Q: I was looking at the Mini UK website and the Mini Cooper S sold in the UK claims to have way better gas mileage than the one on the USA site. I checked if I was looking at the diesel by mistake but I wasn't. Somebody please clarify this for me.
A: There are about 1.2 US gallons in a UK imperial gallon. Divide UK numbers by 1.2 to make up for the larger gallon. For example 36miles/Imperial gallon / 1.2 = 30miles/US gallon. The UK drive cycle is not the same as the EPA test, you can't directly compare the two. Manual transmission Minis sold in the UK have auto start-stop. The engine stops when you put the car in neutral and take your foot off the clutch. It starts back up again when you depress the clutch. This saves fuel. US market Minis don't have that feature.