What sort of MPG could I expect from an E46 M3??

[leemarkadams]

Hello all, after my previous post am thinking of changing my E46 330D for either an E39 M5 or an E46 M3, so what real world MPG could I expect from an E46 M3 (mostly motorway miles(present car gets about 38mpg))?

Thanks

Lee

[_bryan_]

Typically around 20mpg if not slightly better from what I gather. Lot depends on driving style and type of roads.

[MattOz]

Lee,

My E46 330d averaged just over 42mpg. Most of that was motorway work to be honest. My E46 M3 averaged 28mpg, falling to 26.5mpg with some shorter journeys thrown in. Overall though, it was just under 27mpg for the 24,000 miles I did in it. My current car is an E39 M5 and for the same type of mileage as I did in the M3, it's averaging just under 23mpg.

To put it more simply, the 330d would average 500 miles on a tank, the M3 about 320. That's on approx. 60 litres. The M5 will average 300 miles(ish) and that's from almost 70 litres.

M5 is epic though!

[nw28840]

Owned my E46 M3 Cab (MY 2003) for 4 years - returned 24mpg over the 4 years.

Would get +-230 miles to a full tank.

Best ever return was over 300 miles on a (fast) drive back from Holland.

[scottri]

MattOz said:

Lee,

My E46 330d averaged just over 42mpg. Most of that was motorway work to be honest. My E46 M3 averaged 28mpg, falling to 26.5mpg with some shorter journeys thrown in. Overall though, it was just under 27mpg for the 24,000 miles I did in it. My current car is an E39 M5 and for the same type of mileage as I did in the M3, it's averaging just under 23mpg.

To put it more simply, the 330d would average 500 miles on a tank, the M3 about 320. That's on approx. 60 litres. The M5 will average 300 miles(ish) and that's from almost 70 litres.

M5 is epic though!

+1

This is what I get from my E46 M3. I'm thinking of swapping it for a 330D for the better economy though! :-(

[leemarkadams]

Thanks all, 28mpg is not too bad for the performance of the car! Will have to have athink as my 330d has 180k miles on it and has been almost faultless!!

Still want an m3 mind.......

[taylor8]

I got anything for 22mpg to 30mpg depending on if it was motorway or a/b road driving.

[Ed Francis]

Sit on a motorway at 70-80mph you should get around 30mpg, i did a journey to silverstone and back last year to the F1 and when i filled up my trip said i had 408 miles till refil!!! highest ive ever seen it!

[taylor8]

leemarkadams said:

Thanks all, 28mpg is not too bad for the performance of the car! Will have to have athink as my 330d has 180k miles on it and has been almost faultless!!

Still want an m3 mind.......

Got to say I found the E46 M3 great for a long drive motorway etc, but as much fun as watching paint dry!

Im more of a turbo car man, but was a nice car none the less, great build quality!

[Toilet Duck]

I've averaged 23.7 MPG since the day I bought my car according to the on board computer, and I know thats on the "economical" side compared to if I worked it out myself accurately. I reset one of the counters when I drove it for the first time and have never touched it since. I drive like a granny most of the time, and have spent maybe around 70% motorway use. All this talk of 30MPG+ on motorway journeys is a bit misleading. Sure, if I filled my car up and fully warmed the engine up before getting on the motorway, setting the cruise control and resetting the computer, I'm sure I'd get something like that. However, its irrelevant. Try resseting the computer when you start the car up from cold and do some town driving, see what you get then, it doesn't make happy reading. If I warmed my car up before rolling down a really big hill, I'm sure if I knocked it into neutral with the aircon, radio, lights etc off I would hit 40+MPG. This is equally irrelevant. I normally up too 250 miles to a tank at best, but I'm not someone who likes to run the tank down so low its running on fumes.

As long as your happy running a car that does circa low 20's on overall MPG, then don't get hung up on it. I used to obsess over MPG, now I just drive the car and just put more petrol in when it needs it without dwelling on it. Won't be long before we're all forced to drive electric powered pieces of cack anyway.

Edited by Toilet Duck on Sunday 4th April 16:38

[leemarkadams]

Thanks for the replies, will have to look at a few I reckon and see whether it is a big enough difference from my 330d to warrant the extra fuel costs...(as the wife reckons they look the same with the M3 having a silver vent on the wing!!!)

Also, what about SMG or manual (Not wanting to open a can of worms!!!)

Thanks

Lee

[Tango13]

MattOz said:

M5 is epic though!

Not trying hard enough mine is "Biblical"

[mikey-r]

Don't totally discount the M5 if you're doing mostly motorway. I recently did a 200 mile round trip from Essex to Lincs and back and wasn't being overly careful and averaged a shade over 27MPG. Last week I had to do a 70 mile trip round the M25 - loads of roadworks and camaras so stuck strictly to the limits.. 28MPG.

[Crusoe]

Cruise control on the motorway for a longer journey I get around 34mpg (manual E46 m3 just had inspection 2), average 27mpg overall but that drops if you sit in traffic, do stop start journeys or short trips. Benefit of living in Scotland out in the sticks, mine always has a long run going anywhere.

[john_p]

Don't forget that it's best running on Super Unleaded too .. another 6p+ a litre ..

[C8LNJ]

I got a personal best of 32mpg on the avg consumption clock on a 150 mile trip, pretty much straight road.

Normal driving gets me 23mpg avg.

If you boot it about everywhere expect mid-late teen's

[SPORTSTER]

C8LNJ said:

I got a personal best of 32mpg on the avg consumption clock on a 150 mile trip, pretty much straight road.

Normal driving gets me 23mpg avg.

If you boot it about everywhere expect mid-late teen's

Is that on a manual or SMG?

Would you say that SMG2 uses more fuel than manual? this is driving sensibly in auto in gear 5/6

Interesting to find out for all the SMG fans out there.

[Crusoe]

It is the same gearbox so shouldn't be any different though the style of driving the SMG promotes would probably tend to make you change gear more often and brush the limiter more in the lower gears.

[Slurms]

Well i've just returned from France and on the run back to the coast at reasonable rate of speed I've averaged 30mpg

In normal mixed driving I get around 25

[leemarkadams]

Thanks for all the replies everyone, as soon as I get back from a trip away with work (November) I will have to start seriously looking for one, and it may well be a case of sod the extra expense, as really fancy an 'everyday' car I can also use on the track if I want.....

Lee