Well after having had a play on the motorway today I couldn't help being annoyed with the person responsible for selecting the ratios for the gear box in the vrs today. I've suspected this for a while but today gave me the chance to actually test my theory. I found it annoying that to have the engine running in the relaxed RPM band of 1500-2500 I had to slow down to 50MPH 2500rpm in 7th is only 50 MPH in a car with 180bhp! Am I the only one who thinks this is odd? I also noticed that the gearbox appears to have a difficult time deciding between gears when accelerating hard at times.

Let me explain the book claims that the VRS will produce 36.7 MPG urban and 54.3 MPG extra urban.

Now looking at what these test values relate to in the real world we need a bit of information about the test.

"The urban economy is measured using the test cycle known as ECE-15, introduced by the EEC Directive 90/C81/01 in 1999. It simulates a 4,052 m (2.518 mile) urban trip at an average speed of 18.7 km/h (11.6 mph) and at a maximum speed of 50 km/h (31 mph). The extra-urban cycle or EUDC lasts 400 seconds (6 minutes 40 seconds) at an average speed 62.6 km/h (39 mph) and a top speed of 120 km/h (74.6 mph)"

Yes that’s right Urban is an average speed of just 11.6 MPH and extra urban an average of a shocking 39 MPH.

And if you can be bothered to drive at 39mph you can get indicated MPG that leads me to believe this is true however how many people really drive at an average speed of just 39mph out of town?

So to get to the point of this rather rambling post, I want to see if anyone else feels that the VRS has been let down by the choice of ratios in the gearbox when they had Seven gears to play with?

I think it works just fine.... max speed is acheived in 5th, so 6th and 7th, are soley to allow for better fuel economy at higher speeds.

Edited 20 February, 201115 yr by sharkrider

And if you can be bothered to drive at 39mph you can get indicated MPG that leads me to believe this is true however how many people really drive at an average speed of just 39mph out of town?

I have highlighted the important parts. It would not be unusual to have an average speed or 39mph on many trips. The maxidot has an average speed display on it. Go for a 10 minute drive, switch to the average speed display and tell me what you see

I always look at the combined figure as the most I should be able to get in the real world. The test figures are done on a rolling road, so they don't take hills or wind resistance into account. It's a fixed programme to allow comparison between cars, and the manufacturers will of course wish to do the best they can on this specific test. Just like the emissions tests.

Maybe it was the fact I'd just spent 2 hours on 70 mph motorway and I'd gone looking that I noticed it a bit more.

That figure of 2500 rpm at 50mph surprises me for the vrs. The 1.2 tsi is only at about 2300rpm in 7th at 70 mph. 50 Mph in 7th is only around 1800rpm.

Edited 20 February, 201115 yr by Fabia00

Can, well said, i was thinking of posting something like this because of all the talk over fuel economy and not being able to achieve the posted figures. in some respects all engine/gearbox combos will be a compromise in order to meet the EU legislation now being foisted on car manufacturers, this is in some respects why Ferrari's are no longer sold with a manual box as they will have trouble meeting these emissions requirements (there was a pretty good article in Evo last year on this). Probably the real issue, and as exactly as is being experienced by people in this forum, is that theese tests do not reflect the real world. However, on the plus side is that you are driving a 180 bhp car which only has a tax disc costing £ 125 per year based on the CO2 emissions determined from these tests, and as CO2 is directly related to the amount of fuel burnt, i think we get a pretty good deal in this respect.

Can, well said, i was thinking of posting something like this because of all the talk over fuel economy and not being able to achieve the posted figures. in some respects all engine/gearbox combos will be a compromise in order to meet the EU legislation now being foisted on car manufacturers, this is in some respects why Ferrari's are no longer sold with a manual box as they will have trouble meeting these emissions requirements (there was a pretty good article in Evo last year on this). Probably the real issue, and as exactly as is being experienced by people in this forum, is that theese tests do not reflect the real world. However, on the plus side is that you are driving a 180 bhp car which only has a tax disc costing £ 125 per year based on the CO2 emissions determined from these tests, and as CO2 is directly related to the amount of fuel burnt, i think we get a pretty good deal in this respect.

agreed , loads of power with reduced taxes,AND a remap would make this even better. my old fiat will always be better in costs to the vRS, but the vRS will always be quicker...You choose what you buy.

as for ferrari? they are owned by fiat, they don't need to worry about emissions with all the sub 99k/g, 500 twin engines about to appear !!

yes, introduction of corporate economy across a manufacturers complete range. Why Porsche bought out VW isn't it?

Well after having had a play on the motorway today I couldn't help being annoyed with the person responsible for selecting the ratios for the gear box in the vrs today. I've suspected this for a while but today gave me the chance to actually test my theory. I found it annoying that to have the engine running in the relaxed RPM band of 1500-2500 I had to slow down to 50MPH 2500rpm in 7th is only 50 MPH in a car with 180bhp! Am I the only one who thinks this is odd? I also noticed that the gearbox appears to have a difficult time deciding between gears when accelerating hard at times.

Let me explain the book claims that the VRS will produce 36.7 MPG urban and 54.3 MPG extra urban.

Now looking at what these test values relate to in the real world we need a bit of information about the test.

"The urban economy is measured using the test cycle known as ECE-15, introduced by the EEC Directive 90/C81/01 in 1999. It simulates a 4,052 m (2.518 mile) urban trip at an average speed of 18.7 km/h (11.6 mph) and at a maximum speed of 50 km/h (31 mph). The extra-urban cycle or EUDC lasts 400 seconds (6 minutes 40 seconds) at an average speed 62.6 km/h (39 mph) and a top speed of 120 km/h (74.6 mph)"

Yes that’s right Urban is an average speed of just 11.6 MPH and extra urban an average of a shocking 39 MPH.

And if you can be bothered to drive at 39mph you can get indicated MPG that leads me to believe this is true however how many people really drive at an average speed of just 39mph out of town?

So to get to the point of this rather rambling post, I want to see if anyone else feels that the VRS has been let down by the choice of ratios in the gearbox when they had Seven gears to play with?

There are several ways that you drive a DSG, the paddle shifts, the drive function, manual selection and the sports mode. I'm guessing that the way you're driving the car is causing it to do what you said, try using the paddleshifts or sports mode if you want the extra speed.

Also for the complaint of the MPG, it's just a way of relaying the information back to you, extensive tests have been done on the engine before it was release, it's just a way to make the engine look more economical than it really will be when used by a normal driver. Those tests set the engine up for optimal driving settings to see what the highest MPG is.

I find the gears a bit odd, as it can be in 7th gear at 30mph...

then as you say, a bit indecisive when trying to kick down a gear or 3 on the motorway.

To this end, I find it esier to switch the gears from D to S when wanting to drop down, this always gives a good gear for "overtaking" and the auto is a lot beter at choosing the right gear for the speed. Not as ecconimical driving like this though.