Real World MPG with DSG

VeeDubTDI

Wanderluster, Traveler, TDIClub Enthusiast
Joined
Jul 2, 2000
Location
Springfield, VA
TDI
‘18 Tesla Model 3D+, ‘14 Cadillac ELR, ‘13 Fiat 500e
I did comfirm yesterday that the Average 2 does reset after 100 hours. Also it appears to me that the average MPH is calculated from the total hours the vehicle is on not just the hours spent driving. So in otherwords the longer you sit in traffic or warming up the car hurts the average MPH. Not that anyone here really gives a hoot about MPH averages, but it could come in handy when compairing MPG's with another driver.
You are correct that average speed is based off of engine operation and not time spent moving. So if you travel at 60 MPH for 30 minutes and 0 MPH for 30 minutes (with the engine running), your average speed will be 30 MPH for one hour (distance/time), just as your fuel consumption reflects time running, not time driving.
 

Sigforty

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 27, 2013
Location
Prairieville, LA
TDI
2012 Passat w/DSG
I did comfirm yesterday that the Average 2 does reset after 100 hours. Also it appears to me that the average MPH is calculated from the total hours the vehicle is on not just the hours spent driving. So in otherwords the longer you sit in traffic or warming up the car hurts the average MPH. Not that anyone here really gives a hoot about MPH averages, but it could come in handy when compairing MPG's with another driver.
You are correct that average speed is based off of engine operation and not time spent moving. So if you travel at 60 MPH for 30 minutes and 0 MPH for 30 minutes (with the engine running), your average speed will be 30 MPH for one hour (distance/time), just as your fuel consumption reflects time running, not time driving.
Yep, I often see my MPG drop while I am stuck in traffic or sit in a drive through. For those reasons I now avoid the drive through and try my best with traffic. I also record my average speed each tank so I can try and best estimate my MPG on fuelly. This also helps me see how I am doing tank to tank with driving.
 

Rico567

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jun 13, 2003
Location
Central IL
TDI
2013 Passat TDI SEL Premium (Turned in 7/7/18)
are you guys getting these good numbers filling up when light comes on or driving down to nearly empty?
I don't understand this question. There are no "good" numbers. Only numbers. The Fuelly average you see below this post is my odometer reading and gallons pumped (Fuelly also records price, but that's irrelevant) since we bought the car new. That is the number derived over 13K miles.
 

quattroginger

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 24, 2014
Location
Hughesville MD
TDI
14 Passat SEL
I meant when your hitting 800 a tank. When my light comes on it says 65miles left. Are you guys getting it down to like 10 or so to hit that 800 mark? Or are you hitting it by the time gas light comes on.
 

VeeDubTDI

Wanderluster, Traveler, TDIClub Enthusiast
Joined
Jul 2, 2000
Location
Springfield, VA
TDI
‘18 Tesla Model 3D+, ‘14 Cadillac ELR, ‘13 Fiat 500e
800 per tank isn't very difficult on a highway trip. 45 MPG should be around 800 miles at the low fuel light (or thereabouts).
 

Rico567

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jun 13, 2003
Location
Central IL
TDI
2013 Passat TDI SEL Premium (Turned in 7/7/18)
^^^^^

An excellent point! Endlessly discussing the capacity of the Passat's tank in terms of the miles that can be extracted from it is meaningless absent all the other variables. Some other recent thread has posted some simple, highly revealing graphs of speed v. mileage, and for several vehicles. It doesn't much matter, given the fact that air molecules start to "stack up," i.e. make for more wind resistance about 40 mph, and the progression is not linear with increasing speed, but becomes exponentially greater*. Above 65 mph, the air dictates a very noticeable law of diminishing returns: one pours in a disproportionately larger amount of fuel for each mile per hour increase in speed. This is why I'm not concerned with my mileage, beyond a certain point. We travel the posted limit in town, 10 over on the 2 lane state roads, and 75 mph on the Interstate...because that's how we drive, and the mileage is what it is at those speeds.

*"I use the word exponentially cause I learned it in a math class, and that's the first sentence I've ever f****** been able to use it in." - Lewis Black
 

Bobmws

Veteran Member
Joined
May 7, 2013
Location
Central Florida
TDI
2013 Passat TDI SE DSG
I meant when your hitting 800 a tank. When my light comes on it says 65miles left. Are you guys getting it down to like 10 or so to hit that 800 mark? Or are you hitting it by the time gas light comes on.
One thing to keep in mind is to be consistant when filling your tank. Diesel fuel foams when you pump it quickly. You can get up to a gallon more in your tank if you pump it slowly, and wait for the foaming to settle before topping it off.
 

mc4nam

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 17, 2013
Location
TX
TDI
2013 Passat Dsg
See my Fuelly info below. I am at almost 9k miles. My typical commute is about 40 miles per day round trip. I top off everytimg and have used Power Service or Stanadyne in almost every tank. I have 18 inch factory wheels.
My 40 miles is probably 20 miles stop and go in DFW traffic at speeds from 25mph to 50mph and another 20 on interstates at speeds from 65mph to 85mph.
I am not really disappointed in the gas mileage but I was expecting more like 40 MPG or close to it.
Is it still breaking in or should I be happy since I am in line with what the sticker on the cars says?
 

VeeDubTDI

Wanderluster, Traveler, TDIClub Enthusiast
Joined
Jul 2, 2000
Location
Springfield, VA
TDI
‘18 Tesla Model 3D+, ‘14 Cadillac ELR, ‘13 Fiat 500e
"Stop and go" in speeds of 25-50 miles per hour? That means everyone is accelerating up to speed, then jamming on their brakes to come to a stop over and over again? If that's the case, no wonder you're only getting 32 MPG.

Brakes = wasted fuel.
 

Sigforty

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 27, 2013
Location
Prairieville, LA
TDI
2012 Passat w/DSG
See my Fuelly info below. I am at almost 9k miles. My typical commute is about 40 miles per day round trip. I top off everytimg and have used Power Service or Stanadyne in almost every tank. I have 18 inch factory wheels.
My 40 miles is probably 20 miles stop and go in DFW traffic at speeds from 25mph to 50mph and another 20 on interstates at speeds from 65mph to 85mph.
I am not really disappointed in the gas mileage but I was expecting more like 40 MPG or close to it.
Is it still breaking in or should I be happy since I am in line with what the sticker on the cars says?
Your commute sounds similar to mine, but with more stop and go. I would suggest when you can get up to speed to find a good spot and sit there. I normally cruise around 68-70 mph when the limit is 70 and 64 when the limit is 60. If you can cut down your mph range when at speed it would help with the fuel economy. I also use cruise control all the time. If traffic slows I try to find the happy medium on cruise where I can keep moving. Stopping and going will cause you nightmares for achieving good mpg numbers.
 

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.
According to my mfd, I was cruising along at just over 45 mpg yesterday when traffic on I-85 came to an almost complete stand still. A gasoline tanker had decided to try and park nose first into the barrier wall and cut five lanes to one with all the emergency equipment. After inching along for about 45 minutes, I watched the mfd drop to about 32. Stop and go will quickly kill mileage.
 

Lincoln

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 14, 2014
Location
Seattle, WA
TDI
2013 Passat TDI SE 6 Speed MT
Suggestion for one of the moderators: Add some sort of poll/average at the top of this thread and also the MT version, asking everyone to report lifetime mileage. It won't be exactly scientific since we self-select, but might give an idea of what to expect for those looking into either a DSG or MT. I'm not sure how these work, but if calculating an average from reported mileage isn't possible, we could have a histogram (e.g. bins of 30-35, 35-40, 40-45, 45-50, 50-55, 55-60) with radio buttons for each selection.
 

rotarykid

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Apr 27, 2003
Location
Piedmont of N.C. & the plains of Colorado
TDI
1997 Passat TDI White,99.5 Blue Jetta TDI
Suggestion for one of the moderators: Add some sort of poll/average at the top of this thread and also the MT version, asking everyone to report lifetime mileage. It won't be exactly scientific since we self-select, but might give an idea of what to expect for those looking into either a DSG or MT. I'm not sure how these work, but if calculating an average from reported mileage isn't possible, we could have a histogram (e.g. bins of 30-35, 35-40, 40-45, 45-50, 50-55, 55-60) with radio buttons for each selection.

Look at the other thread you left this message in....
 

VeeDubTDI

Wanderluster, Traveler, TDIClub Enthusiast
Joined
Jul 2, 2000
Location
Springfield, VA
TDI
‘18 Tesla Model 3D+, ‘14 Cadillac ELR, ‘13 Fiat 500e
Suggestion for one of the moderators: Add some sort of poll/average at the top of this thread and also the MT version, asking everyone to report lifetime mileage. It won't be exactly scientific since we self-select, but might give an idea of what to expect for those looking into either a DSG or MT. I'm not sure how these work, but if calculating an average from reported mileage isn't possible, we could have a histogram (e.g. bins of 30-35, 35-40, 40-45, 45-50, 50-55, 55-60) with radio buttons for each selection.
The problem is you can't change your poll option once you vote, so the data will get stale very quickly. Fortunately, there is Fuelly. :)
 

Lincoln

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 14, 2014
Location
Seattle, WA
TDI
2013 Passat TDI SE 6 Speed MT
Thanks VeeDub. I searched for polls here but only found old ones (B5, etc.). Fuelly is a smarter option for the reason you provided. The downside, I would guess, is that people who use fuelly are very mileage-conscious, so the results are likely skewed high for all vehicles. Oh well.
 

Rico567

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jun 13, 2003
Location
Central IL
TDI
2013 Passat TDI SEL Premium (Turned in 7/7/18)
Thanks VeeDub. I searched for polls here but only found old ones (B5, etc.). Fuelly is a smarter option for the reason you provided. The downside, I would guess, is that people who use fuelly are very mileage-conscious, so the results are likely skewed high for all vehicles. Oh well.
This has been brought up before, and I'd like to know if there's any way to statistically determine a "true" average from a Fuelly average. Personally, we just drive the way we've always driven, indulging no no coasting or other actual "hypermiling," although we're pretty moderate in our acceleration, always get off the accelerator early for an anticipated stop or etc. Otherwise, it's cruise on all the time on the highway, under the limit in town, 65 on state two-lane highways, 75 on the Interstate. This is one of the reasons I'm pretty pleased with our Fuelly average.
 

Bobmws

Veteran Member
Joined
May 7, 2013
Location
Central Florida
TDI
2013 Passat TDI SE DSG
Cruise control will knock down mpg ~1-2. We've run 95 miles from home to Gainesville FL about 8 times in the last 3 months. This consists of 15 miles of country 2 lane (55mph), 75 miles of turnpike/interstate (70mph) and 5 miles of stop & go surface streets (45mph). There are some rolling hills from Ocala to Gainesville. Normal driving, running 55 on the 2 lane, 75 on the highway and 45 in stop & go I get 43 to 45 mpg for the trip, in both directions, 190 miles total. Running the cruise on the highway portion I get 41-42 mpg.
I've got the same results 3 times with the cruise control on.
Now I only use the cruise intermittently to give my knee a break!
 

pparks1

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 13, 2013
Location
Westland, Michigan
TDI
2013 Passat TDI SE
Thanks VeeDub. I searched for polls here but only found old ones (B5, etc.). Fuelly is a smarter option for the reason you provided. The downside, I would guess, is that people who use fuelly are very mileage-conscious, so the results are likely skewed high for all vehicles. Oh well.
I use Fuelly because I like to see where my car is performing and make sure it's getting about what it should. I used to track mileage in a log book on my old 2002 VW Passat. Tracked it for about 3 years. Then, just went by the odometer to make sure that I got about the right numbers per tank.

I'm not "very mileage conscious", I drive my car where I need to go. I also live in a state with cold winters and this year the most amount of snow on record ever...and that will really drive down mileage. At the end of the day, I was happy to see that my new diesel in the worst conditions possible returned mileage better than my 2002 VW Passat could have had on it's best day ever.

So, my fuelly is what it is.
 
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