41 mpg for Superb, is this reasonable?

[Goderich]

I zero the trip when I refill with petrol then use that to calculate the mpg when I refill from the pump. This is independent of the car's calculations which I consider suspect.

[Goderich]

Ps what is the coasting function please? Is this something that needs to be activated and is it available on the 8 year old superb, or is this just driving style?

[vborovic]

2 minutes ago, Goderich said:

I zero the trip when I refill with petrol then use that to calculate the mpg when I refill from the pump. This is independent of the car's calculations which I consider suspect.

 

You can use VCDS to fine-tune the mpg calculation done by the maxidot display (a factor adding/removing from the current readout)

[vborovic]

3 minutes ago, Goderich said:

Ps what is the coasting function please? Is this something that needs to be activated and is it available on the 8 year old superb, or is this just driving style?

 

 

[penguin17]

28 minutes ago, chimaera said:

It depends very much on your driving patterns. Mine is routinely worse than that but most of my driving is urban which is where a diesel hauling a heavy car around is always going to suffer. If I spent all my time on the motorway I'd have different expectations.

 

Hence my "Though my driving routes, duration etc may just lend themselves to yield better economy" comment  

[Ootohere]

Goderich, 

i expect that was a typo and it is diesel you fill up with and then zero, from what you had in the OP.

 

If it is petrol then you are doing pretty good economy with it.

[Goderich]

It is diesel, hence the query.

[chimaera]

57 minutes ago, Goderich said:

I zero the trip when I refill with petrol then use that to calculate the mpg when I refill from the pump. This is independent of the car's calculations which I consider suspect.

The car estimates economy based on the amount of fuel it is metering to the injectors, and VAG have always tended to present an optimistic figure (it seems to average out around 15 % better than actual from what I've seen).

 

You can calibrate the car's computer using VCDS as @vborovic mentioned. To get calibration data do the following:

1. Refuel to a full tank.
2. Reset memory 2 on the MFD: switch to memory 2 by pressing the scrollwheel on the steering wheel, then do a long press to zero it out.
3. Reset the trip meter or note the odometer reading
4. Drive until you empty the tank.
5. When you refill, note the distance driven on the tank, the quantity of fuel you refilled (how much you used over the tank), and what the average economy on MFD 2 is.
6. Calculate the economy from the distance drive and fuel used values, and compare to the tank average for MFD 2
7. If you repeat this over multiple refills you'll get a pretty solid read on the discrepancy of the MFD and you can then use VCDS to adjust the car's calculation so that it reads correctly.

 

[Donbrig]

I drive mainly poor quality rural roads and my average MPG is 50-53mpg (calculated via a calculator, pump receipt and record of mileage from last fuelling). 

Running on 16" wheels fitted with Goodyear Vector 4 Seasons Gen 2 tyres and a manual gearbox. 

I got duped into getting the emission fix two years ago but to be honest not noticed any effect on the car performance (mpg etc).

Edited 28 September, 2018 by Donbrig

[skidpan]

We have had our Mk 3 1.4 TSi 150 PS for 18 months now. The calculated average so far is 46 mpg. Its does 4 mile shopping trips to 1000 mile holiday trips thus I would suggest its pretty normal sort of use. Lowest fill up I have seen is 42 mpg which was during March when the weather was cold and we never went further than the woods with the dog. On the May 1000 mile run it did a calculated average of about 54.5 mpg, last week over the same run it averaged about 53 mpg.

 

If I had a diesel , even an auto one that was doing less than a petrol I would be upset to say the least. TSi's are good but a diesel should still be better.

[drefaldwyn]

8 hours ago, Goderich said:

Either VAG have got their engineering wrong, unlikely, or they are trying to deceive people

 

What??  VAG deceiving people about the performance of their cars??  Never!!! 

[jafo]

@Goderich

 

https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/a13026993/is-engine-braking-more-efficient-than-coasting/

[Outrunner]

Over the past 22,000 miles that I have owned my Superb 140 the average is 47.7mpg, mainly 10 mile trips to work, with a few motorway runs thrown in.

[silver1011]

On 28/09/2018 at 11:11, Goderich said:

I zero the trip when I refill with petrol then use that to calculate the mpg when I refill from the pump. This is independent of the car's calculations which I consider suspect.

 

On 28/09/2018 at 12:15, Goderich said:

It is diesel, hence the query.

 

[vborovic]

50 minutes ago, silver1011 said:

 

Plot twist - he's actually using gas ...

[BriskodaJeff]

My previous Mk2 2.0TDI 140 was averaging 55-60 mpg per maxi-dot, but that was all motorway and fast A road driving. Average 70+ miles per journey so maybe not representative. 

[Shaunieboy]

It's mainly down to journey length, hills, and if the driver has the 'want', patience or skill to drive economically.

 

I've a 1.6 greenline here and 61mpg true mpg from mixed road driving with a bit off effort is pretty standard. I could do better too, honestly.

 

Other things like tyre type, tyre pressures, passengers etc play their part too.

 

40 something isn't great to be honest. I would be really annoyed and looking seriously at my driving style and factors from the list above.

 

 

 

 

[bigjohn]

17 hours ago, Shaunieboy said:

 

40 something isn't great to be honest. I would be really annoyed and looking seriously at my driving style and factors from the list above.

 

 

It will have to do for me. Mine can get 50 on a run if you take it steady but it's usually mid 40's. Just dropped to 42/43 whist in Europe but I was cruising at much higher speeds and the car was stuffed full. 

 

I looked at the diesel version when I got mine but the petrol (pre dieselgate) was many £thousands cheaper at the time especially compared to the 2.0 diesel. I also found the 1.6 diesel slightly lacking compared to my previous "1.9 pd100 Superb I" (even though they should have had the same power!). On my mileage it would have taken me 10-15 years to make up the difference in capital cost with fuel savings. 

 

 

[Shaunieboy]

Are your caliper in good working order? Our Golf had seized rear caliper which cost us a good 8 - 10 mpg over a few months before we noticed what the problem was (very hot rear wheels!!!)

[MikeHig]

41 mpg does seem a bit low. My car is a 2014 estate with the 170 HP diesel. I get high 40s (calculated) day-to-day on a mixture of short local trips and 1 - 2 hour runs for visits, etc.. On longer trips, at UK speeds, that improves to mid 50s. At much higher speeds when driving through France the mileage drops to high 30s / low 40s.

 

[fatscoleymo]

Just been out today on 80 mile round trip, 80kms/50mph max, (here in France single carriageway limit now), easy drive, rolling countryside and got 68.3mpg indicated.

Takes a long time to get anywhere though..

Fats

[CoffinDodger]

Found this topic because I'd been suspicious of the car's reported MPG for some while. I've been brimming the tank and then calculating manually at each fill up against actual miles done (I get through a tank a week) and I'm actually getting 39-42mpg. Superb 2 with the DSG 175hp diesel. I drive 86 miles a day, 76 of which is on the motorway, often in heavy stop start traffic, or "giving it some welly" when it's clear.

 

I know if I "hypermile" it behind a truck all the way to work I can get the trip computer (1) to read 60+ mpg so I'm well aware of the difference my driving style makes. If I don't do that it usually reads 44+mpg.

 

The trip computer on (2) says that it's averaged 46mpg over the last 3000-odd miles.

 

So the general annoyance here is that I'm REALLY getting about 5-6mpg LESS than the computer tells me. Wanted to see whether this was true for others and from comments on this thread, it seems like it probably is. I'd rather it told me the cold hard truth!

 

I love my Superb but it drinks like a damned fish... it's too much fun and too comfy to drive very sensibly! 

[gav_is_con]

12 minutes ago, CoffinDodger said:

Found this topic because I'd been suspicious of the car's reported MPG for some while. I've been brimming the tank and then calculating manually at each fill up against actual miles done (I get through a tank a week) and I'm actually getting 39-42mpg. Superb 2 with the DSG 175hp diesel. I drive 86 miles a day, 76 of which is on the motorway, often in heavy stop start traffic, or "giving it some welly" when it's clear.

 

I know if I "hypermile" it behind a truck all the way to work I can get the trip computer (1) to read 60+ mpg so I'm well aware of the difference my driving style makes. If I don't do that it usually reads 44+mpg.

 

The trip computer on (2) says that it's averaged 46mpg over the last 3000-odd miles.

 

So the general annoyance here is that I'm REALLY getting about 5-6mpg LESS than the computer tells me. Wanted to see whether this was true for others and from comments on this thread, it seems like it probably is. I'd rather it told me the cold hard truth!

 

I love my Superb but it drinks like a damned fish... it's too much fun and too comfy to drive very sensibly! 

This  covers it well, perhaps the concerns of the OP are actually the norm. 

I too love to give it some to close the odd gap on the motorway. I am constantly watching the instant MPG on the maxidot, so can see it nosedive. I am not so happy compared to my octy2 this does not sip fuel. 54-58 on the maxidot for the trip. And brim to brim 48/49MPG. 

I do like to keep it in Drive except in crawling traffic Sport mode and sometimes in the 50 stretches it hold a low gear and registers more MPG than D. So for me I do try the best combination of speed vs MPG where possible.

i do love my Superb as a package. Nice place to be!

[chimaera]

26 minutes ago, CoffinDodger said:

Found this topic because I'd been suspicious of the car's reported MPG for some while. I've been brimming the tank and then calculating manually at each fill up against actual miles done (I get through a tank a week) and I'm actually getting 39-42mpg. Superb 2 with the DSG 175hp diesel. I drive 86 miles a day, 76 of which is on the motorway, often in heavy stop start traffic, or "giving it some welly" when it's clear.

 

I know if I "hypermile" it behind a truck all the way to work I can get the trip computer (1) to read 60+ mpg so I'm well aware of the difference my driving style makes. If I don't do that it usually reads 44+mpg.

 

The trip computer on (2) says that it's averaged 46mpg over the last 3000-odd miles.

 

So the general annoyance here is that I'm REALLY getting about 5-6mpg LESS than the computer tells me. Wanted to see whether this was true for others and from comments on this thread, it seems like it probably is. I'd rather it told me the cold hard truth!

 

I love my Superb but it drinks like a damned fish... it's too much fun and too comfy to drive very sensibly! 

As I pointed out earlier in the thread, this can be calibrated using VCDS. You need to keep records of actual consumption per tank, and the average consumption calculated by the MFD per tank. Over several tanks you'll get a good idea of the discrepancy, which can then be used with VCDS to correct the MFD readout. Typically, the MFD on VAG cars is about 15 % optimistic.

 

On my own car to date, the MFD is averaging 13.6 % better than actual*, monitored over 12000 km. My real world economy over that time has averaged 8.04 l/100 km (35.7 mpg). Best tank was 6.18 l/100 km (45.7 mpg) acheived during a week where nearly all my driving was long trips. Usually my driving is urban, hence the poor economy. Worst tank was 9.34 l/100 km (30.3 mpg), during December last year.

 

* Calculated as (Real Economy - MFD Economy)/MFD Economy - economy measured in l/100 km.

[TasMan]

I have the 2.0 140 engine, 4x4 6 speed manual.  Car has the emissions fix file 9978, TBM runs out shortly.

Started monitoring MPG in detail last year based on actual numbers, not maxidot.

2017 - 11000 miles, Average MPG 41.5, Average miles between fill 407, Average fill 44.6 litres.

2018 -  9626 miles to date, Average MPG 41.7, Average miles between fill 386, Average fill 42.12 litres.

Not brilliant figures really.  Don't drive with a heavy foot, always use VPower.  Most of the time car lightly loaded, although I do generally brim the car rather than run about with part full tank.

Best EVER MPG was just last weekend on a long run north, lightly loaded, 49.2 MPG.  Wasn't hanging about either.

Worst MPG was 35 last year when towing a heavy trailer down south.

Hopefully that gives some comparison.

Cheers

Dave