Petrol vRS "loosening up" - who's seen real economy improvements?

[havocUK]

I've just taken delivery of a vRS230 manual, and from my first tank of typical driving (commute 4 days, couple of short town runs) I got 28mpg.

 

...which I'm a little shocked by - I figured I'd get mid-30's from the car easily given the comments on here and the 'official' :cough: mpg figures.

 

 

I know the engine is likely to loosen up over time, but I'm wondering:-

 - what mpg improvement did new owners (220 or 230) see as their engine 'bedded in'?

 - after how many miles did it become apparent?  1k or 10k?

 - for those getting high mpg, how much time do you spend at what I'd call 'high-ish motorway cruising speeds' - stuff beginning with 8? 

 

(Because that's what seems to be killing it - whenever you try and adopt anything near an autobahn cruise the economy drops into the 20s, and whenever you open the throttle up it turns into Ollie Reed.  Drive it lower in the rev range at lower speeds and it'll return good mpg...but what's the point of a 230bhp hot hatch then???)

 

 

I bought the car as I wanted something a little more economical than my (32mpg driven how I want to) Civic Type R and a little more comfortable*, and I'm a little nervous right now.

 

Thanks all,

Martin.

 

 

 

 * Those 19" Extreme's have got to go! :(

[Auric Goldfinger]

I would think the MPG will improve after a few thousand miles once the engine has loosened up

 

I get my hands on my new 230 Manual Hatch tomorrow, I'm hoping to get into the low 20's. I only do around 5K a year so I'm not really bothered on mpg. I didn't buy it to tootle aound in.

[Gaz]

9k miles in and I've not noticed any meaningful improvements.

Gaz

[renton]

So my 220 has now covered 5000 miles and I can't feel any real loosening up to be honest.

In fact I still find it quite jerky in some instances.

Our mpg was low when we first bought it, around 28 mpg.

We have just done a 500 mile trip from the top of Scotland down to the Midlands over various roads and motorway.

Our average was 39 for the whole trip. Car was 4 up and fully loaded.

Sat at 76 on the motorway using cruise the instant mpg was reading anywhere between 38 and 49.

[M4rkos]

I am bit confused by this..if you wanted great economy why buy the VRS model?  :wonder: Give it some more miles and it will probably loosen up and become more economic though.

 

All manufacturers MPG results seem to be whack..as they probably test them under non real life situations and in the real world can't drive like that normally, i roughly subtract 25% or so from manufacturers claims to estimate a real world situation..doesn't everyone do this?

 

I have a petrol 220 VRS, just coming upto 20k miles and managed to get the average mpg readout to display 50.0 mpg the other day on a 20 mile trip. Admittedly that was because the motorway had roadworks and was restricted to 50 and then I carried on driving like miss daisy to see what I could get, and hey presto! This was super exceptional though...i even took a photo!

 

I would say on average I get about 33-34 mpg driven normally with the occasional spurt all done on non-motorway roads (b roads mainly). Any more than this and I find that I have to be actively trying..but its not what I bought this model of car for.

[GoneToBeemer]

After 20k miles I don't think my car is any more economical than it was with 100 miles. The only improvement I have had was after fitting my tuning box - on motorway runs its on average around 4 mpg better like for like. (150 DSG TDI)

Funny you've come from a CTR - driven steadily outside of VTEC they are surprisingly economical. I had an EP3 CTR and they would happily do 36-38 mpg on a steady cruise, and my S2000 after about 35/36. Mostly they were both bounced off the rev limiter in every gear though haha...miss those cars so much!

There's a thread on here that's fairly recent about TSI vRS owners and how do they get over 30mpg - consensus is mid 30s is about the best you'll get on average.

Edited 9 October, 2016 by vtec to vrs!

[Mallettsmallett]

I have a petrol 220 VRS, just coming upto 20k miles and managed to get the average mpg readout to display 50.0 mpg the other day on a 20 mile trip. Admittedly that was because the motorway had roadworks and was restricted to 50 and then I carried on driving like miss daisy to see what I could get, and hey presto! This was super exceptional though...i even took a photo!

.

I swear could hear a tiny scream from somewhere nearby when you posted that.

Incoming.

That aside, I get mid to upper thirties with mostly town based driving and some a roads. Motorway at speed limits I can get over forty.

Edited 9 October, 2016 by Mallettsmallett

[Gerrycan]

Don't expect too much improvement if any from covering more mileage, but there is certainly potential for improvement on what you are getting.

How long is you daily commute and what sort of roads and traffic conditions? That is going to be a big factor.

 

You have a new and relatively powerful car so there is always the temptation to give it some beans as often as possible, and probably not at the best of times.

Even in racing circles an F1 driver can sometimes be expected to improve consumption by 20% or more while limiting time losses to just seconds per lap to finish a race in the best possible position.

I've read that some of the best rally international rally drivers can also be the best exponents of economy driving while driving between the competitive stages.

What I'm trying to highlight is that if you pick your moments then you should get the best of both worlds. If traffic is heavy then lower the aggression factor and go into economy mode and save the fuel for more open conditions.

 

It sounds like you are driving the vRS  somewhat like you did the type R and quite simply using revs on a turbo engine is going to get rapid progress but even more rapid consumption of fuel. The turbo has more torque available low down and you can go almost as quick even when using higher gears and lower revs.

Revving out in 1st gear is an absolute killer for economy and tyres, so get into 2nd gear early and even then you can probably still break traction with the torque available from about 2000 rpm.

Edited 9 October, 2016 by Gerrycan

[marko]

I have a 230 on order, moving from a 2.0cr mk2 Blackline I think I may get a bit of a shock! I only do about 3k a year so not too bothered.. my tdi does 37mpg on my daily 12 mile round trip to work and 52mpg on a steady motorway run.

[havocUK]

Markos - I got this car because I wanted more economy but still in a car that revs - everything I read suggested the vRS petrol should get 35-40 average from combined use, which would be enough of a step up over the Civic to be worth the swap.

 

Gerry,

The vRS is no more powerful than my Civic (FD2 import saloon - 222bhp official, typically late-230s actual - hell of an engine and in that regard a very difficult act to follow), and the Skoda weighs ~50-100kg more, so thicker mid-range aside the performance is pretty similar / familiar.

Your comment about 'revving it out' is bang-on though - but that's my driving style - I like revs, hence why I didn't get a diesel.  If I'm going to have to drive this like a diesel to get the economy then it's going back and I'll get a 330d.

(I'm not using full-rpm yet as it's still running in, but I'll tend to (traction permitting) accelerate quickly to my desired speed then carry momentum - I'm not a tailgater / jerky driver so can usually avoid much braking/accelerating except at junctions)

 

I've tried a few different styles - 'enjoying' the car but giving respect to the bedding-in and I saw <27mpg / driving around country lanes like Miss Daisy I saw 34mpg.  That's genuinely worse than the Civic, and completely throws out of the window one of the main reasons for buying the car.

(I know official mpg figures are now a game, but the Civic's official are 31mpg combined / 40.4mpg M-way - I can easily achieve the first without being overly sedate, and if I restrict my speed to 70 I can easily get 35+ on the second measure.  Octavia is 44.8 combined / 52.4 M-way, so right now I'm >35% adrift, which is ridiculous.)

[GoneToBeemer]

Markos - I got this car because I wanted more economy but still in a car that revs - everything I read suggested the vRS petrol should get 35-40 average from combined use, which would be enough of a step up over the Civic to be worth the swap.

Gerry,

The vRS is no more powerful than my Civic (FD2 import saloon - 222bhp official, typically late-230s actual - hell of an engine and in that regard a very difficult act to follow), and the Skoda weighs ~50-100kg more, so thicker mid-range aside the performance is pretty similar / familiar.

Your comment about 'revving it out' is bang-on though - but that's my driving style - I like revs, hence why I didn't get a diesel. If I'm going to have to drive this like a diesel to get the economy then it's going back and I'll get a 330d.

(I'm not using full-rpm yet as it's still running in, but I'll tend to (traction permitting) accelerate quickly to my desired speed then carry momentum - I'm not a tailgater / jerky driver so can usually avoid much braking/accelerating except at junctions)

I've tried a few different styles - 'enjoying' the car but giving respect to the bedding-in and I saw <27mpg / driving around country lanes like Miss Daisy I saw 34mpg. That's genuinely worse than the Civic, and completely throws out of the window one of the main reasons for buying the car.

(I know official mpg figures are now a game, but the Civic's official are 31mpg combined / 40.4mpg M-way - I can easily achieve the first without being overly sedate, and if I restrict my speed to 70 I can easily get 35+ on the second measure. Octavia is 44.8 combined / 52.4 M-way, so right now I'm >35% adrift, which is ridiculous.)

Sorry to move off topic - would have loved an FD2! Drove one once and it was great!

Anyway, yeah you would think you'd get bettter economy out of the Octavia, but as I mentioned previously, the VTEC engines were surprising when nursed.

[aslettd230]

I've had my 230 DSG since 19th Sept, I've done just over 600 miles of steady driving a 12 mile journey 4 times a day, and playing around using the revs up-to 4000 between gears 2-5, according to the entertainment system I have achieved 31.9 since I picked her up, I'm happy with that while she's bedding in, and eventually I would expect to see it no worse than my 100k mileage mk5 gti that could easily achieve up-to 40 mpg on a steady run. Loving it by the way

[neiln]

Cruising at  mid to occasionally high 80s on a run I'd get 36 to 38 mpg.  Often do south London, through town to M1, then motorway to Chester, return a few days later. 400 miles round trip, one tank, and with return trip done small hours, empty roads and quicker speeds.   However, cruise at 70-75 and I'd get 40-41 mpg.

 

Mpg improved a fair bit over first 7 k ish.

[k3vkr]

I've just taken delivery of a vRS230 manual, and from my first tank of typical driving (commute 4 days, couple of short town runs) I got 28mpg.

 

...which I'm a little shocked by - I figured I'd get mid-30's from the car easily given the comments on here and the 'official' :cough: mpg figures.

 

 

I know the engine is likely to loosen up over time, but I'm wondering:-

 - what mpg improvement did new owners (220 or 230) see as their engine 'bedded in'?

 - after how many miles did it become apparent?  1k or 10k?

 - for those getting high mpg, how much time do you spend at what I'd call 'high-ish motorway cruising speeds' - stuff beginning with 8? 

 

(Because that's what seems to be killing it - whenever you try and adopt anything near an autobahn cruise the economy drops into the 20s, and whenever you open the throttle up it turns into Ollie Reed.  Drive it lower in the rev range at lower speeds and it'll return good mpg...but what's the point of a 230bhp hot hatch then???)

 

 

I bought the car as I wanted something a little more economical than my (32mpg driven how I want to) Civic Type R and a little more comfortable*, and I'm a little nervous right now.

 

Thanks all,

Martin.

 

 

 

 * Those 19" Extreme's have got to go! :(

 

I will swap you my anthracite extremes for your blacks, if you fancy it?

[Mallettsmallett]

I'll swap my 18s for your 19s!

[havocUK]

Appreciate the wheel swap options, but it's a contract hire car so no can do.

 

Anyway, I've decided - I'm rejecting the car back to VWFS within my 5 day window.  Shame, as it's a nice all-rounder, but I'm currently getting better mpg and similar ride quality from a more engaging car* which is paid off and will suffer less depreciation - so the reasons for getting the vRS have just disappeared.

 

I'm sure the engine will loosen-up and mpg will improve, but the most it's going to get to from 28 is ~35, which is ~10% better than the Civic and therefore hardly worth bothering with, given the cost of the lease to start with.

 

 

Really shocked with VAG's gaming of the economy figures with the current generation though - was talking to the nice lady at VWFS and pointed out my Civic is bang-on the official combined mpg, that our old Mk5 GTi was within 10% of official figures, and that Becs' current Golf-R, on mainly town runs, is ~15+% off the Urban figure.  So how the vRS can be close to 40% off right now, and almost certainly >20% off even when run-in - makes a joke of the whole thing and makes buying a new car a lottery - talking to my Honda dealer their nat-asp petrols are still pretty close, but anything with a turbo HAS to game the system to get a decent CO2 rating...

 

 

 

 

 * OK, less toys and no warranty, I know...

[themanwithnoaim]

Yeah, good luck with that one !!!

[ahenners]

How many miles do you do? Unless you do high mileage I'd say stop worrying and enjoy it!

My MK2 facelift averages 35mpg per tank if I'm lucky, and most of my miles are motorway. Even at my 16k a year, a diesel doing 50mpg would only save about 12 quid a week.

[havocUK]

I've already spoke to VWFS - they've clearly said no issue with returning it and cancelling agreement, nothing to pay them or the dealership either.  So unless they're lying (no reason to), it seems to be straightforward under contract hire.

 

mileage - probably 15-16k a year here too.  Your difference is about £700 a year / £60 a month, mine would be ~£40-50 a month between where I am now and where I'd expected to be / led to believe by salesmen.  But I'd already stretched myself to get the car, and an extra £1k+ over 2 years, along with pretty poor ride quality on the 19"s, just means the numbers don't add-up anymore.

 

(If this was the car I'd always promised myself, I'd find a way to make them add-up, but it's not - it seemed the best compromise if I had to sacrifice the Civic, which I utterly adore and, without wanting to sound rude, the Civic really shows where VAG are failing to deliver in terms of drivers' cars*.  I can see a couple of quick wins with the Octavia though - smaller, lighter wheels, proper sports exhaust and no sound-actor, geometry adjustment, new wingmirrors to eliminate the annoying wind noise at speed)

 

 

 

 * Yes, I need a go in a GTi Clubsport.  But that appears to be the only exception.

[GoneToBeemer]

Yeah, good luck with that one !!!

Exercising his right - I had the same option with mine.

[GoneToBeemer]

I've just taken delivery of a vRS230 manual, and from my first tank of typical driving (commute 4 days, couple of short town runs) I got 28mpg.

...which I'm a little shocked by - I figured I'd get mid-30's from the car easily given the comments on here and the 'official' :cough: mpg figures.

I know the engine is likely to loosen up over time, but I'm wondering:-

- what mpg improvement did new owners (220 or 230) see as their engine 'bedded in'?

- after how many miles did it become apparent? 1k or 10k?

- for those getting high mpg, how much time do you spend at what I'd call 'high-ish motorway cruising speeds' - stuff beginning with 8?

(Because that's what seems to be killing it - whenever you try and adopt anything near an autobahn cruise the economy drops into the 20s, and whenever you open the throttle up it turns into Ollie Reed. Drive it lower in the rev range at lower speeds and it'll return good mpg...but what's the point of a 230bhp hot hatch then???)

I bought the car as I wanted something a little more economical than my (32mpg driven how I want to) Civic Type R and a little more comfortable*, and I'm a little nervous right now.

Thanks all,

Martin.

* Those 19" Extreme's have got to go! :(

Have you still got the Civic then mate?

[havocUK]

Yeah - it's paid off and I didn't need to sell it to fund the vRS as the vRS was a lease not a cash purchase.

 

I do like the vRS...it's just going to end up too expensive for me for what I want from it.  May well get one in a few years time when they're run-in and cheaper...

[GoneToBeemer]

Yeah - it's paid off and I didn't need to sell it to fund the vRS as the vRS was a lease not a cash purchase.

I do like the vRS...it's just going to end up too expensive for me for what I want from it. May well get one in a few years time when they're run-in and cheaper...

If you want something decently quick in the real world and economical, I think you'll be looking at a diesel in all honesty.

You know yourself how relatively easy it is to extract half decent economy from a VTEC engine, and you aren't going to better that by much on a modern turbo petrol, unless it's a smaller unit.

My advice would be to look at something like a 320d on lease - you can get them for peanuts. Even a 330d you can lease for the same as I'm paying for my L&K, albeit for slightly less miles. For me, BMW make the best Diesel engines (I've had 3).

[ahenners]

BMW do make good diesels from a performance vs economy perspective, though the reliability of the N47 2.0D is pretty questionable with chain cam failures. Warrantied ownership is an absolute must on those.

I had an N57 330d previously and I'd love to go back to one. It's one of the best diesel engines out there imo; did 0-62 in 6.0secs (newer ones are even faster) and returned 40-50mpg easily on out of town journeys. It was far better on fuel than my petrol VRS.

[k3vkr]

This is just weird...

Why would you not do your research before buying a car, rather than order it, drive it for a few days then return it?