What's the real world mpg of a gti on a long run. Mid 40s?? I struggled sometimes in the gtd to get 45 on a run before and my long term was about 39 to 41. I know if I go gti it's not about mpgs but it's all part of the package. If I can at least match or better the Tiguan then I would be happy.
If you drive like a nun you might see early 40s Chris. The R (and GTI, carrying a little less weight) are most economical sat at 30-50mph, purring along in 5th or 6th gear at 1500 -2000rpm not under load. That makes their mpg penalty less noticeable vs the GTD in city traffic, when the GTD's high gearing makes it difficult to be sat in 6th gear often.
When you get up to motorway speeds though, that lower gearing makes the GTI and R much thirstier than the GTD - doing a constant 80mph on the motorway, you'll be lucky to average 32mpg in the R or 35mpg in the GTI. The mpg difference between the R and the GTI is pretty small, it's only lugging 8% extra weight in the haldex which will behaving like a 2WD when not pressing on - about half the extra fueling costs of the R come from having to shell out at least 5p per litre more for the premium stuff.
Today I had a steady drive, quick but with no real opportunities to put my foot down apart from a 5 mile stretch of Newcastle's central motorway and my 20 mile commute saw me get 37.1mpg (indicated) and i'm averaging 34.2mpg for my tank on Tesco Momentum (despite driving with a bit of a mean streak on my way home last night).
You do get less mpg drop-off in the winter vs the GTD, diesels are much thirstier in the winter (for the combustion temp of the diesel, warm air loaded with moisture makes a far bigger difference to the mpg than it does for the petrol).
Stay light on the options Chris - that's what's really pushing your monthlies up when you change every 2 years.
