What is the real life MPG from a 1.2 TSI DSG auto

[EnterName]

On 08/04/2023 at 10:43, Alanhipperson25 said:

Hi I am new to a Petrol Skoda Fabia estate, having come from 2  2.0L  turbo diesel Octavia estates. I did look at on line reviews regarding performance and more importaintly MPG figures.

I am somewhat dismayed at the actual MPG figures i am getting from my 2016 car with 34000 on the clock . Taken from the onboard computer the figures are showing Long term :34mpg.

Since start 23.1 ( short 1/2 mile journey ) Since refule 36.0 mpg these all seem extreemy low compared to what is showing on the auto trader website for the same age and engine car. Have i bought a bad car, it goes ok apart from the mpg, Or should i have gone for the 1.0L 3 cylinder engine version. As this little 1.2 petrol engine Skoda is doing about 20 mpg less than my old 125000 trusty Octavia estate. Hopefully somebody can shed some real world MPG figures. Thanks 

We had a Skoda Fabia 1.2 petrol manual (circa 2006) and overall MPG was somewhere in the mid 30's. It was pretty hopeless and I remember being surprised at how such a low-powered, small car could be so thirsty.

[Ootohere]

A totally different kettle of fish from a euro 6 1.2 TSI 95 or 110 psi engine, no idea though. And a DQ200 DSG.      Not sure if they are actually better fuel efficiency wise in real world than the euro 5 with a chain instead of a cam belt and 75 or 105 ps.   They are supposedly lighters, but it is all VW Skoda kidology.     Those here that have had a euro 5 then a euro 6 must know which was best for costing less in fuel. 

[rum4mo]

@GerrycanGood plan, I'll try selling that idea to Laser Tools!

Edited 10 April, 2023 by rum4mo

[nta16]

On 09/04/2023 at 14:49, Alanhipperson25 said:

Well did a longer run 14 miles into and out of Norwich and the MPG cameup to 45mpg since start,

14 miles might be longer but it not a very long run.  By coincidence my wife was just now working out fuel consumption (gallons into miles) and it was 44.88mpg, not that it means much to you and others.

 

 

On 09/04/2023 at 14:49, Alanhipperson25 said:

Oh the Tyre pressures are now correct, they were all over inflated .Suspect the plugs and air filter need replacing .

In my experience it is very common for garages and tyre places to overinflate tyres you want to check them as soon as you can on collection, they often overfill engine oil too in my experience (whatever method you use to check).

 

 

On 09/04/2023 at 14:49, Alanhipperson25 said:

the car is saying it is due a service in 25 days time

That's just an engine oil and filter change, not even a full engine service let alone a full car service.  Brakes, steering, suspension (all three include tyres) and safety electrics are more important.  Check if brake fluid needs changing.  And as has been put sparkplugs and air filter ...

 

 

On 09/04/2023 at 18:31, Alanhipperson25 said:

I thought i would have a quick look at the air filter on my Fabia ,what a pain I gave up after getting the  the 1st air hose off,

The two spring clips are the worse, IIRC then disconnect 90 degree small hose and the you heave the plastic airbox off the rubber locators, take it away turn it upside down to remove the screws, bit of a faff because of its size and shape, quality engineering!

 

Edited 12 April, 2023 by nta16
spelling

[Gerrycan]

Agreed that 14 miles is not that long but from a cold start and urban light traffic I'd be expecting to be averaging about 50mpg in about 5 miles in my 2014 mk3 manual1.4tsi Octavia estate. That would be 'nursing' it through warm-up and from then it is quite easy to maintain that sort of consumption as I approach busier areas.

 

I've not driven the 2.0tdi but when I transitioned from the 1.9pd to the 1.4tsi it took a while to get the best from the petrol engine which I think requires a bit more effort to get optimal consumption.

There is minimal engine braking from the petrol compared to the diesel engine and, as using brakes is just wasting fuel, you have to anticipate the road a lot further ahead to get the full 'no fuel used' coasting distance advantage.

When my wife drives the car around town she gets about 30% worse consumption than I do and it is purely because she does not anticipate as far ahead so uses the brakes more and also is slightly heavier on the throttle at constant speeds on our flat urban roads.

There is an optimal point with tsi engines where on low revs and light throttles they achieve a very lean burn. From what I read once, the stoichiometric condition is concentrated around the spark plug from the direct injection but the rest of the cylinder has very little fuel dispersed. If you drive the car with instant consumption display at a constant low speed then you will realise how easy  it is to push the throttle and consumption over that optimal point with no apparent acceleration just an increase in displayed consumption.

Unfortunately the very interesting article I read on the three or four (?) different operating conditions of Bosch direct injection system has been lost from the internet.

 

On an open faster road then there is little difference between my wife's and my consumption in the Octavia.

 

I suspect the OP's Fabia is not running quite right yet but once it is and also some small technique adaptations then I think local driving consumption could be better than the diesel although unlikely at higher speeds and distances but the Fabia should be in the 50's imo.

 

AND what I have written above may well be BS, but that is what sharing experiences and discussions like these are all about. So fire away  

 

 

Edited 12 April, 2023 by Gerrycan

[Ootohere]

@GerrycanWhat is the Ambient temperature that your cold starts are at in Australia?

That is a rather important figure. 

(Your car / engine is a Euro 5 compared to the OP's being Euro 6 & with a DSG and engineered to give low emission during testing, not necessarily on the road, but they can be economic.)

 

If doing only 15 miles then it is if you do that using only 1.5 litres that matters. ( Average MPG displayed means nothing really. )

50 mpg average over 5 miles is very good.

If you do 3 x 15 miles from cold starts in actual cold or cooler weather and use only 4.546 litres (a gallon) then many are pleased with that.

Edited 12 April, 2023 by toot

[Gerrycan]

5 hours ago, toot said:

@GerrycanWhat is the Ambient temperature that your cold starts are at in Australia?

That is a rather important figure. 

(Your car / engine is a Euro 5 compared to the OP's being Euro 6 & with a DSG and engineered to give low emission during testing, not necessarily on the road, but they can be economic.)

 

If doing only 15 miles then it is if you do that using only 1.5 litres that matters. ( Average MPG displayed means nothing really. )

50 mpg average over 5 miles is very good.

 

 

Usually 15 degrees minimum and yes it is displayed average consumption which I think IS a valid measurement if the display is verified as reasonably accurate when refueling. After all I'm sure the OP is quoting display figures.

 

50mpg is 5.6L/100km in my 'language' and yes it is good, even better than the NEDC figures for a 1.4tsi 90kw Golf at an equivalent 8km. However I'm not limited to the highly scripted and less than optimal routine the testers must follow. That's why autos often do better than manuals in the test if not the real world.

I use 95RON with no ethanol so it theoretically has a slightly higher calorific value although I have to say the E10 I used in last years rental UK rental Corsa did not impact on the excellent consumption I got with that car.

You are probably right that there would be a small consumption penalty with a DSG compared to a manual but they are pretty good none-the-less and the OP's car is smaller and lighter than mine so it probably evens out.

 

Edited 12 April, 2023 by Gerrycan

[nta16]

Personally I'd take the instant consumption figures with a pinch of salt, fine if using as a rough guide or pointer.  Same for tankfill mpg especially if different journeys with different drivers and in different weather.  Once you've checked the accuracy you could take the car's computer tankfill mpg figure as a comparison for future use allowing for variables, if you normally get about 45mpg and for no apparent reason it drops to say 35 (or whatever) then there's probably something you need to check or do.

 

I've found before comparing with Australia on things like tyre pressures and mpg just brings up anomalies which could be in (and I've not fully checked so could be wrong or partly wrong) in the petrol, road surfaces, tyre materials, weather, same as with comparisons with the same cars over here there are still too many variables to get many very close matches on mpg (and then what is close).

 

Some of the mpg figures I've seen on the Fabia same as my wife's I wonder how they're achieved and how accurate they are or realistic for others to copy in their lives.

 

I think you always get less mpg from a petrol than a diesel as you drive it more than just being a passenger behind the steering wheel whether you realise it or not so as has been put you need to adjust your driving technique to shorten the gap a bit. 

  

Edited 12 April, 2023 by nta16
spelling

[Ootohere]

@Gerrycani do not think there is any consumption penalty with a DSG with a 1.2 TSI or any TSI,  i think they mean that any driver can pretty well drive efficiently if they drive normally, where lots with a gear stick are economy disasters. 

 

15*oC has been the temps in parts of the UK so far this winter / springs, even 17 oop north yesterday, and getting up to the 20's in the next few days, 

but 15*oC will not be an average temp in much of the UK and Winter Spec Petrol & Diesel has been in the filling station tanks for the past 5 months.

Not that that adversely affects consumption, it can actually improve it if the weather is n not that cold and the engine warm up time is shortened.

Edited 12 April, 2023 by toot

[Gerrycan]

When new my displayed since refuel averages were slightly pessimistic (real was better) and over the years the display has got slightly optimistic but the last three refuels have been pretty well spot on since I renewed my old Michelins with new Continentals. Not really sure why that happened but I'll just accept it  .

 

As you say who knows how accurate the instant display is but it is useful for showing what is working best in gear selection and throttle and the lower I achieve on the instant display the better figures I get on the average. 

 

I don't always get good consumption, if it is hot the aircon goes on, not much you can do in peak traffic, and I do put my foot down when at the front at traffic lights, not to race but to allow as many behind across as possible (I really hate traffic light dawdlers). No good me saving fuel if it at others expense! But the real consumption killer is the number of very short journeys we do supporting an elderly relative. Does not seem possible to get to her retirement village and back (round trip 3.5km) bettering 8.5l/100 (33 mpg).

 

The best consumption I have got in recent years has been on visits to the UK with rentals. A diesel Kia Ceed gave me 60s and even 70 mpg returns on a tank, and the more recent Corsa returned over 60mpg on tanks. Obviously we were doing a lot of touring but that is better than I get with my Octavia (55ish mpg) when touring in Australia. Read into that what you will but I put it down to the forced close proximity slipstreaming of other vehicles on your densely packed highways. The normal space I allow to the vehicle in front here in Aus is an invitation for a BMW to slip into (without indicating of course) in the UK. 

Of course the sprawling Adelaide urban environment is easier to navigate economically than in the UK and I can see why BEVs would be popular urban transport there although the relative lack of domestic off-road parking or garaging could be problematic.

 

Actually I forgot the loan 1.0tsi Fabia I had for a week. That was more economical than my Octavia in every respect and I regret not buying a new one at the time when the prices were about 40% lower than now and I thought the best value car in its category.