A1 GTI speed and fuel consumption experiment results

[Mr Savage]

Any form of cruise control is worse off that manual control.
I tested it in my Polo Bluemotion using just cruise.

It is indeed. I used to do a 33 mile commute every day using the motorway in my Golf TDI and it would always be 5mpg better off using manual than cruise.

Adaptive Cruise is even worse as it's always trying to maintain the distance with the car infront and braking unnecessarily.

[Simon C]

Managed 39.8 mpg over 115 miles back north today. Similar driving style to that quoted previously, but no adaptive cruise control....yet about 4 mpg better.

Looks like you guys are right about the ACC being detrimental to fuel economy.

[GrahamFR]

I find the constant gaining and decreasing in speed to match the car in front very detrimental to mpg in fact I'm Off to Devon tomorrow and I might turn the A off and go back to normal CC

[KyleB]

I find the constant gaining and decreasing in speed to match the car in front very detrimental to mpg in fact I'm Off to Devon tomorrow and I might turn the A off and go back to normal CC

I don't think there is "normal" cruise control is there? Only ACC and speed limiter?

[Simon C]

I find the constant gaining and decreasing in speed to match the car in front very detrimental to mpg in fact I'm Off to Devon tomorrow and I might turn the A off and go back to normal CC

I don't think there is "normal" cruise control is there? Only ACC and speed limiter?

I think your right,  just ACC and speed limiter.

[GrahamFR]

I thought you turn off active assistance, is this not the same thing? I shall experiment today

[GTI-7-Performance]

I got 46mpg on a 140km autobahn run in quite heavy traffic with an average speed of 97kph. I have got 8.1 litres/100km (35mpg) over the first 1700kms.

What is clear if you drive carefully, then you may get near VW's claimed figures. But drive a GTi like a GTi and expect sub-30MPG figures. That crackle when the DSG shifts up under power is addictive.

In round figures I'm getting about 9 litres/100km (31mpg) around town and 6.5 litres (43mpg) on a run.

I recently did a 600km Swiss Autobahn round trip, where the speed limit is 120kph. It took me just under 3 hours each way, average speed around 100kph (62mph) with ACC set to 125kph (77.6mph),
Going I used Eco mode exclusively and got 6.7 litres per 100km (42mpg) on my return I used Comfort and got 6.5l/100km (43mpg)...

[GrahamFR]

I thought you turn off active assistance, is this not the same thing? I shall experiment today

Experiment failed, I'm wrong again. Most economical kind of CC I could make was to set the speed limiter to 70 and keep my foot down, that's the only way of keeping a constant speed in traffic I found. Door to door but mostly motorway I got 41mpg @ 70mph over 220 miles

[Jimble]

I thought the speed limiter was normal cruise control? I haven't tried it though.

[GrahamFR]

I thought the speed limiter was normal cruise control? I haven't tried it though.

No it's just what it says on the tin. It electronically stops you from exceeding the speed you set it at, no matter how fast you go to get to that speed lol feels weird. The Mrs has had it on her ds3 for years I've always been jealous as all I had with the Leon was 'winter tyres' which was just a beep to remind me I'm being a div you can overrule the speed limiter by clicking the pedal to the floor however, in case of those emergencies that require more speed to resolve!