2018 equinox diesel

tikal

Veteran Member
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Apr 18, 2001
Location
Southeast Texas
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2004 Passat Wagon (chainless + 5 MT + GDE tune)
More miles logged = more accurate average MPG

There are 4 Equinox TDs on the Fuelly site, each with around 10 fill ups, averaging between 24 to 38 mpgs. Sounds consistent with the EPA rating.
Good call on looking at Fuelly numbers. Right now it is showing 28 fill-ups and around 8,000 miles accumulated with an average of 31 MPG. I realize it is not a lot of miles but probably more than the folks in this thread posting their MPG.

I would encourage anyone who has purchased an Equinox diesel to log their fuel usage via Fuelly. The more miles the more accurate expected average will be for future potential buyers.
 

jnecr

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Oct 9, 2004
Location
Raleigh, NC
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2014 BMW 328d
Well my personal 3354 miles driven so far is steady over 40 mpg. I wont bother with this thread anymore . Too many skeptical people.
I don't think anybody is skeptical over your numbers. Down east (I'm in Raleigh) is great for fuel mileage. Lots of flat, straight roads and off the interstate the speed is usually 55MPH. That's perfect for getting great mileage.

The skeptical one is the photo of the dash showing 50+ MPG but only over the last 25 miles. That number likely omits any of the driving around to get to the interstate. I only trust full tank number calculated by hand, which is exactly what you've done. 40mpg is a great number for an SUV, it's a lot more air to push than something like a JSW.
 

tomo366

TDI Lifer, Member #68
Joined
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Location
Kensington, Maryland USA
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2015 Jetta SEL TDI
Well my personal 3354 miles driven so far is steady over 40 mpg. I wont bother with this thread anymore . Too many skeptical people.
Well this is after all a VW TDI site.....you will need to get some more miles on it and TDI folks tend to get higher and higher as the mileage goes up....The Equinox is too New yet....but we will see as time goes
 
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IndigoBlueWagon

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Aug 16, 2004
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South of Boston
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'97 Passat, '99.5 Golf, '02 Jetta Wagon, '15 GSW
As a comparison, my wife's 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe has averaged 26 MPG over the last 71,000 miles (highway, city and sitting in traffic combined).
Just about right. If you agree that these vehicles are roughly comparable and also agree that diesels should provide 30% better economy than gasoline cars, the Equinox should be making about 34 MPG. May well get there with more break-in time.
 

tikal

Veteran Member
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Apr 18, 2001
Location
Southeast Texas
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2004 Passat Wagon (chainless + 5 MT + GDE tune)
Well my personal 3354 miles driven so far is steady over 40 mpg. I wont bother with this thread anymore . Too many skeptical people.
I think it has do more with the science and math of the Central limit theorem. That's why researching sites like Fuelly gives you a better predictor of your expected long term average MPG than individual posts on any type of online forum.
 

RebelTDI

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Nov 1, 2009
Location
Boston, MA
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2016 Audi Q5 TDI, 2016 BMW 535d Xdrive
It isn't about not believing someone's mpg observations, it's just that there are so many variables that effect mpgs. When I had my 2010 Jetta TDI, when driving conditions were optimal, I could get a tank of around 50 mpg. Other driving conditions resulted in low 30s. Fuelly just provides a variety of results from drivers in a wide variety of driving conditions over time. Seems to me the Equinox has potential. I find the fact that my 535d gets similar, if not better mpgs than my Corolla pretty amazing. The 535d can go further on 1/2 a tank of fuel than a fully charged Tesla Model S. Diesel does have its advantages.
 

tdidieselbobny

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Apr 4, 2005
Location
Stafford,NY (WNY)
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'03 Galactic Blue Jetta TDI, '15 Silk Blue Golf Sportwagen TDI
I was looking at the Equinox TD- dealer near me has one for about $2500 off MSRP -down to around $31k, another dealer has a couple Terrains, they start at $34k and go up, but I've only seen AWD versions of both. Dealer in Rochester has an Equinox "internet priced" at just over $27k. If we did get one, it would be wife's vehicle-not getting rid of the GSW;)....
 

TwosDay

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2006 Jetta 1.9 PD 5-Speed with the van Gogh fix, 2012 PassIt 6-Speed PLATNUM Grey (scheduled for buyback), 2013 JSW 6-Speed Platnum Grey, 2018 Chevy Equanox TD to replace '12 PassIt!
Don't be fooled by FUELLY

There are 4 Equinox TDs on the Fuelly site, each with around 10 fill ups, averaging between 24 to 38 mpgs. Sounds consistent with the EPA rating.
After careful examination of the data provided by the 4 Equinox TD owners on FUELLY it is obvious that two of them are imposters!
The two owners with with FUELLY average in the 23-24 MPG range are purchasing fuel for $2.50 or less per gallon on average. This is consistent with the price of regular unleaded gasoline.
The two Equinox owners with the higher MPG scores are purchasing their fuel at prices more consistent with the current price of diesel fuel.
 

RebelTDI

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Boston, MA
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After careful examination of the data provided by the 4 Equinox TD owners on FUELLY it is obvious that two of them are imposters!
The two owners with with FUELLY average in the 23-24 MPG range are purchasing fuel for $2.50 or less per gallon on average. This is consistent with the price of regular unleaded gasoline.
The two Equinox owners with the higher MPG scores are purchasing their fuel at prices more consistent with the current price of diesel fuel.
Perhaps. It may be that they have discount cards through their grocery store. I can can get 50 cents off a gallon (or more) through discounts from Stop and Shop.
 

TwosDay

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2006 Jetta 1.9 PD 5-Speed with the van Gogh fix, 2012 PassIt 6-Speed PLATNUM Grey (scheduled for buyback), 2013 JSW 6-Speed Platnum Grey, 2018 Chevy Equanox TD to replace '12 PassIt!
Perhaps. It may be that they have discount cards through their grocery store. I can can get 50 cents off a gallon (or more) through discounts from Stop and Shop.
One of the suspect FUELLY users does in fact appear to be using a fuel rewards discount card. They average 3 fuel purchases per month with most purchases being priced between $2.35 and $2.50 per gallon. The exception occurs on or near the last day of the month when they purchase their fuel for less than $1.00 per gallon. Their FUELLY price average is only $1.85 per gallon. They are probably waiting to make their single discounted purchase until the end of the month when their maximum number of discount points has accrued.
The second suspect FUELLY user fills up once per week and averages between $2.29 and $2.55 per gallon with no end of month deeply discounted fuel purchases.
If it were not for these fuel rewards programs being limited to a single purchase per month, you would have had a valid point.
 

kjclow

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Apr 26, 2003
Location
Charlotte, NC
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2010 JSW TDI silver and black. 2017 Ram Ecodiesel dark red with brown and beige interior.
A lot of what they are reporting for fuel prices could be related to where they live. Check out the fuel price thread on here. I know if I drive two miles across the NC/SC state line, I can typically save 20 to 30 cents per gallon.
 

TwosDay

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Georgia/Indiana (dual national)
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2006 Jetta 1.9 PD 5-Speed with the van Gogh fix, 2012 PassIt 6-Speed PLATNUM Grey (scheduled for buyback), 2013 JSW 6-Speed Platnum Grey, 2018 Chevy Equanox TD to replace '12 PassIt!
Thanks for helping to prove my point

A lot of what they are reporting for fuel prices could be related to where they live. Check out the fuel price thread on here. I know if I drive two miles across the NC/SC state line, I can typically save 20 to 30 cents per gallon.
Thanks for providing additional data that supports the fact that two of the FUELLY users claiming to own Chevy Equinox TD's are imposters. I took your advice and read the fuel price thread posts dating back to January 1st of this year. I never did see a diesel price report of less than $2.50 per gallon. The two imposters on FUELLY have reported averages of $2.38 and $1.85. The three apparently legitimate FUELLY users average paying $2.82, $3.08 and $3.00 per gallon for fuel.
 

GoFaster

Moderator at Large
Joined
Jun 16, 1999
Location
Brampton, Ontario, Canada
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2006 Jetta TDI
^ Crap like that happens all the time on Fuelly. A lot of people don't know what they have under the hood, and/or they check off a random engine choice instead of checking off the correct one. There is no validation whatsoever.
 

eli

Veteran Member
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Oct 22, 2002
Location
I-95
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2017 Cruze stickshift 2019 Terrain
to answer a previous question from above:
2017 cruze diesel provides heat faster than any car I've ever tried, including gassers. equinox is probably similar.
Cruze diesel has a powerful electric cabin heater plus movable flaps to block airflow from the radiator. I've put about 10k miles on it in the 4 months I've owned it, including being stranded for a few hours on I-90 during "arctic blizzard conditions" and a few days visiting MN with temps varying from -20F to -8F. There was some anxiety about gelling and a Ford F250 from Texas at the MN hampton inn was towed away due to gelling. But no gelling occurred in my Cruze Diesel on any of the -20F overnights (not including wind chill!).
On a cruzetalk forum, one Cruze Diesel dude reported that his did gel in Wisconsin after he drove it from Iowa and parked the car for 4 days.
Based on the R2-D2 noises I hear from the car after shutoff, it may be recirculating warmed diesel fuel back into the tank, even after the car is shut off.
 

Flora

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Dec 27, 2016
Location
North Carolina
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2015 BMW 328dxi wagon, 2010 Audi A3 TDI , 2003 VW Golf TDI
Just test drove one of these today. While I loved the features (CarPlay, wireless phone charging, AWD that you can turn off and on, lane departure, cameras, etc), I thought the engine was woefully underpowered for the vehicle. Accelerating down onto the freeway, I put the pedal to the floor and very little happened... I wish the Cruze hatchback held more than a carry-on bag - now that thing's got some power. Still waiting for the Mazda diesel. If that doesn't materialize (not holding my breath), considering the 328d wagon or Volvo V60.

Has anyone looked at the new Buick wagon? Why doesn't anyone make a wagon anymore? :(
 

tikal

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 18, 2001
Location
Southeast Texas
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2004 Passat Wagon (chainless + 5 MT + GDE tune)
Just test drove one of these today. While I loved the features (CarPlay, wireless phone charging, AWD that you can turn off and on, lane departure, cameras, etc), I thought the engine was woefully underpowered for the vehicle. Accelerating down onto the freeway, I put the pedal to the floor and very little happened... I wish the Cruze hatchback held more than a carry-on bag - now that thing's got some power. Still waiting for the Mazda diesel. If that doesn't materialize (not holding my breath), considering the 328d wagon or Volvo V60.
Has anyone looked at the new Buick wagon? Why doesn't anyone make a wagon anymore? :(
Europeans like wagons which give much better ratio of cargo size to MPG vs. what Americans like, SUVs.

How often can you find a Honda Accord wagon, a Mazda 6 wagon or a Toyota Camry wagon (never) in North America? If you see one they are probably around 20 years old! Besides the current luxury mid-size wagons such as the ones from Volvo and Cadillac, what else can you find with a cargo closer to 40 cubic feet. I am not asking one with a diesel engine, but a new non-luxury mid-size wagon with any kind of engine :(
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
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Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
Drove my B5 wagon to work today. Brought the recyclables in with me. Could not imagine a better package for a car. Love this thing. Too bad it has been cursed with spark plugs so I rarely drive it. Still a nice car though.

Hopefully some day that diesel conversion will happen.
 

Flora

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Dec 27, 2016
Location
North Carolina
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2015 BMW 328dxi wagon, 2010 Audi A3 TDI , 2003 VW Golf TDI
Europeans like wagons which give much better ratio of cargo size to MPG vs. what Americans like, SUVs.
How often can you find a Honda Accord wagon, a Mazda 6 wagon or a Toyota Camry wagon (never) in North America? If you see one they are probably around 20 years old! Besides the current luxury mid-size wagons such as the ones from Volvo and Cadillac, what else can you find with a cargo closer to 40 cubic feet. I am not asking one with a diesel engine, but a new non-luxury mid-size wagon with any kind of engine :(
True enough. Even the new Buick I referenced are 29-35k. Seriously???
 

2013 tdi fan

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Location
outer banks nc
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2013
7,000 miles driven average fuel economy is 42mpg.I also got on fuelly and am tracking the miles and fill ups there for the benefit of the masses. Only thing that sucks is adding def i figure 2.5 gallons per 3,000 miles give or take.
 

jbright

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Sep 10, 2009
Location
Indianapolis
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2009 Jetta DSG
7,000 miles driven average fuel economy is 42mpg.I also got on fuelly and am tracking the miles and fill ups there for the benefit of the masses. Only thing that sucks is adding def i figure 2.5 gallons per 3,000 miles give or take.
How do you like the overall handling and performance of the Equinox?
 
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kjclow

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Apr 26, 2003
Location
Charlotte, NC
TDI
2010 JSW TDI silver and black. 2017 Ram Ecodiesel dark red with brown and beige interior.
How do you like the overall handling and performance of the Equinox?
Had a brand new gasser LS for a rental last week. 12 miles on when I picked it up. 500 miles later, I can say that I found the seat backs very unsupportive. Only other gripe was that I couldn’t get the interior rear view adjusted to a high enough angle. Car run okay and handled well enough for the size. I’d have to drive the loaded model to see if the seats are any better but not on my short list.
 

crazyrunner33

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Jul 11, 2006
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NC
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'10 Golf(bought back)
Do they at least have adjustable head rests? The previous generation had horrible seats, and the head rests were in a fixed position that was both uncomfortable and dangerous. A few of my relatives were rear ended in one of the older ones, it didn't end well.
 
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