Recently covered 200 mile journey with two adults and a gearbox in the boot and aircon for half the journey- achieved 57.4mpg without trying - is this good or normal for this car?

My 1.4TDI 140 DSG does lots of short journeys and returns an overall average in the high 40's. I reckon high 50's is easily achievable on a long run at moderate speeds in Economy with cruise control.

That’s good!  Tbh, I’d struggle to get that in my 1.4 Tsi DSG. But its used mainly for short journeys, with Eco mode very rarely used, and with aircon always on.  I can’t see the sense in carrying around the aircon paraphernalia and not using it.

 

So I’m happy with the current 45.6 long term readout, which is better than my previous car, a Volvo diesel, and way ahead of the mid 30s overall my self regen hybrid Lexus returned...

 

Edited 28 June, 20214 yr by Baxlin

I dont have cruise control and i didnt use economy mode- on the journey down i.e first 100 miles without aircon switched on i got 60.1mpg - mixed roads and speeds.

Over the last 5 years we've never managed less than 45mpg and usually get 55mpg from our 2015 1.4TSI Elegance estate.

Edited 28 June, 20214 yr by PetrolDave

Thats good to know Dave. Im going on a long trip in a weeks time so i will use eco mode and see what difference it makes if any.

@Michaeldavis39 is your car equipped with DSG or a manual gearbox?

 

The main difference with Eco mode with the DSG is that it allows 'in-gear' coasting, which can be beneficial in certain circumstances but not everyone likes it or finds it improves consumption.

If you have a manual box then Eco just changes the throttle mapping to a 'softer' setting but does not improve consumption.

 

Cruising with other cars on motorway or single lane highway will get the excellent consumption you experienced.

 

Manual gearbox. So no benefit to eco mode?

No real economy benefit at all from what others have reported

I'd say from your impressive results that you are already an economical driver and already light on the throttle but I guess there is no harm in trying it and finding out for yourself.

 

just a warning that some find their display results a bit optimistic when compared to real consumption. Every vehicle is different, for instance my 2014 manual Octavia was slightly pessimistic (tank average was always 0.1L/100 or 0.2L/100 worse than distance covered against refill quantity. Over 7 years it has moved to being about 0.2L/100 optimistic.

It's a simple check every time I fill. I used to use Fuelly.com but can't be bothered now.

 

My wife drives the car now for her daily 13 km commute and is getting about 47 mpg, and when I drive it I usually get about 53 mpg on the same journey. Longer open highway distances we get somewhere between 50 and 60 mpg depending on a lot of different factors.

Strong headwinds have been a killer for a couple of attempts to achieve 1000 km on tank where I have to average better than 55 mpg (5L/100). The other thing is my chickening out when realising I could possibly run out of fuel nowhere near a petrol station in some remote part of Australia.

 

The 1.4tsi is a really good flexible and economical engine, just a pity the Octavia did not come with the ACT version that was put in the Superb.

So a follow up to my original post. Recently i covered a 525 mile journey in a single day and averaged 60mpg- this was mostly motorway driving with a small amount of country roads, two adults going and an old Triumph TR6 gearbox and cylinder head for the return journey- which would equate to 3 adults. If i had driven at around 60mph instead of 70 i think the economy could have improved by a few more mpg - i did not find any difference in using the eco mode button at all so still no idea why it is even on the car seems pointless to me.

Leave the aircon on auto all the time.  It uses very little fuel.  I've never noticed any real difference over the past 18 years of different cars and accurately recording fule consumption.  Mind you, manual aircon might show different results, but auto is fine.  And it's far more comfortable with it on.  Set it and forget it, that's what it's for. 

 

I don't have a light right foot, but my 63 plate DSG 1.4 Octavia frequently gave well over 50 mpg.  On a round trip from Cheshire to Kent, with four up and luggage for a week, it averaged 54.6, and that included a lot of pottering about down there.  And that's the DSG gearbox.

I had aircon switched off the whole journey. You did really well with your economy that dsg box is very clever and i am going for one in my next car which is a few years away- only got my Octy a year ago as a very low mileage- 14.5k 5 year old car so got plenty of life left in it!

8 hours ago, Michaeldavis39 said:

So a follow up to my original post. Recently i covered a 525 mile journey in a single day and averaged 60mpg- this was mostly motorway driving with a small amount of country roads, two adults going and an old Triumph TR6 gearbox and cylinder head for the return journey- which would equate to 3 adults. If i had driven at around 60mph instead of 70 i think the economy could have improved by a few more mpg - i did not find any difference in using the eco mode button at all so still no idea why it is even on the car seems pointless to me.

Excellent returns by any measure did you use cruise control a lot? What sort of cruise control do you have fitted, vanilla or ACC. Our 1.4tsi only have ordinary cruise but it manages consumption really well especially on the flat. I can really only better it when it gets a bit hilly.

60 mpg equates to 4.7L/100 and probably reflects a slightly optimistic speedo, not going quite as fast as you think although 60mph average is pretty good, and the peloton effect of driving on busy British motorways.

We rented a Kia diesel on a UK visit a few years back and averaged 60mpg for one tank and over 70mpg on two other refills (actual, not computer) while touring around.

 

Seems you only travel distances with a gearbox in the back lol. Where are based?

My recently deceased brother-in-law was an enthusiastic member of the Essex TR owners club and my sister and he did a few club trips in UK and continent in their TR3A. As an ex mechanic he restored a few and helped other club members with theirs.

I dont have any cruise control just old style right foot control! The motorways were not that busy actually - I have seen much busier. I live in the North East where an old Triumph sports car is a very rare siting. I think I heard of your brother in law- I too am a member of the TR Register. These old sports cars are far more popular in the South along with most of the engineering workshops that specialise in gearbox rebuilds etc hence my travelling- i have ended up doing a full nut and bolt restore on my TR6 due to my OCD lol and by the time its finished i could have bought a brand new VRS Hybrid - I am considering adding cruise as I had it in my previous two cars and do miss it- no radar on the front of my car so it would just be a standard cruise. 

Edited 17 July, 20214 yr by Michaeldavis39

1 hour ago, Michaeldavis39 said:

I am considering adding cruise

You do know that what you'll get for a car this age is effectively a throttle position lock, and not a speed control?

I know it wont be active cruise control- but ive never had acc anyway, all my previous cars had the standard vw group stalk with up and down speed limit- thats what you mean by throttle position lock isnt it?

11 hours ago, Michaeldavis39 said:

I had aircon switched off the whole journey. ..

 

...and how comfortable was that?  Did you open a window for fresh air, and hence disrupt the airflow dynamics  and increase consumption?

 

Fair enough if you're seeing how much you can get out of a gallon,  but these days cars are so aerodynamic that there's virtually no "ram-air" effect for ventilation and the system really has to be used.  My previous saab 9-5, a design dating back to the late 90s, was like a greenhouse if the Climate Controlwas out of action.

 

 

6 hours ago, Gerrycan said:

 

..., and the peloton effect of driving on busy British motorways.

We rented a Kia diesel on a UK visit a few years back and averaged 60mpg for one tank and over 70mpg on two other refills (actual, not computer) while touring around.

 

 

 

If you were trying for a peloton effect you were driving dangerously and illegally close to the car in front. 

 

 

1 hour ago, Michaeldavis39 said:

I know it wont be active cruise control- but ive never had acc anyway, all my previous cars had the standard vw group stalk with up and down speed limit- thats what you mean by throttle position lock isnt it?

 

 

Yes, standard cruise control just maintains a set speed, and is overridden by brake or throttle.  I use mine like a secondary accelerator. 

TBH I prefer it to ACC - Active Cruise Control - having tried a few different versions.  I prefer to be alert to driving conditions that let the car decide if the driver in front is aware of conditions ahead. 

If you're thinking of adding Cruise Control to your Octavia, it should cost arould £350.  I had it done to my own SE in late 2014.  It needs a column stalk, wiring, and some electronic work.  I don't think ACC would be feasible on your car, and if so would cost an arm and a leg.

 

Didn't need aircon on it wasnt particularly hot the day i drove, had the air fan on a little and didnt need to open the windows- you have just jogged my memory to check the pollen filter though- I suspect like most things on a low mileage car it has probably never been changed- same as the spark plugs which I have just done myself which stopped the slight misfire I was having-  Skoda dealership couldnt diagnose- though they did send me a video of my brake discs and tyres- which i know already are perfect as they were all new! Hilarious and guess I wont  waste my time or money going to that dealership ever again except for parts maybe. Im getting older,wiser and maybe more cynical but simple stuff like oil and filter, air filter and pollen filter plus spark plugs do not require a great deal of skill to change and having grown up doing this all my life i rather check it or do it myself- lots of dealings with dealerships has never inspired me to think they can do a better job than me- one even stripped the thread in my VW Bora tdi oil sump - this particular car had never been touched by me and had been to the same dealership its entire life in my ownership- ( i had a well paid job so could afford to pay VW service cists haha)a young trainee mechanic worked on it- i paid for his overenthusiastic bolt tightening. In 33 years of driving i have only ever had one sump damaged and it was by a dealership.

 

Sorry for going on rant over went off topic lol.

 

Just a follow up to cabin pollen filter- my cynicism has proven me right- looking at this filter it has never been changed- car supposedly had two services one by Skoda and one at the Ford dealership i bought it from last year. I would say this is the original filter fitted from new in the factory- very dirty and now being replaced obviously- interesting to show what around 18k miles of air pollution is captured by this filter isnt it!

What year was the car built? There's a date on there isn't there 230719? Just above Made in Slovenia?

 

TBH ours look like that after only a few months, but we park near many large trees.  Vacuuming them out painstakingly is well worth a few iterations.

 

You'll find a brand new activated carbon one has that same grey speckled appearance, whilst a standard one looks whiter and 'cleaner' when new.

You are right that must be a date- so i was slightly wrong, car built 2015, still will change though due to the amount of rubbish in it and being 3 years old now- glad its easy to change - my last car was a toolbox job crawling under the dashboard! 

Blimey!

15 hours ago, FlyingGecko said:

Leave the aircon on auto all the time.  It uses very little fuel.  I've never noticed any real difference over the past 18 years of different cars and accurately recording fule consumption.  

 

Turning the air off in my GTE saves a fair bit of battery for ev driving. First car I've owned that has a notable effect on economy. Doesn't seen to make a huge difference in hybrid mode though. Just means you chew through charge quicker as it used the main battery when the engine shuts off.  I have wind deflectors fitted so crack the windows and manage to get a little air flow without letting too much weather in.

5 minutes ago, MarkyG82 said:

 

Turning the air off in my GTE saves a fair bit of battery for ev driving. First car I've owned that has a notable effect on economy. Doesn't seen to make a huge difference in hybrid mode though. Just means you chew through charge quicker as it used the main battery when the engine shuts off.  I have wind deflectors fitted so crack the windows and manage to get a little air flow without letting too much weather in.

 

Ah, that's an entirely different kettle of fish.  I'd suffer from range paranoia, never mind anxiety, if (or rather when) I drove electric!  Most road tests of electric cars seem to spend half their time trying to eke out every last half-mile.  At least with petrol and diesel the consumption doesn't differ by maybe 20% when the temperature drops.

I treat it almost as a game to see how much I can get from a charge. Knowing that the engine is there to pick up where the electrons don't is fine with me. Also the many miles of ev driving more than makes up for the odd occasion I put it in GTE mode for some fun. I just need to get on a better electric tariff......