first full tank fuel economy

Hi everyone, just filled up my 2003 Jetta TDI for the 2nd time & was able to calculate my fuel economy. For my first full tank I got 42mpg. This was a mix of highway driving at 75mph & a lot of city driving. The city driving was mostly very short trips & the temperatures have been bitterly cold. I can't tell you how impressed I am. I haven't exactly been easy on the go pedal either! I love my little Jetta. I'm pissed that I'm paying $2/gallon for diesel, but considering I came from a 16mpg 4x4 pickup, I'm thrilled.

Quick question, does anyone know what the fuel tank capacity is for a Jetta? I was about 20miles into reserve when I filled up & with venting managed to get 15.11 gallons in the tank. How close to running on fumes was I?

Thanks guys.

._. Hi, Kid! You're right -- that's a very good MPG for a new vehicle with a good bit of city driving. You'll find that the MPG will continue to increase -- you'll see a big jump with "summer fuel" and your MPG will also increase noticeably for the first 10,000 miles or so.
._. Your question about fuel tank quantity has been discussed here often. It's pretty hard to measure but the prevailing opinion has been that most vehicles have a *real* tank capacity of about 16.7 - 16.9 US gallons (with venting). So, from a fill of 15.1, that means that you had about a gallon and a half until the tank was dry.
._. But the consequences of running out of fuel can be pretty drastic, so I always refuel as soon as the light comes on (and it's good to know that there's a safe 60 -- 75 miles at that point) -- us grey-haired, broken down, old retired guys who drive slow are pretty conservative about such things. But I've typically already gotten over 750 -- 800 miles from that tank, so why push it?
Good luck, Bruce Henderson, Wallace NC

I second GutWrench's comments - I have found that the low fuel light comes on when I need about 14.8 gallons, so your report of 15.11 gallons 20 miles after the light came on sounds about right.

I'm guessing you have a stick - 45 mpg is very good for the conditions you describe - many things working against mpg for you - cold, city driving, short trips, engine not yet broken in. During the summer look forward to 55 mpg or better on long trips if you don't drive too fast.

The most I've ever fueled is just shy of 16 gallons - some 60 miles past the light during an attempt to drive 1000 miles on a single fill - made it by 2 miles and did not run out of fuel.

Do a search here on "Ventectomy" to learn of a 10-15 minute mod allowing for much faster complete fills without needing to manually vent.

Enjoy - especially watching SUVers drop $40+ at the pump every 400 miles or so

Quick question, does anyone know what the fuel tank capacity is for a Jetta? I was about 20 miles into reserve when I filled up & with venting managed to get 15.11 gallons in the tank. How close to running on fumes was I? Thanks guys.

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Not to worry. I figure that you had to have more than one and one half gallons left.

Many here have put it more than 16 gallons on many occasions without first running out. On four occasions, I've put in more than 16.5 gallons, once filling with 16.904 gallons, and there wasn't any sign at all of the motor even beginning to show the telltale signs of fuel starvation. At that particular time, I was carrying my trusty two gallon reserve container just in case.

thanks for the input guys! I forgot to mention that the Jetta is a 5 speed, although I'm sure you all figured that out. I also forgot to mention that the tires had 30psi in them from the dealer & because of the cold, I hadn't attempted to pump them up myself. I did them in the driveway yesterday evening (temp. in the 50's yesterday ) & pumped them up to 38 psi. Hopefully this will help as well. I didn't want to pump them up too much, since it's still relatively cold here & I know that with rising temps. the pressure will increase a little as well. Thanks for the heads up on the fuel tank capacity. I didn't think I was pushing it too much, but it's good to know for sure. I am in LOVE with my little Jetta!

hehe...yeah...I know about the other side of fuel economy. My other car (truck) is a 2000 Dakota R/T regular cab. Read, 5.9L (360cubic inch) engine in a 3800lb truck. It is dang-scary-fast but gets about 10.3mpg in town, and 17.5 on the freeway.