MK7 GTD - Real Life MPG

[corgi]

When we drove to Italy on holiday in September... I had to get used to seeing a 2 or 3 at the beginning of my fuel consumption not a 4 or 5...

[seiceed]

We just picked up a 2014 GTD DSG. Before we owned a VW CC and official figure was 53mpg combined, on the clock we got about 49-50. So looking at the GTD thought we'd get a bit more and have the power if required.

However, we've had it for a week and in economy mode, with as much coasting as possible and driving on long motorway drives at 60mph with air con off, I cannot for the life of me get it above 43mpg?!

Scanning over some pages of this mammoth thread and most are seeing much more than this with normal driving never mind my attempts to try and hit high mpgs.

I have reset the long distance clock since we got it and done every economy driving method I know in economy mode, so not being able to get over 43mpg (AT BEST!) seems wrong. Anyone know what might be up?

The car has done 4000 miles and was an ex demo at the VW stealers.

[monkeyhanger]

I think I'll get some more.
My problem was the smell of it and the smell on your hands after putting it in regardless of how careful you are.
Any recommendations for the 5L can?

There was a place online I got the 5L can from that was cheaper than everywhere else....Watsons? I really can't remember. It ended up £60 delivered for the 5L can as opposed to about £75 elsewhere.

It is an evil smell. I can smell the residuals of the last lot when I run the tank down to 20 miles left and fill up again.

P3asa: It was "Wilco direct" I got the stuff from. It is currently £69.99 for 5 litres, you can usually find a discount code for them to save a fiver or maybe even a tenner on a transaction over £50 if you look for one on the web.

[monkeyhanger]

We just picked up a 2014 GTD DSG. Before we owned a VW CC and official figure was 53mpg combined, on the clock we got about 49-50. So looking at the GTD thought we'd get a bit more and have the power if required.

However, we've had it for a week and in economy mode, with as much coasting as possible and driving on long motorway drives at 60mph with air con off, I cannot for the life of me get it above 43mpg?!

Scanning over some pages of this mammoth thread and most are seeing much more than this with normal driving never mind my attempts to try and hit high mpgs.

I have reset the long distance clock since we got it and done every economy driving method I know in economy mode, so not being able to get over 43mpg (AT BEST!) seems wrong. Anyone know what might be up?

The car has done 4000 miles and was an ex demo at the VW stealers.

It's the con of start-stop having a huge effect on the test cycle. Before start-stop (like with your CC), you could easily get within 5% of combined figures without driving like a nun. Now you should be realistically aiming to achieve 70% of published figures around the doors and 85% on a long motorway run without driving like a nun (figure 75% and 100% if you are driving like a nun). Look on the bright side, you might not be saving 20% on your fuel bill as you thought you would, but you'll be saving around £115 a year in road tax. Happy about that? No, me neither! 

[seiceed]

We just picked up a 2014 GTD DSG. Before we owned a VW CC and official figure was 53mpg combined, on the clock we got about 49-50. So looking at the GTD thought we'd get a bit more and have the power if required.

However, we've had it for a week and in economy mode, with as much coasting as possible and driving on long motorway drives at 60mph with air con off, I cannot for the life of me get it above 43mpg?!

Scanning over some pages of this mammoth thread and most are seeing much more than this with normal driving never mind my attempts to try and hit high mpgs.

I have reset the long distance clock since we got it and done every economy driving method I know in economy mode, so not being able to get over 43mpg (AT BEST!) seems wrong. Anyone know what might be up?

The car has done 4000 miles and was an ex demo at the VW stealers.

It's the con of start-stop having a huge effect on the test cycle. Before start-stop (like with your CC), you could easily get within 5% of combined figures without driving like a nun. Now you should be realistically aiming to achieve 70% of published figures around the doors and 85% on a long motorway run without driving like a nun (figure 75% and 100% if you are driving like a nun). Look on the bright side, you might not be saving 20% on your fuel bill as you thought you would, but you'll be saving around £115 a year in road tax. Happy about that? No, me neither! 

The CC had start-stop too...

[monkeyhanger]

Maybe the results obtained for the CC were done on a testing regime not optimised for start-stop? Not sure when the current testing cycle came in, but it has 24% of it's 11 min time with the car at a standstill. The only way to achieve 67mpg in the GTD seems to be driving at a constant 60mph on a long motorway run. Your "low" mpg aves reported here aren't atypical.

[fredgroves]

There seems to be tons of factors that effect the fuel economy on the GTD.

Temperature seems to be a major factor as does winter derv mix (mine has gone from typically getting about 49mpg to 43mpg in the last few weeks), another seems to be that motorway speeds aren't what its best at (I get far better economy from A roads, which should you'd like to think give you worse!) and lastly the dreaded oil temp thing that means that probably up to a 15 mile commuter trip from cold will be super crap.

I drove my GTD to the Netherlands earlier this year. 25 degrees air temp, 600 mile trip, 80mph on ACC down the super flat motorway, no traffic jams - 63 mpg.

It is possible to drive it like that, its just that your usage may vary.

Back to the UK, my drive home from the ferry port was only 48mpg...

[seiceed]

Maybe the results obtained for the CC were done on a testing regime not optimised for start-stop? Not sure when the current testing cycle came in, but it has 24% of it's 11 min time with the car at a standstill. The only way to achieve 67mpg in the GTD seems to be driving at a constant 60mph on a long motorway run. Your "low" mpg aves reported here aren't atypical.

I'm not sure what you mean? The CC is supposed to get 53mpg combined. I got 49-51. It had start-stop, it was a 2012 model. The GTD also has start-stop its supposed to get 62.8mpg combined, i'm getting 42.

I'm getting 42mpg driving at 60mph on an hour long motorway run with air con off in eco mode, coasting as often as possible down hill.

Doesn't seem right? People here are suggesting they are touching 70 in ideal conditions. I literally can't get it past 43!?

[fredgroves]

Also - don't use eco mode. Eco mode does nothing positive to MPG.

Eco mode I am convinced is an MQB mode for the electric/hybrid vehicles concerned with reducing electrical consumption, not derv!

[seiceed]

Also - don't use eco mode. Eco mode does nothing positive to MPG.

Eco mode I am convinced is an MQB mode for the electric/hybrid vehicles concerned with reducing electrical consumption, not derv!

I'm not sure about that, the eco mode controls multiple things, engine map, steering, suspension (I think), light bend and air con, plus you can customise all these. There is the biggest difference i've ever experience in any car between the three engine modes of Eco, Normal and Sport. Massive differences, in most cares even normal to sport is fairly subtle.