BMW 128ti

[Bill Turnip]

£25k got me a good one, in the colour I wanted, from a main dealer with a huge spec list 15 months ago so I'd assume that's still possible now.

That's a very similar deal to one I'm looking at, 7000 miles and a number of extras, although I'd be stuck with those red bits.

Presuming that she uses it as an everyday car, anything to look out for or has it just been solid?

 

[MrRockliffe]

I've got the 190bhp version of the B48 in our Countryman (which admittedly it's a slightly heavier body) and the best we've managed is 37.4mpg and that's absolutely babying it and using eco mode.

Don’t know what it is about the mini but I find they’re much worse for economy than the BMWs with the same engine


Test drove a clubman and managed 37 mpg in the B48. Managed 45 in a 3 series in similar conditions.


Someone I know has a hatch and they average 35 going up a dual carriageway for work.

My mate with a 320i averages 42.


It’s weird

 

[Armageus]

The average from factory on my M340i is 35...

Don’t know what it is about the mini but I find they’re much worse for economy than the BMWs with the same engine


Test drove a clubman and managed 37 mpg in the B48. Managed 45 in a 3 series in similar conditions.


Someone I know has a hatch and they average 35 going up a dual carriageway for work.

My mate with a 320i averages 42.


It’s weird

I suspect it's the very upright windscreen on Minis isn't particularly aerodynamic compared to a slippery saloon

 

[Dangerous Dave]

It’s also not helped by the Mini’s gearbox the ZF in the 3 Series has a taller 8th gear compared to the 8 speed Aisin box and the 7 speed DCT.

A JCW Mini auto is at 1800 revs at 70 it’s been a while since I drove one but pretty sure a 320i was 1500 ish. Our JCW could easily get into the 50s on a long run, we had a manual once and it could barely hit 45. A Cooper S DCT was a little better but still in the 40s can’t remember what the revs were at 70.

 

[Kei]

Don’t know what it is about the mini but I find they’re much worse for economy than the BMWs with the same engine


Test drove a clubman and managed 37 mpg in the B48. Managed 45 in a 3 series in similar conditions.


Someone I know has a hatch and they average 35 going up a dual carriageway for work.

My mate with a 320i averages 42.


It’s weird

Gearboxes make a big difference. I've had 3 cars with the same basic B48 engine but with different gearboxes and all of them achieve quite different MPG.
F55 mini cooper s with aisin 6 speed which managed an average of 37.8mpg over 20k. (peak mpg 44.8, low mpg 34.8)
F54 mini clubman cooper s with magna 7 speed DCT managed an average of 42.35 over 50k. (peak mpg 47.2, low mpg 36.4)
BMW G21 320i with ZF8 currently averaging 39.9mpg over 20k. (peak mpg 42.1, low mpg 36.9)

On a constant run, the 320i would get the best mpg, probably because of the taller 8th gear and the better aerodynamic body but any stop start stuff and the DCT easily beats the torque converter.

 

[[TW]Fox]

Gearboxes make a big difference. I've had 3 cars with the same basic B48 engine but with different gearboxes and all of them achieve quite different MPG.
F55 mini cooper s with aisin 6 speed which managed an average of 37.8mpg over 20k. (peak mpg 44.8, low mpg 34.8)
F54 mini clubman cooper s with magna 7 speed DCT managed an average of 42.35 over 50k. (peak mpg 47.2, low mpg 36.4)
BMW G21 320i with ZF8 currently averaging 39.9mpg over 20k. (peak mpg 42.1, low mpg 36.9)

On a constant run, the 320i would get the best mpg, probably because of the taller 8th gear and the better aerodynamic body but any stop start stuff and the DCT easily beats the torque converter.

I don't think your figures really support the point you've made there - one of those cars is a nearly 1700kg saloon car and the other is a 1300kg small hatchback, yet has a lower low average than the heavier, larger car. This to my suggests that the engine and gearbox combination in the 3 Series is simply better, even when we allow for the relatively poorer aerodynamics of the Mini.

The Mini should be miles more efficient than the 3 Series, its a far smaller and lighter car. But it isn't - something thats mirrored in our household where our two cars, a 2018 1.5 Cooper Manual and a 2021 M340i automatic, deliver not massively different fuel economy figures at times...

 

[EvilRob]

Wife has had 128ti for a couple of years. Been great so far and it's fun to drive.
Had to travel cross country to get one fully loaded, though.

 

[MissChief]

It’s also not helped by the Mini’s gearbox the ZF in the 3 Series has a taller 8th gear compared to the 8 speed Aisin box and the 7 speed DCT.

A JCW Mini auto is at 1800 revs at 70 it’s been a while since I drove one but pretty sure a 320i was 1500 ish. Our JCW could easily get into the 50s on a long run, we had a manual once and it could barely hit 45. A Cooper S DCT was a little better but still in the 40s can’t remember what the revs were at 70.

I run at 1900rpm at 70 in my 428i. Best economy I’ve had was about 46mpg on a long run.

 

[Bill Turnip]

Wife has had 128ti for a couple of years. Been great so far and it's fun to drive.
Had to travel cross country to get one fully loaded, though.

How is it for longer distance journeys? I'll get a quick feel for the shorter distance stuff on the test drive, but is it happy enough on the motorway for a few hours?

I realise I'm asking questions that seem incongruous with the car I'm looking at, but it's more that reviews don't particularly focus on them as they want to talk about handling and performance (which I totally get), and I'm just trying to get a full picture.

 

[EvilRob]

How is it for longer distance journeys? I'll get a quick feel for the shorter distance stuff on the test drive, but is it happy enough on the motorway for a few hours?

I realise I'm asking questions that seem incongruous with the car I'm looking at, but it's more that reviews don't particularly focus on them as they want to talk about handling and performance (which I totally get), and I'm just trying to get a full picture.

I sold my M850i in December so we've been using the 128ti for long distance journeys for the time being. It took a bit of getting used to given the opposite ends of the spectrum, but I'm happy enough doing the ~200 mile each way trip to visit family in it once a month or so. It's as comfortable, quiet and planted as it can be for a car its size I think. You don't feel the stiff suspension much on most motorways. The only real pain I have with it over longer distances is that you can't (or couldn't when we bought) get it with any of the driving assistant capabilities - standard cruise control is all you've got.

 

[Bill Turnip]

That's very good to know. I don't personally like or use cruise control at all, but I know my other half is a big fan of the adaptive one we currently have.

 

[Journey]

Tend to do around 20k miles a year, and hope that

A totally fair point. I was hoping to get something with more performance than our civic but at a similar economy level, if possible. We currently get around 40, and I had seen reviews of people getting around that with a 128, hence the interest.

Electric is a no for me, not something I'm too keen on just yet. Living in deepest Cornwall doesn't lend itself to cutting edge.

20k miles per year at 35MPG is £4,500 at todays fuel prices, and likely to be over £5k per year if things continue. Fair comment about EV not for you but just stick at that, where you live has no impact if you are charging from home, and Cornwall actually has decent public charging compared to a lot of places as well.

20k miles per year/384 miles average per week coincidentally is pretty much the exact range of the 128ti 50l tank at 35 MPG. Or if you were running something like a Model 3 performance 2x home charges per week, from 10-80% (£5.76 a week off peak costs or £300 a year).

I have no input, its just maths.

 

[Peerzy]

That's a very similar deal to one I'm looking at, 7000 miles and a number of extras, although I'd be stuck with those red bits.

Presuming that she uses it as an everyday car, anything to look out for or has it just been solid?

Yeah, it's used every day and I tend to drive it at the weekend as it's the family / sensible car. I really enjoy driving it and no issues so far. I was even pleasantly surprised when we needed 2 tyres recently that they were very reasonable (and half the price of the tyres on my 840i).