I have a 2001  Fabia 1.4 mpi which is doing 22mpg 

The engine has 79000 miles under its belt and has had new plugs, air and oil filter , it runs fine but has the usual lumpy tickover 

The car is only used for short journeys and it is rather hilly round here but it doesnt get thrashed

Should i expect more to the gallon

Any comments greatly appreciated 

Depends on trafic and not on how hard you get on the pedal. Mine does better around the city, somewhere around 30 and 38 on country roads. Tires make a huge difference on this car though. If you are not oftenly speeding and not hard on corners you can live with less grip and traction so I'd recommend 175/65/14 for best fuel efficiency. Get your car tester for emissions because a faulty O2 Pre cat sensor can get a 10% higher fuel consumption. The book specs about this engine says 29mpg in the city so it is thirsty though.

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Edited 2 January, 201610 yr by Alexandru

Thank you Alexandru

I will certainly be fitting the tyres you suggest  and will get the emissions tested even though it has just passed the MOT test 

Regards

Mark

Other than that, check if your temp needle gets and stays at the middle all the time. I ve made an error, tire size is 170/65 R14.

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Definitely get the car scanned, a problem on any of the following could easily cause higher fuel consumption: pre-cat o2 sensor, coolant temp sensor, EVAP control valve.

 

For comparison, I get 28-30 in city centre, 30-35 in suburban areas (30-50mph limit roads, not many traffic lights), and 38-44 on motorway. I drive pretty carefully on the throttle though, not much point in revving the MPI as you won't go much faster anyway!

Edited 3 January, 201610 yr by wiredsoftware

Thermostat being partially/fully open when it shouldn't be, would be my best guess, pending info on where the temperature gauge gets to, and how fast it gets there during warm-up.

not much point in revving the MPI as you won't go much faster anyway!

 

I confirm that, but it does sound nice once you get it over 3000rpm though; keeping the exhaust clean and moisture free is also necessary for the o2 probes and catalyst as well. 

Thank you for all your input

The car warms up quite quickly and temp gauge sits in middle once warmed up,heater blowing warm within a mile or so

 

I have a scanner so will try with that otherwise I will have to download Vagcom and buy a lead (i gave last lead away when i sold my 2.0 Beetle which i thought was thirsty  )

I would go for a 1.4 TDI for a good fuel consumption. I've seen a friend of mine which had one of those, pretty high spec I must say, and he was doing about 50mpg in a crowded city at -5 Celsius. I can't get 50mpg even on the motorway ..

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