Fuel economy (35i)

[E92friendly]

Hello everyone. Not new to Bimmerpost but new to this side of the community. I've purchased a 2013 x5 35i the 6 cylinder turbo. What are the best suggestions to increase fuel economy on this model? Tunes? Mods? Hidden features built into the car? Thanks for all inputs.

Yes I already know driving style makes a difference also. So besides that.

[slovakE70]

I would check first whether engine is running as it should. That means fuel trims, lambda values, vanos solenoids, maf sensor, spark plugs ect.
And run smallest wheels you can.

Mind it's big 5000 lbs family SUV, can't expect Prius fuel economy

[E92friendly]

Originally Posted by slovakE70

I would check first whether engine is running as it should. That means fuel trims, lambda values, vanos solenoids, maf sensor, spark plugs ect.
And run smallest wheels you can.

Mind it's big 5000 lbs family SUV, can't expect Prius fuel economy

Yeah I know, figured I'd try my best. It has the M package so it's got the bigger wheels wider tires on it.

[CarFan]

What's your MPG goal? I bought my 2013 X5 new and I'm very pleased with its efficiency. Especially on long trips. According to the Fuelio app my best road trip yielded just over 26 mpg over several tanks. Granted it was over 1200 miles all in one day. But even when not doing just highway driving the X5 runs efficiently. For the last 8k miles I've gotten almost 21 MPG including errands in the city and suburbs.

[torrque]

If you think the 21Mpg in the city is bad, don't ever buy a E92 M3

[mitch808]

You've got big, heavy 20" wheels, and the X5 is not a lightweight platform. Getting anywhere from 16+ you should be happy.

A tune could make things better, if you'[re not heavy footed. 1-2MPG at best
Lighter wheels will make a difference too. That's about it.

Of course, keeping things in tiptop shape like plugs, oil, fluids, filters, etc are all important and contribute to the overall MPG's too.

Beyond that, be happy it's not a V8 getting sub-14MPG...

[Thecastle]

Pickups and SUVS are not designed for fuel effiency, if that was a top goal you've not selected the right vehicle and won't be happy with it.

IF there was much to be gained on the car, the engineers would have already wrung it out.

The best you can do is, smaller lighter wheels (weight matters), and tires. Select tires with low rolling resistance, this sacrifices traction and your ability to avoid accidents in exchange for better fuel economy.

Make sure your tires are inflated to the recommended pressure

Replace all of your fluids, spark plugs, and air filters (tune it up), make sure the plugs are gapped correctly.

remove excess items from the vehicle (less crap, less gas)

drive more slowly. Fuel economy is directly impacted by speed, try using your brakes as little as possible. Driving technique plays a huge role.

Try running a higher temp thermostat, the hotter the engine is to a point the more efficient it runs, though at the sacrifice of reliability.

Use the correct octane for your engine

Lower it

Remove any roof racks or roof rails, they add a ton of drag.

Add a grill shutter

Make sure all the underside air shields are there, a lot of them get torn off by careless drivers and or forgotten by mechanics.

26mpg is higher than the epa rating I believe for this car.

There are some hyper miller websites out there that can give more suggestions.

[E92friendly]

Originally Posted by Thecastle

Pickups and SUVS are not designed for fuel effiency, if that was a top goal you've not selected the right vehicle and won't be happy with it.

IF there was much to be gained on the car, the engineers would have already wrung it out.

The best you can do is, smaller lighter wheels (weight matters), and tires. Select tires with low rolling resistance, this sacrifices traction and your ability to avoid accidents in exchange for better fuel economy.

Make sure your tires are inflated to the recommended pressure

Replace all of your fluids, spark plugs, and air filters (tune it up), make sure the plugs are gapped correctly.

remove excess items from the vehicle (less crap, less gas)

drive more slowly. Fuel economy is directly impacted by speed, try using your brakes as little as possible. Driving technique plays a huge role.

Try running a higher temp thermostat, the hotter the engine is to a point the more efficient it runs, though at the sacrifice of reliability.

Use the correct octane for your engine

Lower it

Remove any roof racks or roof rails, they add a ton of drag.

Add a grill shutter

Make sure all the underside air shields are there, a lot of them get torn off by careless drivers and or forgotten by mechanics.

26mpg is higher than the epa rating I believe for this car.

There are some hyper miller websites out there that can give more suggestions.

Yeah I learned to accept that it will never be a Prius hahahaha kk but assured that I won't get anywhere better than what I'm getting now. I'll eventually just pickup a efficient beater and use that for long commutes. 🤷🏻*♂️