When I first got my yeti in april the MPG going to and from work was 30 mpg, as the months have gone by its down to 27mpg and i'm taking it really steady to work. Anyone else experience this drop off? I'd be expecting things to get better, not worse.

It's started to get colder firstly, plus when does it need a service. A blocked air filter can easily affect consumption, as can tyre pressures, as can a slight change in driving route.

Mine changes drastically if SWMBO uses it for the weekend!!

Done 5000 miles, same route, temperature yes colder but not that cold. Check Tyre pressures every week, 34psi all round. Might pop the air filter out althogh i'd hope its not that bad. Remembered i've got a obd2 scanner so will collect some data to see if there's anything of note. Not vagcom but better than nowt. Typical this is the first car i've treated gently and its giving the worst mpg. Perhaps it needs some hard driving!

You didn't mention your mileage to work.

If it's a long journey, temperature shouldn't make that much difference.

my Diesel Yeti takes about 10 miles to reach normal oil temperature .

Its about 18 miles to work.

It seems likely -if counter intuitive-that the "taking it really steady to work" is to blame. Your 1.8tsi may be more efficient driven with a little more "brio".

I have been learning from scratch the technique of "making progress" with a diesel after many different petrol vehicles over 40+years on the road.

Your original style may have simply been a better one with the combination of power band and gearing of your Yeti over the mix of roads which make up your 18 miles.

It seems likely -if counter intuitive-that the "taking it really steady to work" is to blame. Your 1.8tsi may be more efficient driven with a little more "brio".

I have been learning from scratch the technique of "making progress" with a diesel after many different petrol vehicles over 40+years on the road.

Your original style may have simply been a better one with the combination of power band and gearing of your Yeti over the mix of roads which make up your 18 miles.

Was wondering the same thing. I did have a diesel before so its possible i'm driving eco diesel style. I went out and gave the yeti some beans, its possibly still a tad tight, from 5k revs up. Will have to try going back to old driving style and see how it fares. Failing that having driven the missus 1.2 I wouldn't be adverse to changing to one.

My 1.8TSi has disappointed me from the start in the fuel economy stakes. Over 15,000 miles, it has averaged 30.8 MPG, very few short journeys mostly trips over 10 miles, and about 70% of that total is motorway mileage. I'm suspicious that it's running a bit rich, (always black exhaust, even on a long constant high speed run) but I queried it when it went in for it's first service and was told that the mixture is "correct".

What I have noticed is the phenomenal difference in fuel consumption between driving at 60mph & 70mph. Our SM's have all the aerodynamics of a house brick I'm afraid and once you get over 60mph, the blunt frontal area really starts taking it's toll.

I see that Honest John in the Telegraph seems to have stopped recommending the Yeti 1.8TSi. The last time he mentioned it a couple of months ago, he did say that it's a bit thirsty "but the latest ones have been modified to improve consumption". Is that merely an ECU re-program, or something more drastic?

Other than economy, and the usual Yeti Pet Hates, I'm still totally besotted with my SM, it's still the most competent car I've ever owned.

My 1.8TSi has disappointed me from the start in the fuel economy stakes. Over 15,000 miles, it has averaged 30.8 MPG, very few short journeys mostly trips over 10 miles, and about 70% of that total is motorway mileage. I'm suspicious that it's running a bit rich, (always black exhaust, even on a long constant high speed run) but I queried it when it went in for it's first service and was told that the mixture is "correct".

What I have noticed is the phenomenal difference in fuel consumption between driving at 60mph & 70mph. Our SM's have all the aerodynamics of a house brick I'm afraid and once you get over 60mph, the blunt frontal area really starts taking it's toll.

I see that Honest John in the Telegraph seems to have stopped recommending the Yeti 1.8TSi. The last time he mentioned it a couple of months ago, he did say that it's a bit thirsty "but the latest ones have been modified to improve consumption". Is that merely an ECU re-program, or something more drastic?

Other than economy, and the usual Yeti Pet Hates, I'm still totally besotted with my SM, it's still the most competent car I've ever owned.

Think i'd be happy with 30mpg right now. I was expecting low 30's but 27 is not good. Am debating getting shot of the yeti. As good a car as it is, the mpg is too low for my liking.

Its about 18 miles to work.

18 miles of what though?

That could be anything from 18 miles of Croydon, South London traffic to 18 miles between here and Rhayader.

18 miles of what though?

That could be anything from 18 miles of Croydon, South London traffic to 18 miles between here and Rhayader.

Dual carriage way, 7am so fairly clear, 6pm on the way back, again not too bad. Few slight inclines on the way to work, but that gets balanced out by the journey home. Been keeping to around 65mph.

Did log some stats from the ecu but nowt shows up. Although I forgot to log a couple of sensors which did mean the info not complete.

Try dropping your speed by 5 mph. It will take you less than 5 minutes extra, but might save you lots of pennies.

18 miles of Croydon, South London traffic

That will be 20mpg & 5mph average please sir

And that's a diesel

In urban areas, the thing that cripples economy are traffic lights. Or any occasion where you have to stop & set off again. Accelerating from a stop (and the length of time with the engine ticking over whilst stationary) will make quite a mess of the average consumption over your journey.

As i said, my 30.8mpg average over the first 15,000 miles includes a high proportion of motorway cruising (and some rather quick stuff in-between).

On an 8 mile run with a warm engine locally on a straight 4 lane urban road, 30mph limit, with no traffic about, I can get around 31 to 34mpg door to door if I don't have to stop at any traffic lights. The same journey if (when) I get caught at most of the 11 sets of t/lights, still with little other traffic around, drops the consumption to about 27mpg. At busy times with queues at all those lights things can drop to a frightening 23mpg or even worse. And I'm driving economically, no heavy right foot, no harsh braking, usually anticipating the next stop etc.

A few journeys like that will have a devastating effect on your overall average, particularly if your route enables you to accelerate to 50 or 60mph between stops. The bottom line is the biggest effect on consumption is your right foot - accelerating & braking wastes a phenomenal amount of fuel, as does time when you are stationary with the engine running. That's why stop/start technology is being developed so intensively - to get economy figures up.

Don't forget, your SM isn't a light vehicle, despite it's performance. It's engine encourages sprightly progress and once that turbo spins up, there is a substantial negative effect on economy. :(

Edited 6 November, 201114 yr by speedsport

Cough cough

21k miles, including 2k towing a caravan = 46mpg average

Oh I love my diesel!!

Does make me realise that even though I drive around South London lots, in a petrol my fuel bill would be much, much higher.....

Cough cough

21k miles, including 2k towing a caravan = 46mpg average

Oh I love my diesel!!

Graham, I originally ordered a diesel too the 180hp 2.0, but when I found the waiting list was expected to be 5 months (and in reality would have been nearer 8) I accepted a 1.8T petrol that was a cancelled order. With hindsight, although I'm very pleased with my SM, I'd still have preferred the diesel, particularly when towing.

The consolation is that I've enjoyed 5 to 8 months more fun Yeti ownership and, in reality given my annual mileage, I would have had to own the diesel for over 5 years to recoup its additional cost compared with the cost of the extra petrol I'm using.

Swings vs roundabouts? I'm just a happy Yeti owner!!

Edited 6 November, 201114 yr by speedsport

have you considered getting it remapped? even a performance map usally leads to better economy so an economy focused map from someone like Ben at shark would help..

I know its not the same vehicle or engine, but my mk1 Octy 4x4 pre map was averaging mid to high 20's and rarely saw over 30 if I drove miss daisy. Post mapping I regularly see 30+ and have had highs of 40 driving miss daisy.

I have debated getting a remap, weighing up the pro's and con's (warrenty issues mainly). I've done the sums and I'm still quids in versus getting a diesel due to the lower purchase cost up to about three years (by which time I'll probably be looking to change). So its not all bad. Would still like to see better fuel consumption though, it does feel rather low. I used my odb2 device and an app called torque to see mpg results.At 75mph it came out at 27mpg (maxidot said around 28). Will try the same on the way home and over the next few days at different speeds to see the difference.

I think I might also get the garage to have a look to rule out sensor issues etc.

I see that Honest John in the Telegraph seems to have stopped recommending the Yeti 1.8TSi. The last time he mentioned it a couple of months ago, he did say that it's a bit thirsty "but the latest ones have been modified to improve consumption". Is that merely an ECU re-program, or something more drastic?

If you can find that mention again, would you be willing to ask HonestJohn what the mod consisted of, when it was introduced, and whether it can be done to earlier cars (e.g. a software update). In the past I've found him responsive to questions. And the answer would be keenly awaited round here. We can often get 30 mpg or better in our 1.8, but it's very easy to knock it below 30. And the exhaust, as you say, is black.

If you can find that mention again, would you be willing to ask HonestJohn what the mod consisted of, when it was introduced, and whether it can be done to earlier cars (e.g. a software update). In the past I've found him responsive to questions. And the answer would be keenly awaited round here. We can often get 30 mpg or better in our 1.8, but it's very easy to knock it below 30. And the exhaust, as you say, is black.

I'll ask!

I have wondered if the black exhaust could simply be that the inward roll of the tail pipes traps water and therefore collects the residue in suspension rather than it flowing out cleanly as would happen on a car with a plain pipe. I have noticed that unless the exhaust gets pretty hot right to the back, there always seems to be water there - and I note that there is a tiny drain hole in each pipe between the bright trim and the back silencer to let this drain out when the vehicle is stationary.

My RS2000 has exactly the same design of tail pipe and that too is always black, unless I've really been pushing on at high speed for a lengthy journey (100miles or more) at which point the tail pipe is too hot to touch and does show signs of a nice light gray hue!

I've been convinced mine runs rich since day one. :yes:

I see that Honest John in the Telegraph seems to have stopped recommending the Yeti 1.8TSi. The last time he mentioned it a couple of months ago, he did say that it's a bit thirsty "but the latest ones have been modified to improve consumption". Is that merely an ECU re-program, or something more drastic?

I think the answer is on the HonestJohn website where he talks of the "improved and cheaper 1.8 TSI from May 2011." So he must mean the 152PS version of the 1.8TSI in the SE Plus, not some modification of the 160PS engine. It sounds as though he has heard of a difference between the two in real-world consumption, even though the brochure figures for the two engines show identical consumption.

I wonder if anyone on here has the 152PS engine and can comment on consumption?

Forgive me having another bite at this one.

A 12-hour drive in the Yeti today, encompassing everything from near-empty motorways to single-track roads with passing places, reminded me that the 1.8TSi 4x4 is almost two different cars when it comes to fuel consumption.

Thee first hour was on the motorway with a tight deadline to meet. Speed mostly 80 to 85. Consumption, according to the MFD, was 27. For a car of the Yeti's size and engine capacity, I find this disappointing verging on poor. The measure of it is that I can do the same journey at the same speed in my 4.8-litre BMW and get equal or better fuel consumption, plus of course vastly better acceleration when required (not to mention a good deal more interior space, etc.)

But taking the day as a whole shows a quite different picture. A couple of hours were on single-track roads where it was seldom possible to get into 5th or 6th gear and stops at passing places were numerous. Then a long section on A-roads cruising at 50 to 60 mph. The day finished with the MFD showing 37.5 mpg overall - and that average included the first hour at 27 mpg, as well as the single-track roads.

So in my view our 1.8 TSI is disappointingly thirsty at 80 mph (27 mpg) and unexpectedly economical at 50 to 60 mph (better than 37 mpg). You're never alone with schizophrenia. Or more to the point, frontal area rules, since air resistance rises as the square of speed.

By the way, I'm aware that MFD figures are not to be taken literally, but I'm using them here for comparative purposes, not absolute accuracy.

The Yeti has the aerodynamics of a 3 bedromm semi-detached house. Cd=0.370