MPG discussion - Sportwagen

I scooted up to Nebraska last night to pick up some glasses for a friend. I got a photo of the bottom corner of my GPS showing where I had my cruise set (60 mph), plus the dash screen showing range, etc.

So here's the breakdown: I kept the cruise set at 65 mph in Kansas and then 60 mph after entering Nebraska. I'm still running out my 300 gal. of #2 diesel (I have about 150 gal. left). Air conditioner was blowing full blast for part of the return trip. I idled the car for two minutes at the Vision Center...and I got 61.3 mpg on the screen. 60+ is usual on the screen once the weather bumps above 60 F. I'll be able to verify true mpg when I refill today.




What are other people seeing this summer?

My best tank in the past month was 62.6 mpg (800.4 miles on 12.878 gallons) and my worst was 46.9 mpg (570.0 miles on 12.164 gallons). All my fills since new are available for viewing in my Fuelly sig below.


If you haven't adjusted your MFD, it is probably indicating 3-5 mpg optimistic, based on dozens of anecdotal user info here.

I just got back from a 370 km drive. All 4 lane highways with a bit of traffic in Montreal. It was 35C (95F) out so the AC was running all the time. The cruise control was set to 118 km/hr (73 mph).

I got 5.2 L/100 km or 45 mpg. And I've done the MFD correction, I went with 7%.

Happy with that. No A/C and a little slower/no traffic and 4.x L/100km would be easy.

Blue_Hen_TDI said:

My best tank in the past month was 62.6 mpg (800.4 miles on 12.878 gallons) and my worst was 46.9 mpg (570.0 miles on 12.164 gallons). All my fills since new are available for viewing in my Fuelly sig below.


If you haven't adjusted your MFD, it is probably indicating 3-5 mpg optimistic, based on dozens of anecdotal user info here.

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Thanks for the response. I have never adjusted my MFD, and believe it is indicating about 5 mpg higher than true. However, even at 56 mpg, that's pretty good fuel efficiency.

Thanks for sharing your best and worst. Woo! an 800 mile tank!

You know, one thing that I really wish were on my TDI is an exhaust brake. The diesel engine is notoriously bad holding the car back going down hills, I know. I just wish I did not have to ride the poor brakes on hills...and I've been spoiled by the exhaust brake on my Ram truck! Have you had to service your brakes yet?

The Tortoise said:

I just got back from a 370 km drive. All 4 lane highways with a bit of traffic in Montreal. It was 35C (95F) out so the AC was running all the time. The cruise control was set to 118 km/hr (73 mph).

I got 5.2 L/100 km or 45 mpg. And I've done the MFD correction, I went with 7%.

Happy with that. No A/C and a little slower/no traffic and 4.x L/100km would be easy.

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Thanks for the response! Love the photo, too! Is there a thread which goes step-by-step on how to correct the MFD?

Gents , on a 2015 TDI . is it not true to run all the gears to 3,000 RPM if you have a manual and it hurts the car to drive it like grandma ? I drive it like I stole it ,not abuse it yet run all my gears to 3,000 RPM once its warmed up. I have 16k on my Passat and still breaking her in.. I will take Drive By Wire Advise. These cars beg to be driven.

Is it needed? not a must. Does it hurt anything? nope. Will it prevent issues? maybe.

The reason it was more of a requirement was for LDS or HSD and EGR clogging on the older TDIs.

With ULSD and the advanced EGR, CCV and improved combustion process of CRD tech in itself, clogging of the intakes and other systems seems to be dramatically reduced.

Remember the DPF/emissions system gets baked every 240-300 miles so it's doing the exact same thing being recommended by shifting at 3k and doing an "Italian tune up".

Just returned from a trip to Northbrook, IL (490mi one way) and did 50mpg (hand calculated) on the way back, with wife and 2 kids in the car, trunk loaded with maybe 150lb worth of stuff (around 650lb total load). She drove for about 220mi, and the little shifting she did was at about 3k rpm (in spite of my protests), just like her Jetta gasser (which is auto, but I guess that's how she "feels" the shifts). Overall, she didn't drive it in the most fuel efficient way, as this was her first time driving my 6MT GSW (and she can drive a manual, just not eager to). Cruise speed was set at 74mph on 70mph stretches (most of it) and 60 to 64mph on 55mph stretches.
I got 53mpg hand calculated on a 100mi trip from Belgium, WI back to Northbrook, again with everyone in the car returning from our friends vacation home on the shores of Lake Michigan. The reverse trip a few days earlier only managed 48mpg (caught some heavy stop and go traffic in the Milwaukee area).
I think the FE is still stellar, even after the Phase I mod.
On a side note: diesel is around $3.50 in the Pittsburgh area but only $2.99 around Chicago/Northbrook. Anywhere in between along the way in Ohio and Indiana.

Later edit: BTW, I adjusted the MFD reading via OBDII app and now it's almost 100% accurate. I do hand calculations anyway, especially if I get an MFD reading over 50mpg.

Miss_Athanatos said:

Thanks for the response! Love the photo, too! Is there a thread which goes step-by-step on how to correct the MFD?

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This is what I used:

https://idpartsblog.com/2018/03/26/adjusting-displayed-fuel-economy-on-mk7-tdi/

Miss_Athanatos said:

Have you had to service your brakes yet?

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74k miles on my Golf and there is plenty of pad life left. However, the front rotors are garbage and are badly grooved.

aditud said:

On a side note: diesel is around $3.50 in the Pittsburgh area but only $2.99 around Chicago/Northbrook. Anywhere in between along the way in Ohio and Indiana.

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Pennsylvania now has the highest tax rate on diesel in the nation at 75.1 cents per gallon, second only to California’s 83.48 cents. Then of course the Feds add another 24.4 cents.

And while we’re on PA, I just took a look at my EZ Pass transactions for the road trip I just took to the Midwest. I took the PA Turnpike from Breezewood to the Ohio border and the reverse on the way back. My tolls? $32.82.

I will never use the PA Turnpike again in my life.

i need some of that special fuel you guys are using, lol

AGOODHI said:

i need some of that special fuel you guys are using, lol

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Me too. I average 42mpg at 80ish mph.

2014 JSW - 42 MPG average

GreenLantern_TDI said:

Me too. I average 42mpg at 80ish mph.

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You answered your own question. 80ish mph and 42mpg is about right.

I got 46 mpg doing 70-75 with A/C on and car loaded and 62 mpg doing 55-65 on my regular commute with no A/C and no pax or cargo.

There’s nothing special involved. It’s all about how the car is driven.

Miss_Athanatos said:

Thanks for the response. I have never adjusted my MFD, and believe it is indicating about 5 mpg higher than true. However, even at 56 mpg, that's pretty good fuel efficiency.

Thanks for sharing your best and worst. Woo! an 800 mile tank!

You know, one thing that I really wish were on my TDI is an exhaust brake. The diesel engine is notoriously bad holding the car back going down hills, I know. I just wish I did not have to ride the poor brakes on hills...and I've been spoiled by the exhaust brake on my Ram truck! Have you had to service your brakes yet?

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Hope your trip was nice, was a bit warm up here this week! :-D

As for exhaust braking, I just downshift, religiously, all the time. The paddles make it so easy to do and I will always drop down rather than riding the brakes or even getting on them prematurely whenever possible. 5th, 4th and 3rd gears and keeping revs below 4k (usually right at 3k and below) works well. I don't usually shift to 2nd because it's rather short so I let the DSG do it's thing.

I also downshifted regularly in my last 2 Jetta TDI and the last one I "gave" back to VW had 230k in the ORIGINAL fronts and I had only changed the rears at 210k.

OH, and click below for my Fuelly stats. Tracking tank to tank, always fill to fuel, since I bought the car almost 1yr ago with 80 miles on it.

Are you guys getting this kind of fuel mileage POST-fix? Thanks.

rallywagon said:

Are you guys getting this kind of fuel mileage POST-fix? Thanks.

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Phase 1 fix for me.

rallywagon said:

Are you guys getting this kind of fuel mileage POST-fix? Thanks.

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Phase 1 here also. I'm giving the VW service network some practice on the early adopters before going in for Phase 2. Lot of horror stories on wait times, trouble codes on the drive home, unfinished work under the hood, etc. Frankly, VW service departments horrify me.

rallywagon said:

Are you guys getting this kind of fuel mileage POST-fix? Thanks.

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Phase 1 as well here. I'm waiting for a) mileage and the b) for the techs to get many of these under their belts for the reasons Blue_Hen mentioned. I may wait another full year before bothering with it. I put on about 30k a year and until I roll 40k, no chance will I have phase 2 done but after that, it's just a waiting game.

rallywagon said:

Are you guys getting this kind of fuel mileage POST-fix? Thanks.

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No, I declined the VW settlement.

Blue_Hen_TDI said:

I took the PA Turnpike from Breezewood to the Ohio border and the reverse on the way back. My tolls? $32.82.
I will never use the PA Turnpike again in my life.

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You've never traveled the 90 some odd miles of 95 in Maine from York to Gardner, round trip 180 miles is around $11 in tolls.

Or try doing i90 form Troy to Buffalo, i think that one is $30-$40 one way.

NH is prob the worse as 95 is only 11 miles of highway but charges $2 at the Hampton tolls for all the tourists heading north.

740GLE said:

You've never traveled the 90 some odd miles of 95 in Maine from York to Gardner, round trip 180 miles is around $11 in tolls.

Or try doing i90 form Troy to Buffalo, i think that one is $30-$40 one way.

NH is prob the worse as 95 is only 11 miles of highway but charges $2 at the Hampton tolls for all the tourists heading north.

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I've been through every area you mentioned.

Probably the worst tolls per mile would be driving from Brooklyn to BWI via:

1. Pick any two bridges in NYC to get to NJ - $25
2. NJ Turnpike - $9
3. DE Memorial Bridge - $4
4. DE Turnpike - $4
5. JFK Highway in MD - $8
6. Ft McHenry Tunnel - $4

$54 for just under 200 miles.


That's when Amtrak actually starts looking attractive.

rallywagon said:

Are you guys getting this kind of fuel mileage POST-fix? Thanks.

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Yes, I thought I clarified that in my previous post.

Phase one fix, 2015, about 18k miles [29k km]on it. Drove Anchorage to Skagway and return. The path goes through Yukon and a bit of BC. Round trip distance is about 1600 miles [2600 km] I drove non-stop on the return except for a couple of short naps. On the way to Skagway, camped one night. Average for the trip was 49.6 mpg [4.74 l/100 km]. The drive includes some steep climbs, but also some fun down hills. I'm guessing average speed was about 60 to 65 mph [100 kph] and the temps ranged from about 55 to 85 F [15 to 30 C]. Seems the fuel I got in Whitehorse got me better results than the fuel from Alaska.

Really nice feedback, everyone. Thank you. I hope people keep it coming!

Phase 1 fix, 2015 Sportwagen SEL DSG. My wife with two kids and luggage just ran a tank to 47.02 MPG with cruise control on at prevailing speed limit, A/C on, heading east from NE Indiana to south central PA through the mountains.

I'm confident if I were to take it for a trip I could EASILY put it above 50 MPG.

Mine has been averaging in the low to mid 50's in the summer. Those are close to straight highway miles driving at 70 mph. To get into the mid 50's you need some traffic to pull you along. I have 15" wheels though, which have an advantage over the larger low profile wheels in the mpg department.

marcusku said:

I have 15" wheels though, which have an advantage over the larger low profile wheels in the mpg department.

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Out of curiosity, what's the wheel/tire combined weight?
For reference, my 18" Enkei wheels w/ Continental tires are 38lbs combined which was 6lbs lighter than the stock 18"s w/ Pirellis

adjat84th said:

Out of curiosity, what's the wheel/tire combined weight?
For reference, my 18" Enkei wheels w/ Continental tires are 38lbs combined which was 6lbs lighter than the stock 18"s w/ Pirellis

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15" VW Lyon wheels w/ Conti ProContact TX (standard setup for S TSI models) = 35.4 lbs.