BMW 5 series 1981 fuel consumption
Year-to-year deviations of actual owner-reported average fuel consumption from advertised values
| Year | Gasoline cars | Diesel cars | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All carmakers | BMW 5 series | All carmakers | BMW 5 series | |
See below for the actual consumption of generations and versions of BMW 5 series.
BMW 5 series 1981 E28 sedan fuel economy
| Average advertised fuel consumption for petrol engines | 25.2 MPG 9.3 l/100km |
| Average real-world fuel consumption for petrol engines | 21.9 MPG 10.8 l/100km |
| Average real gasoline consumption difference * | +18% |
| Average advertised fuel consumption for diesel engines | 32.5 MPG 7.2 l/100km |
| Average real-world fuel consumption for diesel engines | 30.9 MPG 7.6 l/100km |
| Average real diesel consumption difference * | +7% |
According to advertised fuel consumption, a BMW 5 series 1981 with automatic transmission consumes on average 0.2 liters per 100 km or 2% more fuel than similar versions with manual gearbox. Based on user-reported real-world fuel consumption, this generation BMW 5 series with automatic transmission consumes around 0.8 litres per 100 km or 7% more fuel than a version with the same engine but a manual gearbox.
Compared to similar cars of other manufacturers, the BMW 5 series advertised fuel economy is average, but according to available user reports on actual consumption, real fuel economy is noticeably below average - at least two thirds of similar cars have lower fuel consumption.
The best real fuel economy in its class according to user reviews of all the modifications has modification with 2.0 petrol engine and manual transmission (BMW 520i 125 HP). However, of all modifications the best advertised fuel economy in its class has BMW 5 series with 1.8 petrol engine and manual transmission (BMW 518i 105 HP).
The table below shows the real and claimed fuel consumption and the differences for specific versions.
| Modification | Claimed consumption | Real consumption |
|---|---|---|
| 1.8 liter petrol engine | ||
| BMW 518 90 HP manual | 24.8 MPG 9.5 l/100km |
|
| BMW 518i 105 HP manual | 29.4 MPG 8.0 l/100km |
26.4 MPG 8.9 l/100km+11% |
| 2.0 liter petrol engine | ||
| BMW 520i 125 HP manual | 26.7 MPG 8.8 l/100km |
25.6 MPG 9.2 l/100km+5% |
| BMW 520i 125 HP automatic | 27.0 MPG 8.7 l/100km |
|
| BMW 520i 129 HP manual | 25.6 MPG 9.2 l/100km |
22.8 MPG 10.3 l/100km+12% |
| BMW 520i 129 HP automatic | 27.0 MPG 8.7 l/100km |
22.0 MPG 10.7 l/100km+23% |
| BMW 520i 129 HP manual | 23.5 MPG 10.0 l/100km |
22.6 MPG 10.4 l/100km+4% |
| BMW 520i 129 HP automatic | 24.0 MPG 9.8 l/100km |
22.0 MPG 10.7 l/100km+9% |
| 2.4 liter diesel engine | ||
| BMW 524d 86 HP manual | 31.8 MPG 7.4 l/100km |
|
| BMW 524td 115 HP manual | 33.1 MPG 7.1 l/100km |
30.9 MPG 7.6 l/100km+7% |
| BMW 524td 115 HP automatic | 32.7 MPG 7.2 l/100km |
|
| 2.5 liter petrol engine | ||
| BMW 525i 150 HP manual | 23.5 MPG 10.0 l/100km |
|
| BMW 525i 150 HP automatic | 23.5 MPG 10.0 l/100km |
|
| 2.7 liter petrol engine | ||
| BMW 525e 129 HP manual | 29.0 MPG 8.1 l/100km |
23.1 MPG 10.2 l/100km+26% |
| BMW 525e 129 HP automatic | 28.3 MPG 8.3 l/100km |
22.0 MPG 10.7 l/100km+29% |
| BMW 525e 129 HP automatic | 26.7 MPG 8.8 l/100km |
22.0 MPG 10.7 l/100km+22% |
| 2.8 liter petrol engine | ||
| BMW 528i 184 HP manual | 23.5 MPG 10.0 l/100km |
19.4 MPG 12.1 l/100km+21% |
| BMW 528i 184 HP automatic | 23.5 MPG 10.0 l/100km |
17.3 MPG 13.6 l/100km+36% |
| 3.4 liter petrol engine | ||
| BMW 535i 218 HP manual | 23.5 MPG 10.0 l/100km |
20.3 MPG 11.6 l/100km+16% |
| BMW 535i 218 HP automatic | 21.4 MPG 11.0 l/100km |
|
* - Difference between advertised and user reported fuel economy has been calculated taking into account only those car versions for which information is available both on the fuel consumption specified by the manufacturer and reported by users.