Fuel consumption. Another observation vs E53

[Penguin]

Originally Posted by Fraser

The test wasn't devised by BMW, or any manufacturer for that matter, it's the work of government bureaucrats designed to 'help' the consumer.

True, but once the manufacturers know the cycle, they do tend to tweak the powertrain programming a bit to get good results on the specific cycle.

One year in the past, BMW motorcycles had a bit of a flat spot at a certain RPM, as knowing the placement of the microphone in the European driveby noise test, they tailored the engine controls a bit so that it was not quite as loud as it passed the microphone. Obviously there is a limit to what the manufacturers will do, as if they tweak it so much that driveability and performance are too adversely affected it will cause customer dissatisfaction, but if CAFE fines are at risk, or they find they have made a mistake and need a quick fix, as in the noise problem on the BMW motorcycle, they might tweak it a bit much. It is pure speculation, but I have heard some people question whether some of the transmission lag or jerkiness might be related to such "test cycle tailoring."