each tankful - manual or automatic.
I generally find these figures fairly accurate even if many owners are in Germany.
I generally find these figures fairly accurate even if many owners are in Germany.
Pentoman said:
Would take some of the claims you get on here with a pinch of salt... check out spritmonitor.de is my advice. Just done a search, about 25 of the latest 177hp 520d's on there ranging from lowest vehicle average of 31.2 mpg (over 8000 miles) to highest of 49.8 mpg (over 9,333 miles). That guy, the most economical owner, hits an absolute peak of 52.5 for a tank. The bulk of owners are showing from 35 to 45 mpg on each tankful - manual or automatic.
I generally find these figures fairly accurate even if many owners are in Germany.
Lots of things come into play with fuel consumption vs the claimed numbers. I generally find these figures fairly accurate even if many owners are in Germany.
How full the car is - I mean boot & passengers
How congested the roads are are they auto's or manual, do the drivers have their climate control on all the time and say in winter up to 0 degrees and summer down to lowest setting (max either way) all puts additional strain on the fuel consumption.
One of the biggest things I have found which impacts MPG is the speed you travel at on the M way. Say you go at 60-65mph vs 70-75mph the differnce is huge 20%++ additional fuel used - and say you travel for 1 hour it would assuming you could maintain 70mph and 65mph constantly the time difference would barely be 8 mins longer.... and if your doing it on company time why rush just go a little slower and save youself a nice pricy weekend away every year for free
ALso as the site you recommend is
didnt relise you could save nearly 20% of fuel if traveling at 60-65, so if you tend to average 75-80, you could be looking at an extra 20% saving. only thought it would be something minamal like 10%.
so taking it all into account, the claimed 40 mpg seems do able and possibly 50 mpg on a motoway run as long as you stick to 65-70. (and have the aircon off)
still not bad figures for a largeish car, the 3 series cant be much better than thoose figures quoted for the 5 series.
thx for all the replys ppl,
just got to find a decent one in silver with black leather
so taking it all into account, the claimed 40 mpg seems do able and possibly 50 mpg on a motoway run as long as you stick to 65-70. (and have the aircon off)
still not bad figures for a largeish car, the 3 series cant be much better than thoose figures quoted for the 5 series.
thx for all the replys ppl,
just got to find a decent one in silver with black leather
Why buy a big, luxurious barge and then go to extreme lengths to save fuel? Turning the air-con off FFS!!! That'll make feck-all difference! Either enjoy the car for what it is or buy a Smart diesel 
Tailor_Mike, do note that for all his post's on the subject, Mr.Welshbeef does not own a BMW or a diesel. Therefore he's even less of an expert than I am
Tailor_Mike, do note that for all his post's on the subject, Mr.Welshbeef does not own a BMW or a diesel. Therefore he's even less of an expert than I am
Bill Carr said:
Why buy a big, luxurious barge and then go to extreme lengths to save fuel? Turning the air-con off FFS!!! That'll make feck-all difference! Either enjoy the car for what it is or buy a Smart diesel
Tailor_Mike, do note that for all his post's on the subject, Mr.Welshbeef does not own a BMW or a diesel. Therefore he's even less of an expert than I am
Have owned a diesel thanks - if you care to check my garage/ previously owned Tailor_Mike, do note that for all his post's on the subject, Mr.Welshbeef does not own a BMW or a diesel. Therefore he's even less of an expert than I am
didnt relise you could save nearly 20% of fuel if traveling at 60-65, so if you tend to average 75-80, you could be looking at an extra 20% saving. only thought it would be something minamal like 10%.
so taking it all into account, the claimed 40 mpg seems do able and possibly 50 mpg on a motoway run as long as you stick to 65-70. (and have the aircon off)
still not bad figures for a largeish car, the 3 series cant be much better than thoose figures quoted for the 5 series.
thx for all the replys ppl,
just got to find a decent one in silver with black leather
so taking it all into account, the claimed 40 mpg seems do able and possibly 50 mpg on a motoway run as long as you stick to 65-70. (and have the aircon off)
still not bad figures for a largeish car, the 3 series cant be much better than thoose figures quoted for the 5 series.
thx for all the replys ppl,
just got to find a decent one in silver with black leather
Welshbeef said:
[quoteOne of the biggest things I have found which impacts MPG is the speed you travel at on the M way.
Anyone that has had a car with a consumption measurement surely must have tried this???? My old 540 used to do around 29mpg at a steady 70mph but that would drop very quickly to around 20mpg or below at 95mph. a 50% increase for getting 30% further in an hour. Well worth it to me, but all the same.....
May I ask the OP why you actually need a car that does 55mpg or so? Have you costed out your transport costs and found this what you need to be able to afford it? I mean even if you are doing 20k miles per year then you would use 400 gallons at 50mpg, and 570 at 35mpg. The difference in cost (very approx) will be around £700 or less than £60 per month. Compare that to your depreciation......and more importantly compare it to getting a decent car for 6k instead of 10k....free fuel for 6 years...^^
Edited by christer on Friday 8th May 16:32
christer said:
Anyone that has had a car with a consumption measurement surely must have tried this???? My old 540 used to do around 29mpg at a steady 70mph but that would drop very quickly to around 20mpg or below at 95mph.
It's acceleration that dictates fuel consumption, not velocity.See Newton's first law of motion (about 1650) for details.
I get 30 mpg at pensioner friendly speeds, 27 mpg at realistic
UK cruising speeds and 25 mpg cruising at anything up to
150 mph back home in Germany.
The extra cost of the 2 mpg is miniscule in comparison
to the cost of the time saved.
If you are getting 20 mpg at 95 mph, then I think your
car needs some maintenance work.
I can only suggest having a look at the instant MPG meter
sometime. I've seen over 30 mpg instantaneously at 100 mph
on the flat.
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