Mini Cooper Gas Mileage

The Mini Cooper is unique in that it provides performance and excellent miles per gallon. In this article, we take a look at the claimed and real Mini Cooper gas mileage numbers.

The Mini Cooper is the guilt free car of the decade. Why? It performs like a race car, but still gets tremendous mileage. I should know. I own a 2008 Cooper S, which is the turbocharged sport version of the car. This car is so much fun that even driving to work on a Monday morning is a good time. This is particularly true as you pass the gas stations on the way!

I love the numbers quoted by car manufacturers on their products. They sound great, but you are never sure if they are realistic. With the Mini Cooper, there are three basic models you can choose from. The normal aspirated base model is just called the Mini Cooper. It is supposed to get between 28 mpg in the city and 37 on the highway. The “S” version comes with a turbocharger and is supposed to get 26 and 34 respectively. The Mini Cooper Clubman is a new design that is longer and sort of has four doors. It is estimated to get 24 in the city and 34 on the highway. There are then convertible versions of the base car and “S” that get the same basic estimated mileage.

So, are these numbers realistic? I can only go off of my 2008 Mini Cooper S, but I would have to say they are a bit optimistic. I get between 28 and 29.5 driving around town in San Diego. This involves a lot of starting and stopping. The “S” comes with a regular drive and highly tuned drive option. These numbers are from the regular drive performance. If you tune the responsiveness up by clicking the sport button, the mileage drops into the 24 range. Still, it is so fun that a few extra bucks at the tank aren’t so painful to pay.

What about the freeway figures? I’ve heard of people getting mileage in the middle 30s, but I don’t. The drive from San Diego to Law Vegas is about 5 hours. It is a straight shot through the desert. Doing it, I’ve got about 31.5 to 32 miles to the gallon in both directions. That’s certainly not 34 miles to the gallon, but it isn’t much less.

Overall, the Mini Cooper gas mileage is excellent. It isn’t a Prius or anything, but it also doesn’t drive like turtle either. For my money, it is pretty hard to imagine a better performance versus mileage package on the road.

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