Superb 2.0 TSi DSG Fuel Consumption

[freelunch]

I think you have to expect lower fuel mileage during the winter, with all the accessories switched on. I measure my mileage at the pump. I've had a low of 26.5 mpg (a February fill-up) and a high of 40.7 mpg (an August fill-up). My average since purchase is 35 mpg. My previous car made less power and got 26 mpg, so I am well pleased.

[MartiniB]

1 hour ago, TomW80 said:

After 15 years of diesel I'm a relative newbie to petrol, so I'd appreciate others experience of early days in a petrol car. 

after 7 years on diesel returned to petrol, loud noise without power + awful smell isn't for me  

 

few numbers from xls, Jan to Dec 2017

l/100km	MPG.uk

12,2	23,1
 8,2	34,5
11,4	24,8
11,9	23,8
11,9	23,8
12,4	22,7
10,7	26,4
10,7	26,5
10,7	26,3
10,2	27,6
 6,9	41,2
11,2	25,3
 7,5	37,6
11,2	25,3
10,8	26,1
 7,8	36,3
 9,8	28,8
 7,5	37,6
 9,5	29,8
 8,4	33,7
 8,7	32,4
 7,4	38,4
 7,9	35,6
 8,8	32,3
 8,3	34,1
 9,9	28,5
10,3	27,3
 8,8	32,1
 8,9	31,6
 7,0	40,5
 8,7	32,5
 9,0	31,3
 9,8	28,9
10,7	26,5
10,9	25,9
10,8	26,2
11,0	25,6
 9,2	30,7
11,1	25,5
10,9	25,9
 8,6	32,7
11,1	25,4
11,6	24,3
 9,0	31,4

 

[Bud]

Car is currently ~ 12k miles for the first 10K I used only T@£$& Momentum and over 24 fill ups got:

• Average  - 8.67l/100km which for fuel only gives a cost per mile of £0.167
• Best - 7.54l/100km
• Worst - 10.81l/100km

For the more recent fills using only Reg UL although too early to tell, only 2300 miles:

• Average - 8.87 CPM - £0.17
• Best - 8.03
• Worst - 10.49

So taking into account any slight price variation Momentum seems to provide better mileage and economy.  I think I will leave it to 15k and might then change back.

 

@freelunch I came from a 140 ps Mondeo estate and that would rarely see the mileage I currently get so very happy with the better performance and the better economy , smiles all round

[freelunch]

Thanks @MartiniB for posting all those mileage conversions. It meant I was able to comprehend Bud's next post!

[100andthirty]

I worked on the basis that a 220HP Superb Estate would have much worse fuel consumption than a 110HP Seat Leon. And so it has proved. Using almost exclusively Shell V Power, I can achieve 30mpg around town if I do a reasonable trip of >5 miles, and 37 to 42mpg on a run. If I use as much performance as I can cope with without becoming frightened to death, consumption is worse, for example,  getting a move on, on my town's unrestricted dual carriageways can see <25mpg. I don't keep detailed records, mileage too low and life's too short , so don't have any detail. If I had wanted economy I would have got the 1.4 ACT.

[TomW80]

Thanks everyone - I appreciate the input. It appears that mid-30's is attainable and my mpg is creeping up - today I averaged over 30mpg. 

 

I've come from a Octavia III VRS diesel, which only averaged 42mpg. The monthly cost and insurance is cheaper on 220 than diesel 190, so I've got some wiggle room and if I can settle into c.30 around town and c.40-45 on a run I'd be happy. 

 

Edited 3 March, 2018 by TomW80

[penguin17]

23 minutes ago, TomW80 said:

Thanks everyone - I appreciate the input. It appears that mid-30's is attainable and my mpg is creeping up - today I averaged over 30mpg. 

 

I've come from a Octavia III VRS diesel, which only averaged 42mpg. The monthly cost and insurance is cheaper on 220 than diesel 190, so I've got some wiggle room and if I can settle into c.30 around town and c.40-45 on a run I'd be happy. 

 

A black magic Sportline looks naughty  

 

Very nice! 

[Sagalout]

I have a 220 with 5k on the clock. Long term average is currently showing 34 over last 2K. L& K not Sport line.  Progressive but steady style. Over heavy use of that pedal on the right does suck gasoline though.  My moments of fun can result in 25-27 but a few sensible drives and it comes back over 30.

hth

[TomW80]

1 hour ago, penguin17 said:

A black magic Sportline looks naughty  

 

Very nice! 

Thanks, had to be done :-) 

[Rainmaker]

Those of you with new(ish) 220s, don't lose heart. As someone mentioned earlier (Pentaxian?), they seem to flip a switch around 2,000-2,500 miles from new and suddenly behave themselves much more. I couldn't get over 28mpg for the life of me for the first couple of thousand miles. Now (I'm currently creeping towards 18k) I see low to mid 30s around town and late 30s to mid 40s on a run - the longer the car runs the higher it gets. The 'problem' with the 220 (in fact, any modern engine - and diesels are worse for it) is they do take their time to properly warm the oil. For the first ten miles (in this cold winter weather) you're very much at the mercy of internal friction and cold air. After that they really get into their stride and the MPG just keeps on going up. When I've covered a long motorway journey (over an hour or two is very unusual for me these days) I've seen just under 50mpg while keeping to the limits. Some of my former diesels couldn't do that!

 

I covered a few hundred miles on Friday and again on Saturday, a mixture of derestricted B roads, A routes and motorways. Driving hard along the back roads I was into the mid 30s MPG, the motorway gave me mid 40s at 70mph and early 40s the next day when the roads were a lot less busy and I had chance to make some progress... This was on 95 RON fuel, too. I normally stick to V-Power, M99 or Costco 99, but pricing around here this last week looks like this:

 

Costco 95 - 110.9

Tesco 95 - 116.9

Shell 95 - 118.9

Tesco M99 - 121.9

Costco 99 - 117.9

V-Power - 132.9  

 

The difference between Costco 95 and V-Power was over £14 a tank. Nowhere near enough to justify it, even with one or two extra MPG. The car doesn't feel quite as aggressive under very hard acceleration (1st and 2nd gear from just over idle to 70mph), but other than that not much in it with so much of my mileage being steady cruising and town work. I'll be back to the proper 99 stuff next tank, but this week I spent my £14 on pizza instead of Shell. Que sera sera.  

 

I never manage to get my MPG into the 20s, even when really pushing on. I realise my driving style will have an influence but I'm still surprised when I see people with 220s referring to economy that low. I only ever see than on very short (1 or 2 mile) journeys from cold around the city. My average per tank is mid 30s even with a low average speed.

Edited 4 March, 2018 by Rainmaker

[TomW80]

6 hours ago, Rainmaker said:

Those of you with new(ish) 220s, don't lose heart. As someone mentioned earlier (Pentaxian?), they seem to flip a switch around 2,000-2,500 miles from new and suddenly behave themselves much more. I couldn't get over 28mpg for the life of me for the first couple of thousand miles. Now (I'm currently creeping towards 18k) I see low to mid 30s around town and late 30s to mid 40s on a run - the longer the car runs the higher it gets. The 'problem' with the 220 (in fact, any modern engine - and diesels are worse for it) is they do take their time to properly warm the oil. For the first ten miles (in this cold winter weather) you're very much at the mercy of internal friction and cold air. After that they really get into their stride and the MPG just keeps on going up. When I've covered a long motorway journey (over an hour or two is very unusual for me these days) I've seen just under 50mpg while keeping to the limits. Some of my former diesels couldn't do that!

 

I covered a few hundred miles on Friday and again on Saturday, a mixture of derestricted B roads, A routes and motorways. Driving hard along the back roads I was into the mid 30s MPG, the motorway gave me mid 40s at 70mph and early 40s the next day when the roads were a lot less busy and I had chance to make some progress... This was on 95 RON fuel, too. I normally stick to V-Power, M99 or Costco 99, but pricing around here this last week looks like this:

 

Costco 95 - 110.9

Tesco 95 - 116.9

Shell 95 - 118.9

Tesco M99 - 121.9

Costco 99 - 117.9

V-Power - 132.9  

 

The difference between Costco 95 and V-Power was over £14 a tank. Nowhere near enough to justify it, even with one or two extra MPG. The car doesn't feel quite as aggressive under very hard acceleration (1st and 2nd gear from just over idle to 70mph), but other than that not much in it with so much of my mileage being steady cruising and town work. I'll be back to the proper 99 stuff next tank, but this week I spent my £14 on pizza instead of Shell. Que sera sera.  

 

I never manage to get my MPG into the 20s, even when really pushing on. I realise my driving style will have an influence but I'm still surprised when I see people with 220s referring to economy that low. I only ever see than on very short (1 or 2 mile) journeys from cold around the city. My average per tank is mid 30s even with a low average speed.

 

Thanks for the detailed response. Good to know what your experience has been. I guess I need to be patient and let the engine settle on its own. I'll try a couple of tanks of 95 then 98/99 and see how I get on. 

[Parked]

Hi Tom,

 

Your car looks great!

 

Pleased to hear your MPG is creeping up. I was distressed to read about your 26MPG in yesterdays post as I have a 220ps on order .

 

But like you I would like to add my thanks to all the detailed responses. Hopefully when the I get my Superb I will be able to contribute more actively. But in the meantime big thanks to all those on this forum, I have learnt so much! 

[TomW80]

Hi @Parked,

 

Thanks for your comments on my new car. The VRS was great and had to take it yesterday for a new windscreen. Driving them back to back after a few days in the Sportline made me realise just how refined the new car is.

 

I chose the 220 over 280 partly on cost, so do/did have a certain level of expectation on running costs. Most comments on here and true mpg sites are encouraging, so hopefully I'll see some noticeable gains soon. 

 

I'll report back in due course to let you know how I get on. I bet you can't wait for delivery. I'm looking forward to a decent drive out today.  

 

Cheers, 

 

Tom

[Boxerdog1]

Ran a 220tsi SE-L Combi for 6 months and achieved around 27 mpg local rising to 42 mpg on it's last long run from Cornwall to Cambridge to pick up my 280 Sportline Combi - return journey (330 miles) in the 280 was 36 mpg in similar driving  style and having owned it for 3 weeks now it's achieving about 24 mpg local , a 3 mpg difference to the 220 which I am more than pleased with.  Long Term average on the computer is 29.7 mpg over past 2800 miles.  Always use premium fuel , usually Shell V Power Nitro + 99 RON which I have always used in all my cars /bikes over the years.  A Shell Drivers Club Card does provide a bit of discount on the fuel over time.

[MartiniB]

with Latvian price difference 0.04€ E95(1.218) vs E98(1.258) i save 2€ on 1kKm by fill E98
what is caused minor consumption improvement - ~10.5l/100km vs ~10l/100km in urban mode

 

also E98 is cleaner and better for long lasting of engine
 

[TomW80]

Out of of interest I ran my usage stats through an mpg calculator app and its come up with different figures to the car. I've attached the screenshot from my Skoda Connect app, which states my long term mpg at 28, but the third party app states 30.49. The later is a slight estimate as there was approx £5 of fuel in the tank when I filled it, which cost me £70 at 116.7ppl. I've done 231 miles and the car is telling me with half a tank it's got 200 miles left. 

 

It does still seem to be creeping up. 

 

Edited 5 March, 2018 by TomW80

[Ootohere]

^^^ This would be an ideal time to go fill up and see how many miles to the litre or 4.546 litres you actually got.

[xman]

4.54609 actually 

[TomW80]

Thanks @AwaoffSkiand @xman. I was going to wait until I'm almost empty then refill to the top on 95 fuel. The time after that I'm going to try 99 fuel.

[Ootohere]

Why not go 97 ron first from ESSO, BP, Sainsburry etc, 

before going to Tesco Momentum 99, Costco Super Unleaded or Shell V-Power Nitro+. 

 

Then you will get an idea.

Remember end of March and Winter Grade Petrol will no longer be getting delivered to filling stations.

The stuff on sale now is good.  Especially Super Unleaded,  97 ron minimum, or 99 ron minimum....   Minimum, that can be 100 ron someplaces.

Edited 5 March, 2018 by AwaoffSki

[TomW80]

29 minutes ago, AwaoffSki said:

Why not go 97 ron first from ESSO, BP, Sainsburry etc, 

before going to Tesco Momentum 99, Costco Super Unleaded or Shell V-Power Nitro+. 

 

Then you will get an idea.

Remember end of March and Winter Grade Petrol will no longer be getting delivered to filling stations.

The stuff on sale now is good.  Especially Super Unleaded,  97 ron minimum, or 99 ron minimum....   Minimum, that can be 100 ron someplaces.

 

OK, thanks. I'll try different fuels on each fill and see how I get on 

[El Dingo]

My overall average is 38 mpg on Tesco 99 (TSi 220 hatch).

If VAG engine management is still the same as it used to be, then running 97 RON might be a waste of time.  I haven't tried it on the Superb due to previous experience; on a Leon Cupra R and an Audi S6 2.3 5 cylinder the 95 and 97 octane performed the same (fuel consumption and perceived power), only 98 octane or better made a difference.

I read somewhere that the cars I used to have were mapped for 98 octane and use a knock sensor to retard the ignition and/or modify the engine management map to suit the fuel.

Anyone qualified care to comment? (Armchair experts need not apply :))

[juux]

1 hour ago, El Dingo said:

My overall average is 38 mpg on Tesco 99 (TSi 220 hatch).

If VAG engine management is still the same as it used to be, then running 97 RON might be a waste of time.  I haven't tried it on the Superb due to previous experience; on a Leon Cupra R and an Audi S6 2.3 5 cylinder the 95 and 97 octane performed the same (fuel consumption and perceived power), only 98 octane or better made a difference.

I read somewhere that the cars I used to have were mapped for 98 octane and use a knock sensor to retard the ignition and/or modify the engine management map to suit the fuel.

Anyone qualified care to comment? (Armchair experts need not apply :))

 

It's not as simple as "oh, my owner has filled me up with 98 RON, let's go faster", the engine continuously tests for det and along with all other sensors (exhaust/coolant/exterior/intake temps and whatever else is monitored), will fuel and time the car appropriately. You can get duff 99 RON (old, contaminated etc.) and excellent 97 RON and the engine will 'prefer' the latter, allowing more advance and therefore, with an appropriate engine, produce more power with better response.

 

So to simply state that "97 RON is a waste of time, only 98 RON makes my car go faster" is far too simplistic. For one thing, the engine takes a bit of time to adjust to any 'better' fuel which means any "I filled up with TurboFuel MAXX++ and my car immediately went like a rocket out of the forecourt!" is at best wishful thinking. ECUs are deliberately conservative in advancing but will be extremely quick to retard to quell any knock and may take some time to 'relax' again after a transient issue like a bit of schmutz affecting an injector which causes a temporary bit of det. That's not to say you can't detect differences in fuel, but it would generally have to be between really crap fuel and 'normal' stuff.

 

If you care, buy your fuel at a place with a high turnover of whatever higher octane you find works best. I find that places at busy junctions/routes that have it on all/most pumps tend to have sufficient turnover. It's the smaller, more out of the way garages that maybe only have it on one out of four pumps that I worry about, it could be that they don't sell a lot of it and it will degrade over time, often more quickly than 95 RON due to the extra additives.

 

Remember, fuel formulations are constantly changing throughout the year to account for the expected ambient temperatures and for variations in feedstocks, both the raw crude mix and the efficiency (or otherwise) of the cracking process equipment, that may require more, fewer or even completely different additives to meet the required EN standard. Thus, your TurboFuel MAXX++ is not a single fuel but a desired profile (energy density, octane rating, detergent blend etc.) which the refiner attempts to match (mostly successfully ) but which is literally never the same from tank to tank. In simple terms, the only legal requirement is that the fuel meets the relevant EN standard at time of production (which is "only" 97 RON, even in the case of 98/99 RON fuels), all else is driven by marketing and production constraints.

 

Source: 20 years of being involved with modified cars (being driven about by a mapper while you wear det cans is an enlightening experience!) and a chemist wife who for many years worked in automotive fuel additives at a major UK refinery 

[Ootohere]

No retailers retailing an advertised 98 Octaine (minimum ) Super Unleaded in the UK.

Where are you going to get this duff 99 ron minimum Super Unleaded in the UK. They are all high turn over or no longer operating.

Greenergy (Producer of Tesco Momentum 99 & Royal Dutch Shell bring in the fuels to their co-owned facilities and storage.

There are no little filling stations with old tanks any more selling only a few hundred or thousand litres a week.

 

2012, but still relevant.

http://platts.com/latest-news/oil/london/uk-still-buying-winter-gasoline-as-european-refiners-8114744 

http://greenergy.com/uk/independent 

http://volkswagen.co.uk/need-help/owners/Fuel 

Edited 5 March, 2018 by AwaoffSki

[Rainmaker]

16 minutes ago, juux said:

 

It's not as simple as "oh, my owner has filled me up with 98 RON, let's go faster", the engine continuously tests for det and along with all other sensors (exhaust/coolant/exterior/intake temps and whatever else is monitored), will fuel and time the car appropriately. You can get duff 99 RON (old, contaminated etc.) and excellent 97 RON and the engine will 'prefer' the latter, allowing more advance and therefore, with an appropriate engine, produce more power with better response.

 

So to simply state that "97 RON is a waste of time, only 98 RON makes my car go faster" is far too simplistic. For one thing, the engine takes a bit of time to adjust to any 'better' fuel which means any "I filled up with TurboFuel MAXX++ and my car immediately went like a rocket out of the forecourt!" is at best wishful thinking. ECUs are deliberately conservative in advancing but will be extremely quick to retard to quell any knock and may take some time to 'relax' again after a transient issue like a bit of schmutz affecting an injector which causes a temporary bit of det. That's not to say you can't detect differences in fuel, but it would generally have to be between really crap fuel and 'normal' stuff.

 

If you care, buy your fuel at a place with a high turnover of whatever higher octane you find works best. I find that places at busy junctions/routes that have it on all/most pumps tend to have sufficient turnover. It's the smaller, more out of the way garages that maybe only have it on one out of four pumps that I worry about, it could be that they don't sell a lot of it and it will degrade over time, often more quickly than 95 RON due to the extra additives.

 

Remember, fuel formulations are constantly changing throughout the year to account for the expected ambient temperatures and for variations in feedstocks, both the raw crude mix and the efficiency (or otherwise) of the cracking process equipment, that may require more, fewer or even completely different additives to meet the required EN standard. Thus, your TurboFuel MAXX++ is not a single fuel but a desired profile (energy density, octane rating, detergent blend etc.) which the refiner attempts to match (mostly successfully ) but which is literally never the same from tank to tank. In simple terms, the only legal requirement is that the fuel meets the relevant EN standard at time of production (which is "only" 97 RON, even in the case of 98/99 RON fuels), all else is driven by marketing and production constraints.

 

Source: 20 years of being involved with modified cars (being driven about by a mapper while you wear det cans is an enlightening experience!) and a chemist wife who for many years worked in automotive fuel additives at a major UK refinery 

 

As far as I was informed, the fuelling tables for VAG (including the 220) are <98 RON and >98 RON. As such 97 RON fuel would be lumped into the <98 RON fuelling table and only advanced accordingly.