Last weekend I picked up a vRS TDi DSG 4 x 4 Estate, ex-demonstrator, 1,600 miles and £7k off list. I think the car is fantastic but at this stage slightly disappointed with the fuel consumption. I know this car isn't about economy but I have a 30 mile each way motorway commute at about 50 mph and it eventually shows 46mpg. Has now done 2,500 miles and will presumably free up over the next few thousand miles but what do others get when gently running? 

 

David

Mine (same but not 4x4) needed a few thousand to loosen up.  From memory it was less than 40 mpg for the first few tanks.  On a decent run mine will do over 50 but it averages as per my Fuelly below.  Interestingly mine is more economical at 70-75mph than it is at 60-65mph

Once you have done another few thousand miles maybe get some decent oil of the correct spec and change the Factory Filled Oil & filter and see if that gives an improved MPG.

often it can.

Maybe go for the correct spec but just not from Castrol / Quantum.

My non 4x4 DSG manages between 51-55 on my normal 60 mile commute to work (semi-twisty and lumpy A roads between Weymouth and Stonehenge), with 60k on the clock, so I'd assume that was run in by now!

 

Likewise I'd hoped for a bit more.

Even allowing for the extra weight of the 4WD system and oft repeated claims that the wet 6 speed DSG is not as efficient as a manual box, that does seem fairly poor for what should be ideal driving economy driving conditions and speeds.

If I were you I would start recording your fuelling into an app like Fuelly (fuelly.com) and comparing with your onboard computer results.

Also do a quick check of your route distance and car's odometer to make sure it is reasonably accurate, and you may as well check the speedo's accuracy against a GPS while you are at it.

That way you will either have confidence in the displayed consumption or at least know what the true consumption really is.

 

Since it is a regular commute you will have plenty of time to experiment and compare the results from available modes (many report getting better results from Normal and Sport than Economy), or see how cruise control compares with your own throttle control.

Often helps to run the display showing 'instantaneous' consumption, of course there is a bit of a lag but you can get a better idea of what works and what doesn't.

 

I've not had a diesel with DPF but some have reported excessive regens in the early miles that settle down with more miles under the tyres (and check their pressures).

While you are doing reasonable distances, the speeds and engine loads are probably not enough to generate sufficient heat in the exhaust to burn off any carbon without a regen.

 

If there is something wrong then it is a start in the process of elimination.

Edited 31 October, 20169 yr by Gerrycan

I've only had my car 7 weeks now, racked up 1500 miles and managed to achieve the following;

'Nursing it' driving avg 51-53npg

'Normal' driving-avg 39-42 mpg

'Speedy' driving avg 34mpg

I am disappointed as I don't drive stupid fast and I am quite smooth most of the time. I do expect to see an improvement over next few thousand miles though.

My mates 15' plate 320d avg is 50mpg with constant variations in driving style, so naturally when I can only achieve that nursing it I'm quite disappointed. When he nurses it he averages 62mpg easily.

I didn't buy the diesel vrs to get good mpg, but think it is fair to expect a little better!

Should have got the 230.....

Once you have done another few thousand miles maybe get some decent oil of the correct spec and change the Factory Filled Oil & filter and see if that gives an improved MPG.

often it can.

Maybe go for the correct spec but just not from Castrol / Quantum.

I'm probably going to regret asking this, but why do you think that VW compliant fully synthetic oil from Castrol/Quantum is any worse than similar VW compliant oil from any other oil supplier?

Because with some engines it is. That is why.  Big brand, big recommendations from the worlds 2nd biggest car manufacturer, and nothing special.

Actually some Long Life Oils mean short life engines.

Try for instance 1.4 TSI / TFSI Twinchargers 132-136 kW from production 2009-2012 before the engines were revised.

Recommended oil 5w 30 VW 504 00 Full Synthetic Long Life.

 

Over a 25% Engine failure rate. 

Rebuilt, New Oil Spray Jets or Replacement Engines

What a diffference when using 5w 40 FS VW502 00.   Even Trained VWG Technicians now recognise this.

What a shame the VW will not do a TPI to that affect.

http://seatcupra.net/forums/showthread.php?t=407682

See timing chain. For this example.  Some will use Castrol 5w 40 FS VW502 00, but then its more money than others of equal or better quality.

http://revotechnik.com/support/technical/14tsi-twincharger-engine-issues

Edited 31 October, 20169 yr by Offski

I have about 20,000 miles up on my TDI RS and it's only recently I've started getting stellar MPG. 

 

For nursing driving - and I mean seriously concentrating on efficiency and economy I'm getting about 62 mpg on rural runs. 

Urban I'm managing about 54+. 

 

It takes a while for the engine to bed in. Plus, it's so hard to resist the power that's egging you on to floor it..!

Was your car on Variable / Flexible servicing and just had its first oil change a few thousand miles ago, or was it on Fixed Servicing and the oil changed at 10,000 miles ish?

I have a 4x4 vRS estate that has now reached 8,000 miles. Long term average on the computer is about 36mpg so real mpg likely to be 33ish I reckon. They do not seem to be great for economy, I guess the combination of 4x4 and DSG doesn't help.

My wife drives it mostly and she certainly doesn't drive hard. I like to ensure it gets a bit more stick...to keep the DPF from clogging of course...

I'm on fixed interval servicing at the minute - Had my second service completed only recently. Once my third service is done I'm switching over to variable given my mileage. 

 

Have to say overall I'm very happy with the economy I'm getting. Just takes a little bit more patience and foresight on my part when driving.

 

I still enjoy going for a great overtake though! 

...

...

Should have got the 230.....

 

 

Exactly!

Because with some engines it is. That is why. Big brand, big recommendations from the worlds 2nd biggest car manufacturer, and nothing special.

Actually some Long Life Oils mean short life engines.

Try for instance 1.4 TSI / TFSI Twinchargers 132-136 kW from production 2009-2012 before the engines were revised.

Recommended oil 5w 30 VW 504 00 Full Synthetic Long Life.

Over a 25% Engine failure rate.

Rebuilt, New Oil Spray Jets or Replacement Engines

What a diffference when using 5w 40 FS VW502 00. Even Trained VWG Technicians now recognise this.

What a shame the VW will not do a TPI to that affect.

http://seatcupra.net/forums/showthread.php?t=407682

See timing chain. For this example. Some will use Castrol 5w 40 FS VW502 00, but then its more money than others of equal or better quality.

http://revotechnik.com/support/technical/14tsi-twincharger-engine-issues

Was that an issue to do with the actual grade of the oil, or more to the fact that the engines needed servicing more regularly than the long life interval would suggest?

My diesel Octy is set to long life - but it's a lease car and I'm doing 18-20k miles a year. Couldn't care less if it fails, but I certainly wouldn't have a car I actually owned set to long life intervals that's for sure!

The Grade of the Oil because the engines 2009-2012 were Fixed Servicing but using 5W 30 FS Long Life VW 504 00.

As were the CTHE from 2012 with Variable Servicing and they are starting to fail now, not just the earliest CTHE's before the Software was changed again.

Not many actually have them going more than 10,000 miles between Oil & Filter changes.

 

Using 5w 40 instead of 5w 30 you can see the few degrees lower with the indicated oil temp.

You can easily see if you have an excessive oil user TSI / TFSI engine a bit of a drop in oil usage.

Edited 31 October, 20169 yr by Offski

Because with some engines it is. That is why.  Big brand, big recommendations from the worlds 2nd biggest car manufacturer, and nothing special.

Actually some Long Life Oils mean short life engine.

Read the links and see what you mean although the twin charger engine had a lot of other problems that no oil could fix.

The initial widespread 7 speed DSG problems experienced here in Australia were also linked to incorrectly spec'd lubrication.

 

I don't think that variable servicing is even an option here with mandatory 15k km or 1 year servicing, which makes sense anyway with the extreme heat conditions that we can experience.

 

I too would not want my first service to extend beyond 10k miles but I am less convinced it would make much difference to fuel consumption. Well not in my experience, and I think I would have noticed.

Castrol might be a bit more expensive but I do not think it would be any worse than any other brand for normal use.

Any oil has to be suitable and meet VW requirements to make sure the warranty is not rendered invalid.

 

There are a lot of other things I would be checking before changing the oil. Like:

Checking oil level - if the level is going down then it is being burnt and maybe causing unnecessary DPF regens.

Binding brakes

Tyre pressures - notoriously poor PDI item.

Air Filter - any contamination that might restrict flow

Onboard computer accuracy - already mentioned

Finding some long flat empty roads (like in Lincolnshire  or East Anglia) and seeing what the steady state consumption is like at a couple of speeds. That eliminates a lot of driver and route factors.

 

If there is no improvement over time and you have documented the above then I'd be returning to the dealer with a fix it demand but you would need to go back with a lot of documentation and 'proof'.

Who knows, with the numbers of disappointed owners on this site alone there may be a basis for a class action.

 

Looking in the Superb section of this Forum there are reports of outstanding consumption results from similar engines so the potential is there and I'm sure it is not just a VRS v. Superb type driver situation.

Point taken.

The thing is that not using the Recommended Long Life oil, or the VW OEM Filter or the crap OEM Spark Plugs  & only running the prescribed 98ron super unleaded (not sold in the UK) or a higher octane (99 ron min is available) has stopped the destruction of plenty of engines and turned around oil users that were fouling spark plugs and severing wear from bore wash.

.........................

 

So the crux of my suggestion in this thread forgetting what brand of oil you buy as long as it is the correct spec.

(having assumed the OP knew about tyre pressures etc.)

 

For £50 you can do an experiment.

Wait for about 8,000 miles from new until the new engine has benefited from the protection of the Factory filled engine oil, 

note your fuel consumption from the 2,000 miles to 8,000 miles, then do an oil change.

Then note your fuel consumption.  

Maybe there will be no improvement.

Maybe there will be a little over the next 10,000 miles until it gets its first Variable / Flexible Oil & Filter change.

If the cars is leased you might not bother, if a keeper it is well worth it, at least IMO.

*If the MPG was to improve by 1mpg over the next 10,000 miles you drive the saving in fuel pays for the oil change.*

(Unless my man maths are wrong obviously)

 

..................

Not relevant to this thread on this Diesel, or 6 Speed Wet DSG's. But was to some older Octavia 77kw TDI's with the DQ200

The World Wide Recall of the DQ200 7 Speed Twin Dry Clutch DSG from 2009 on until as late as 2014.

VWG filled many with Synthetic Oil as you might expect in this day and age, and the World Wide Recall which excluded Europe because they said there was no cause to, 

but later they started a Service Campaign on the cheap to Remove the Synthetic oil & refill with Mineral Oil & to do a Software Update.

Correctly in New Zealand the Mechatronic Control Unit was replaced. (But there as in Australia the number being done was low.)

http://skoda.co.nz/news/dsg-service-campaign

 

http://master.skoda-auto.com/mini-apps/recall-actions

Edited 1 November, 20169 yr by Offski

Mines a DSG, got just under 29k on the clock now.

Mixed driving, a bit of town work, fast A roads, a bit of MWay and a bit of stop start.

TRUE Average fuel economy over the last 3k is about 44mpg

However, if I drive like a saint and get the opportunity to run her for a fair distance at a constant speed with light throttle openings I can see on the Maxidot anywhere between 55 and 60mpg

Of course you probably don't own a vRS for out and out fuel economy...

Edited 1 November, 20169 yr by Mence

TRUE Average fuel economy over the last 3k is about 44mpg

However, if I drive like a saint and get the opportunity to run her for a fair distance at a constant speed with light throttle openings I can see on the Maxidot anywhere between 55 and 60mpg

Of course you probably don't own a vRS for out and out fuel economy...

That seems a pretty reasonable return and about what I would expect of a normally driven auto diesel.

Driving style is a major consumption factor (assuming the vehicle is functioning per manufacturer's spec).

I tend to drive to road conditions and speed limits irrespective of what type of car I am in, be it a 6Litre v8 or a 13 year old Toyota Echo (revving it out a bit more obviously), there is not a lot of difference in average speed or journey time as a result. 

I can understand the attraction of a vRS to those who enjoy their driving and the inclination to drive more adventurously than I.

 

In the good old, bad old pre DPF days of diesel you could tell how hard a diesel car or truck was trying by the amount of smoke out the exhaust.

My old Euro 4 non DPF standard 19PD mk 2 Octavia could throw out some smoke if I jabbed the throttle too hard too early, which curbed my enthusiasm for that sort of driving somewhat, just from embarrassment. Even then when I washed the car the rear was obviously covered with my own oily residue.

Even in the modern diesel maybe more enthusiastic driving tends to clog the DPF more quickly requiring more DPF regens and a double hit on economy?

Maybe it is a Superb v. vRS driver thing after all

Pure speculation on my part.

The main contributer to fuel economy is the driver.

You wont see 10mpg increase when the "engine is run in" nor from changing the oïl for the same spec.

 

I would hazard a guess that most people who are dissapointed with the initial fuel economy & then see it increase see the effect of themselves getting used to the car rather than any significant engine improvements.

 

The vRS Accelerator pedal is very agressive & you need to be very soft & smooth to get the best out of the fuel economy.

Its quite different to drive than if you come from a 1.6Tdi or even a small NA petrol engine.

 

That said 46mpg is not really terrible but you should be able to achieve closer to 50mpg in highway conditions & towards 60mpg if you drive for ecomony e.g. 50/60mpg

(Maybe a little less than this with teh 4x4 & DSG but several people achieve this with the manual)

 

Concentrate on what your right foot is doing especially when cruising at a constant speed or following the car in front.

There's no need to be constantly on/off the pedal (like my other half ), just try to be slow & smooooooth when applying the throttle.

Drove my VRS tdi 184 from North Yorkshire to North Devon and back last week on my holidays. The maxi dot showed 60.6 mpg going and 60.2 mpg on the return journey. Most of the journey was motorway and drove to the speed limit where possible. These were the best figures i have achieved in the car which is 10 months old and done 12.5k miles.  Best before then was motorway journeys to London and Liverpool which returned figures of 56mpg.

  Very pleased with those figures, didn't use cruise except when the so called smart motorway speed limits were active, and I don't use supermarket diesel, usually V power but BP Ultimate in North Devon as the nearest Shell garage was 30 miles away according to the sat nav.

Had my VRS tdi for about a year now and done about 12k miles, car has just over 16k on the clock. On my normal commute of 17 miles of fast a roads with lots of roundabouts and motorway cruise I average about 40-44mpg driving fairly quickly, if I set the cruise control to 60-65 and drive gently I get around 48-52mpg. This is all from the trip computer but the few times I have checked against fuel used and mileage covered it has been pretty close to the actual consumption (far better than my old Punto that used to tell me I was getting 5-10mpg more than I was).

 

Long distance I usually get better, for instance from Shrewsbury to Southport I get about 55-58mpg on a mix of fast a road and motorway. The best i managed was from Hartlepool to Shrewsbury where I managed an average of 68mpg but I was driving very carefully and consistently.

 

I will say though that I havent seen a huge increase from when I got the car at 4k to now that could be anything other than me settling in to the car.