09 M3 has the worst fuel economy in the Edmunds.com fleet

[PorscheRacer]

http://blogs.edmunds.com/roadtests/2...tion.html#more

No commentary to add; just a data point

[max08e90]

Ah who cares! Might as well enjoy it while we can!!

[graco]

very sad... (for earth heehehe)

[akh23456]

lol

[GT3 Tim]

It is the one "bad point" about the M. The benefits outweigh it though...I know we all did not buy this car for it's gas-sipping commuting ability! lol

[PoorMan]

LOL 15.4 mpg, isnt so bad when compared to most Suv's, pickup trucks and minivans.

[farbarg]

Originally Posted by GT3 Tim

It is the one "bad point" about the M.

True. Does anyone understand, from a technical perspective, what tradeoffs the engine designers made that resulted in this fuel economy? Just curious. . .

[PorscheRacer]

They must be babying the car. I average around 12 MPG

[M3-DCT]

Originally Posted by PoorMan

LOL 15.4 mpg, isnt so bad when compared to most Suv's, pickup trucks and minivans.

True .. but this is a compact that is "supposed" to be a daily driver as well. My Honda Odyssey gets over 22+ and the ML350 18+. I mean a 550i with all its weight, heft, torque and acceleration can get better than 7+ mpg MORE than the //M3.

I agree (outside of the 550i) the other cars I mentioned are not even in the same planet performance wise (but they do have incredible utility). A good 90% of us drive the car almost entirely on daily roads. When fuel hits $4+/gallon (and it will) this "compact" is going to cost me $100+/month more to just commute.

So just for the self-exclusivity of owning an //M and being able to track it a couple of days a year you're going to get killed in mileage, utility and the prestige factor as well (as the //M3 to 95% of the population is just another 3 series) the rest of the year.

I am not debating affordability .. sure most who buy the //M should be able to afford the increased gas (though I am conscious of my consumption as well) .. but I've come to the conclusion that unless you are going to track this baby .. often .. or have an autobahn in the back yard .. it's a waste .. sadly .. .

[montreal red]

Originally Posted by PoorMan

LOL 15.4 mpg, isnt so bad when compared to most Suv's, pickup trucks and minivans.

+1 on this...
my dad has an S500 and it has appalling fuel economy... much worse than mine. plus my car is so much more exciting to drive.

[JohnnyRoaster]

That is an interesting blog that I had not seen before. When you look at the blogs about the M3 there is one about "would I buy this car?" Here is the response for the M3

"2009 BMW M3: Only a fool would say no. Might be the best sedan in the world."

I think part of the bad mpg is due to how much fun it is to drive hard.

[Adonislike]

Originally Posted by GT3 Tim

It is the one "bad point" about the M. The benefits outweigh it though...I know we all did not buy this car for it's gas-sipping commuting ability! lol

+1

[1cleanm6]

Honestly who cares.....

if you can afford a m the gas is not to killer.

Its worth it for the 8000+ rpm and a v8.

Just like a ferrari

[edcvin]

I'm averaging maybe about 14.0 mpg and thats pretty good considering I was in the 12's for a while. Although my m3 is my only car its not used everyday but rather just whenever I want to take it out so this doesn't bother me. However, my previous job required a 70 mile round trip commute. I did this with my
My last car (2005 G35) wasn't so hot on fuel economy either averaging 16 mpg on the highway. The fuel economy sucks but its so worth it when you absolutely love the vehicle your driving.

-Vin

[Salespunk]

I don't know how you drive your Odyssey, but mine gets 16 MPG on an 06' Touring. It all depends on how you drive. The M3 begs to be driven hard compared to a 550i which you are going to cruise around in much more. From my experience the difference between my old 550i and my new M3 is ~3 to 4 MPG. Really just noise in my opinion.

[Crazy Bimmer]

Cant say that I would want any other car on that list besides the M3.

Well, maybe the GTR.

[Finnegan]

I didn't buy this car for fuel economy; I bought it because it's fun. If fuel economy is a big a deal then either: a). don't buy this car; b.) get a Prius/other hybrid or high MPG diesel as a daily driver or ride your bike to work to balance things out.

The M3 is by far the most fun I've ever had driving a car. It's a blast to drive and while our other car (a hybrid) is a fuel MPG champ it's a bore to drive. (We had the hybrid before the M3.)

The hybrid is great for stop and go traffic or boring chores or general boring (city) driving, but give me the M3 for the open road, back road twisties, or the PCH.

[kmarei]

and to be fair
i am sure they way they drive their M3 is very much unlike how they drive their TDI
i am sure every one of their staff probably redlines the M3 in every gear
while shifting at 2500rpm for the TDI

[URBAN LEGEND]

No reason for this car to be a gas guzzler. Just take a look at the ZO6 Vette. 500 plus horsepower and it's not a gas guzzler.

[Blake]

fun > MPGs

[CMOS]

The 2009 Porsche C2S gets 17 city, 25 hwy while making 385 hp and getting to 60 in 4.3 (with the PDK).
I get 24.x mpg on the highway in my 2007, so I'm sure that number is good.

This is why BMW is going to turbo for the next M3.

[Finnegan]

Originally Posted by URBAN LEGEND

No reason for this car to be a gas guzzler. Just take a look at the ZO6 Vette. 500 plus horsepower and it's not a gas guzzler.

The city mileage isn't that much different and can be accounted for by weight (~600 pounds less for the Vette).

Highway MPG is probably a partially weight but also a function of final drive ratio--I'll be the Vette is turning revs of a little over 2K while the M3 is at over 3K on the highway. The final drive is probably that way for responsiveness since the engine lacks TQ down low--but one can always downshift to a lower gear if it were geared for lower revs.

Both of those issues could be dealt by BMW you'd think. And you're right, after all if GM can do it you cannot tell me BMW can't!

That said, I'd still rather have my M3 than the Vette--but that's just me. Now a M3 in all forms that's 600 pounds lighter...sign me up!