I think anyone reading these mpg related threads needs to realise that a lot of people that post on them are the sort that get satisfaction from driving slowly and sensibly to try to squeeze every last mile possible out of a tank of fuel. I average 42mpg in my diesel 190 DSG. I don’t drive it like I stole it but I don’t hang around either. With my experience of petrol and diesel I’m happy to have a car with this much power and torque that I can drive how I like and get low to mid 40s. I’ve had petrols with similar levels of performance and with the same driving and speeds I’m at mid 20s. Not sure why anyone would opt for the 190 and drive at 50mph everywhere anyway. Just get the green line if that’s your thing. 

When you say 50 you exaggerate, as posted above it does very nicely at a steady speed - even if that is 135kph.

 

When you do 25-30k miles a year then fuel is a significant cost and you do try to minimise it.  Now I wonder how far it would go on a tank if I didn't exceed 50mph, and do I have the patience to try?

 

Doesn't mean I don't stretch the speed limits.

 

The Greenline is NOT economical - it is a tax special, best avoided unless you are trying to minimise your tax bill at the expense of everything else.

Edited 8 October, 20187 yr by IJWS15

I do 18k per year so I completely agree fuel cost was a factor when I decided which engine I wanted. I was looking for a balance between reasonable economy and performance and I’m happy to say that’s what I have - just as I did with my previous car (Mondeo ST TDCI). 

 

Some people will come on these forums and see some of the mpg people claim to be getting and think there must be something wrong with their car as they get nowhere near those figures. My point is it’s all about perspective: yes you can get great results if you drive like miss daisy everywhere but that kind of defeats the point of buying the 190. If you want the lowest possible fuel bill and performance isn’t a concern why would you not choose a more economical engine? On the other hand if you look at figures in the 40s and you’re driving your car how you want to without constantly worrying about fuel consumption you’re doing very well compared to a petrol! 

Very true. I do find some of the claimed mpg figures a little hard to believe. I chose my car because when I need to overtake it does it without any trouble. 

As long as the context in which a particular consumption is achieved and the reader allows that there is probably some display optimism then it is all just a bit of fun really.

I might publish a particularly good result for a journey/tank, but I usually present context and my Fuelly average is in my signature (not seen by mobile format users) so it is obvious the difference between our infrequent good long runs and numerous short local runs will vary by up to 40%.

 

The thread title is specifically related to diesel and I think that is important because consumption on DPF equipped diesels can be particularly variable and a huge mistake if used by someone to only drive short local trips. It is important that a potential owner knows the capabilities and the pit-falls of any potential purchase.

On the other hand if your diesel is not getting >50 mpg while cruising within speed limits on UK motorways then I'd say there is probably something wrong with the car that needs addressing.

 

Driving like Miss Daisy's chauffer or selfish slow driving is not economical driving, it is just poor driving. As is too aggressive or bullying driving.

Economical driving requires a lot of skill and application and many of the good ones are professional truck drivers, advanced drivers or have racing experience, other drivers would not even be aware they are driving economically. I have read it is a very necessary skill for rally drivers between timed stages.

 

There is an interesting  YouTube video about a 500,000 mile old diesel Octavia driven from the UK to the Nürburgring and back again on one tank and completing an 'economical racing' lap under expert tutelage. 

Been thinking about this and what I don't understand is how you ONLY get 40mpg from a 2.0 Diesel - do you drive everywhere in third?

 

My run to work this morning was at or slightly above the limit apart from the first 1/4 mile on the M6 as I could see the 60 coming up and the last mile on the M5 (done at 65) - the car thinks it did 67mpg.  I don't see how I could have done worse shot of putting my license at risk.

 

Maybe I have it.

Not sure if this was aimed at me or not. 

 

I’d love to get 60mpg! I have only had the car a while so who knows it might improve. The Mrs uses it daily for work and it’s only 15 miles round trip with a bit of traffic so that won’t help. We tend to do most of our mileage at weekends up and down the A2 & M20, perhaps creeping above normal speeds at times but not triple figures. We are usually 4 up in the car with a few bits in the boot. I won’t lose sleep if it doesn’t improve past low 40s as that’s what I get in my ST TDCI mondeo which is similar performance but I’ll be happy if it does improve. I’ve read on here it can improve as the car gets older? Mines only got 6000 miles on it, not sure if this makes a difference. 

Mine drops a bit when full (normally only me in it) and at 6000 miles yours is far from run in.  Short trips aren't ideal either and DPF regens may be affecting it.

 

My commute is 32 miles and if started it rarely does less than that, unless it is raining hard I walk for local stuff (train station or local shops - Tesco is 1 mile).  SWMBO uses hers (a 1.4 turbo Mokka) for the big shop which she does during the day so no dpf issues.

 

I run the tyres a little on the hard side, near but not quite full load.  The key with a diesel is use the torque not the revs.