My first 300 miles....crazy

Webbie1

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 29, 2019
Location
Rockford, IL
TDI
2015 Passat TDI SE Manual
I know that actual calculated mileage will be different (aka lower) than the indicated mpg on the dash, but this is a crazy number for my first 311 miles. This morning when I left for work, my indicated mpg was 52. I'm not sure what was up, but I just could NOT get the usual live consumption numbers going into work. I dropped from 52mpg to 48mpg on my 58 mile drive in. I was disappointed for sure, because I was driving the same way as usual. However, when I headed back home, I was seeing crazy live consumption numbers, like in the 60's and 70's for much of the drive. MUST be the wind! When I got home, I show a displayed 63.3 miles per gallon for my first 311 miles, as shown. I have the PERFECT drive for these cars, 58 miles, and 53 of them are highway, where I don't generally see too many slow downs. I'm driving between 70 - 75 miles per hour most of the drive. Car is a 2015 Passat TDI SE Manual.

 
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Lightflyer1

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Sep 13, 2005
Location
Round Rock, Texas
TDI
2015 Beetle tdi dsg
Check Fuelly and I think you will be disappointed some. Average is in the low 40's. Not much at 46 mpg and beyond. When you hand calculate I think you will be surprised. 1281 other Passats and 44.4 million combined miles say you won't be close to that number, unless you are doing something very special no one else knows about. Also these cars tend to use the second half of the tank much faster than the first.

http://www.fuelly.com/car/volkswagen/passat?engineconfig_id=103&bodytype_id=&submodel_id=
 
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Webbie1

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Joined
Apr 29, 2019
Location
Rockford, IL
TDI
2015 Passat TDI SE Manual
Check Fuelly and I think you will be disappointed some. Average is in the low 40's. Not much at 46 mpg and beyond. When you hand calculate I think you will be surprised. 1281 other Passats and 44.4 million combined miles say you won't be close to that number, unless you are doing something very special no one else knows about. Also these cars tend to use the second half of the tank much faster than the first.

http://www.fuelly.com/car/volkswagen/passat?engineconfig_id=103&bodytype_id=&submodel_id=
Yep, the manual calculation will tell the real story. I know the dash number is optimistic, but more than 10% would be disappointing. I AM doing the exact type of driving these diesels like, and I drive with the consumption meter showing, which I think is critical. I'll definitely post the real numbers. I may fill up after work tomorrow just to see. I'll have about 430 miles on the tank at that point.

Warner
 

soot1

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Nov 6, 2009
Location
Houston, TX
TDI
Currently none. Formerly: 2010 VW Jetta TDI 6M, 1993 Dodge Ram W250 Cummins 5M 4WD, 1990 VW Jetta Diesel 5M, 1986 VW Jetta Diesel 5M, 1980 VW Uabbit Diesel 4M. Currently driving 2018 Toyota 4Runner SR5 4WD.
Wind definitely does have an impact, and sometimes pretty significant. I remember driving once to certain location and back the exact same way (about 50 miles one way), with stiff tail wind on my way there and the same wind blowing in my face on my return. The figures were interesting - 67 mpg or so one way, 52 mpg going back. It was very warm, around 95 F, which is exactly when the car delivered the best fuel economy. Regen cycles will also mess up your figures, besides feeling distinctly the engine stuttering, I always saw the MPG average figure dropping instead of holding steady or climbing, and the immediate fuel economy figure at that moment was nothing to write home about.
 

Webbie1

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Joined
Apr 29, 2019
Location
Rockford, IL
TDI
2015 Passat TDI SE Manual
Wind definitely does have an impact, and sometimes pretty significant. I remember driving once to certain location and back the exact same way (about 50 miles one way), with stiff tail wind on my way there and the same wind blowing in my face on my return. The figures were interesting - 67 mpg or so one way, 52 mpg going back. It was very warm, around 95 F, which is exactly when the car delivered the best fuel economy. Regen cycles will also mess up your figures, besides feeling distinctly the engine stuttering, I always saw the MPG average figure dropping instead of holding steady or climbing, and the immediate fuel economy figure at that moment was nothing to write home about.
Well, being new to the car (less than a week), it was concerning for sure. I was driving the same way as I had been, but the mileage was the suck. Like you noticed, on the way home it was crazy high so I'm guessing it was wind. The strange thing is the wind wasn't THAT strong....like 15 mph maybe. But I was going directly into it on the way to work, and directly with it on the way home.

We'll see what the actual miles per gallon was tomorrow when I stop off to fill up after about 430 miles of driving. I do not expect it to be as high as the gauge reads, but if it's more than 10% less than the meter, I'll be both surprised and disappointed that it's off by so much. Most of the reports I've heard about have the gauge being about 5% optimistic on the high side. We'll see tomorrow afternoon. (I carpool on Tuesdays and Thursdays, so it's sitting in my garage today since this is my carpooling buddy's week to drive).

Warner
 

Jetta_Pilot

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Apr 14, 2005
Location
West Hill, Ont.
TDI
2015 Passat Highline TDI Candy White (SEL Premium) long gone 2002 Jetta TDI
The MFI mileage display lies !!!!! When you start from a stand still it reads very high. When you go downhill with your foot off the accelerator it reads 0.00 Mpg.


The ONLY accurate way is to fill your tank to the top of the filler neck. Record the odometer reading and divide fuel by the mileage and do that over many tank fillings.


In my car with DSG my average over the last 3 years is 40 Mpg and I do not pretend that I drive regularly at 80 Mph like many members here claim they do and get 60 Mpg.
 
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Lightflyer1

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Joined
Sep 13, 2005
Location
Round Rock, Texas
TDI
2015 Beetle tdi dsg
The MFI mileage display lies !!!!! When you start from a stand still it reads very high. When you go downhill with your foot off the accelerator it reads 0.00 Mpg.


The ONLY accurate way is to fill your tank to the top of the filler neck. Record the odometer reading and divide fuel by the mileage and do that over many tank fillings.


In my car with DSG my average over the last 3 years is 40 Mpg and I do not pretend that I drive regularly at 80 Mph like many members here claim they do and get 60 Mpg.

You are beating a dead horse, he knows all that already. Even provided him a link to Fuelly for mpg info.
 

Webbie1

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Joined
Apr 29, 2019
Location
Rockford, IL
TDI
2015 Passat TDI SE Manual
You are beating a dead horse, he knows all that already. Even provided him a link to Fuelly for mpg info.
Thanks. Yes, I know it's not accurate. I'll be surprised if it's more than 10% inaccurate, though. The proof will be in the pudding tomorrow afternoon, but I can't imagine the meter saying 60+ mpg and the actual amount being 40. THAT I can't imagine, and have seen no other reports of that great an inaccuracy. I'm signed up for fuelly and will keep track on there.

Warner
 

Lightflyer1

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Joined
Sep 13, 2005
Location
Round Rock, Texas
TDI
2015 Beetle tdi dsg
Did you personally fill it this time or was it already filled? I can't imagine at those speeds that you will get anywhere near 60 mpg. My 2013 Passat would get in the low 50's at slower speeds all highway for a tank.
 

Webbie1

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Joined
Apr 29, 2019
Location
Rockford, IL
TDI
2015 Passat TDI SE Manual
Did you personally fill it this time or was it already filled? I can't imagine at those speeds that you will get anywhere near 60 mpg. My 2013 Passat would get in the low 50's at slower speeds all highway for a tank.
I filled it prior to resetting the trip meter......I know exactly which pump and I put it on the slowest auto setting on the handle and stopped pumping when it shut off automatically. I should be able to come VERY close to the same fill level if I follow the same procedure. Tomorrow afternoon I will post my findings.

Warner
 

Webbie1

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Joined
Apr 29, 2019
Location
Rockford, IL
TDI
2015 Passat TDI SE Manual
Then there is THIS guy, who set a world record with his Passat. 78mpg. Yes, he's a hyper miling guy, but still. They are capable. My goal when I bought the car was to get 50 mpg, which I think is totally feasible considering my drive, 58 miles, 53 of which are highway, straight as an arrow and mostly flat. That's one way. So 116 per day on days that I drive.

Warner

https://www.autotrader.com/car-news/volkswagen-passat-tdi-sets-world-record-fuel-econo-210689
 
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Lightflyer1

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Joined
Sep 13, 2005
Location
Round Rock, Texas
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2015 Beetle tdi dsg
How much you want to bet he never came close to 70-75 mph? Handpicked route. I bet he pissed people off all along the 8100 miles he drove too.

"Gerdes drives with extreme attention to fuel economy and uses techniques that may not be comfortable for every driver."

Almost no one in the real world would drive like this either. It can be done if that is your only goal. Most of us have a life though and actually want to get somewhere.
 

Webbie1

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Joined
Apr 29, 2019
Location
Rockford, IL
TDI
2015 Passat TDI SE Manual
How much you want to bet he never came close to 70-75 mph? Handpicked route. I bet he pissed people off all along the 8100 miles he drove too.

"Gerdes drives with extreme attention to fuel economy and uses techniques that may not be comfortable for every driver."

Almost no one in the real world would drive like this either. It can be done if that is your only goal. Most of us have a life though and actually want to get somewhere.
Hahahaha.....I'm sure you're right. On BOTH counts. Haha.

Warner
 

soot1

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Nov 6, 2009
Location
Houston, TX
TDI
Currently none. Formerly: 2010 VW Jetta TDI 6M, 1993 Dodge Ram W250 Cummins 5M 4WD, 1990 VW Jetta Diesel 5M, 1986 VW Jetta Diesel 5M, 1980 VW Uabbit Diesel 4M. Currently driving 2018 Toyota 4Runner SR5 4WD.
A couple more things I didn't mention earlier: in my 2010 Jetta, it was possible to continue trickling the fuel in when filling up until one could see the fuel level at the throat of the fuel tank. The manual said not to top off, but the car never threw any codes for that. The reason I was doing this was to get the most accurate account of how much fuel I used between fill-ups because if you top off like that, the fuel level is exactly where it was last time you filled up, and the amount on the pump display is exactly how much fuel you burned. This requires some patience to get rid of all the foam, but most importantly, a fuel nozzle that lets you regulate the fuel flow. I know that all Shell stations in my area were equipped with this type of nozzles, so I didn't fill up anywhere else. If you plan on doing this, you may want to check out your local fuel stations for this. However, I suspect the newer models of TDIs are equipped with the gasoline baffle that makes it impossible to see the fuel level, so this entire idea may be irrelevant to your vehicle. Another point I forgot to mention is that the MPG gauge on the dashboard was spot-on only when I was taking long highway trips. For instance, when I was moving from PA to TX, I was on the road for three days. I would get up in the morning, fill up, drive quarter mile to the highway entrance, then go 600-700 miles, leave the highway, drive another quarter mile to the gas station and fill up. With this absolute minimum of off-highway driving, my calculated and displayed fuel economies were less than 0.5 mpg apart. That was the only scenario when the display and reality matched.
 

Webbie1

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Joined
Apr 29, 2019
Location
Rockford, IL
TDI
2015 Passat TDI SE Manual
A couple more things I didn't mention earlier: in my 2010 Jetta, it was possible to continue trickling the fuel in when filling up until one could see the fuel level at the throat of the fuel tank. The manual said not to top off, but the car never threw any codes for that. The reason I was doing this was to get the most accurate account of how much fuel I used between fill-ups because if you top off like that, the fuel level is exactly where it was last time you filled up, and the amount on the pump display is exactly how much fuel you burned. This requires some patience to get rid of all the foam, but most importantly, a fuel nozzle that lets you regulate the fuel flow. I know that all Shell stations in my area were equipped with this type of nozzles, so I didn't fill up anywhere else. If you plan on doing this, you may want to check out your local fuel stations for this. However, I suspect the newer models of TDIs are equipped with the gasoline baffle that makes it impossible to see the fuel level, so this entire idea may be irrelevant to your vehicle. Another point I forgot to mention is that the MPG gauge on the dashboard was spot-on only when I was taking long highway trips. For instance, when I was moving from PA to TX, I was on the road for three days. I would get up in the morning, fill up, drive quarter mile to the highway entrance, then go 600-700 miles, leave the highway, drive another quarter mile to the gas station and fill up. With this absolute minimum of off-highway driving, my calculated and displayed fuel economies were less than 0.5 mpg apart. That was the only scenario when the display and reality matched.

That is very close to the type of driving my commute is. Of the 430 miles, only about 20 of them will not be highway miles
 

Webbie1

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Joined
Apr 29, 2019
Location
Rockford, IL
TDI
2015 Passat TDI SE Manual
After the drive in today, my indicated numbers are 57.2 mpg with 372.7 miles on the tank. I believe I had slightly favorable wind on the way in, so I expect that average to drop on the drive home. My goal is to keep it above 50mpg indicated, then see what it calculates out to be when I fill up on the way home. I'll post the actual numbers this afternoon. I AM completely driving to get the most MPG, but what I'm NOT doing is being a nuisance on the highway. The speed limit for me all the way in is 70mph, and I'm driving between 70 and 75 mph. I AM going to need to get on my sportbike this weekend and unleash all the pent up speed in me, though. Hahaha.

Warner
 
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Webbie1

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Joined
Apr 29, 2019
Location
Rockford, IL
TDI
2015 Passat TDI SE Manual
I just realized, these numbers I'm posting are from Average 1, which is JUST the MPG for that drive! I just went out to the parking lot and checked what Average 2 displays, and that is 54.3 MPG, so still very good. I will get the real number this afternoon, but when reading on here I freaked out that my MPG fantasy was about to be crushed. It still may be...Haha....we'll see.

Warner
 

Jetta_Pilot

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Apr 14, 2005
Location
West Hill, Ont.
TDI
2015 Passat Highline TDI Candy White (SEL Premium) long gone 2002 Jetta TDI
I just realized, these numbers I'm posting are from Average 1, which is JUST the MPG for that drive! I just went out to the parking lot and checked what Average 2 displays, and that is 54.3 MPG, so still very good. I will get the real number this afternoon, but when reading on here I freaked out that my MPG fantasy was about to be crushed. It still may be...Haha....we'll see.

Warner

Still not an accurate Mpg, as I said before the MFI display LIES !!!!!:rolleyes:
 

Webbie1

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Joined
Apr 29, 2019
Location
Rockford, IL
TDI
2015 Passat TDI SE Manual
Ok, actual numbers are in. I drove a total of 428.6 miles, with an indicated 54.7 mpg average. It took 8.256 gallons to fill it to the same point as last fill up, meaning the actual mileage was 51.91 mpg. I'm impressed as hell. I DID drive it for mileage. I checked my speedo against GPS on the way home and 70mph indicated is really 68mph.

Warner
 

IndigoBlueWagon

TDIClub Enthusiast, Principal IDParts, Vendor , w/
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Aug 16, 2004
Location
South of Boston
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'97 Passat, '99.5 Golf, '02 Jetta Wagon, '15 GSW
Maybe not. NMSs are notorious for being difficult to get a good fuel fill. See how the next tank is.
 

Lightflyer1

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Joined
Sep 13, 2005
Location
Round Rock, Texas
TDI
2015 Beetle tdi dsg
Good first sign but as has been said above, one tank only tells you so much. Even if you had filled as soot1 posted in post 15 above. Multiple tanks over time will really spell it out for you. But you seem to have a great drive cycle for economy (and regens) and are off to a great start! You are getting what I posted I got in my 2013 Passat while on highway trips. Low 50's. Keep it up. I would predict low to mid 40's for urban/city driving.
 

Webbie1

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Joined
Apr 29, 2019
Location
Rockford, IL
TDI
2015 Passat TDI SE Manual
Good first sign but as has been said above, one tank only tells you so much. Even if you had filled as soot1 posted in post 15 above. Multiple tanks over time will really spell it out for you. But you seem to have a great drive cycle for economy (and regens) and are off to a great start! You are getting what I posted I got in my 2013 Passat while on highway trips. Low 50's. Keep it up. I would predict low to mid 40's for urban/city driving.
Oh, I'm definitely not expecting this every time....I'm too much of a lead foot to maintain discipline, but at least I know what it's capable of. It only spins 2k at 75mph with the manual trans....
 

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
Look at it this way. If you'd fit another gallon into the tank at the fill (not impossible, I bet) your FE would have been around 46 MPG. Diesel foams a lot, often shutting the pump off early. I always am patient enough to fill the tank until I see clear fuel in the filler neck. Kind of a PITA in the new cars with the fuel restricters, but I do it anyway. If you fill that way every time, you'll get consistent tank to tank numbers.
 

Jetta_Pilot

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Apr 14, 2005
Location
West Hill, Ont.
TDI
2015 Passat Highline TDI Candy White (SEL Premium) long gone 2002 Jetta TDI
Maybe not. NMSs are notorious for being difficult to get a good fuel fill. See how the next tank is.

This may be so, but because I winter in Mexico where most nozzles are truck nozzles I removed the restriction in the filler neck making it much easier to fill regardless of where !
It's a 2 minute job !
 

tikal

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Apr 18, 2001
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Southeast Texas
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2004 Passat Wagon (chainless + 5 MT + GDE tune)
Look at it this way. If you'd fit another gallon into the tank at the fill (not impossible, I bet) your FE would have been around 46 MPG. Diesel foams a lot, often shutting the pump off early. I always am patient enough to fill the tank until I see clear fuel in the filler neck. Kind of a PITA in the new cars with the fuel restricters, but I do it anyway. If you fill that way every time, you'll get consistent tank to tank numbers.
Very good point. You need to consistently see the fuel to the filler neck without bubbles/foam! Otherwise you will not be able to trust your MPG calculations.

Can you do a 'ventectomy' in a CR TDI?
 

sloinker

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Jun 27, 2015
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Casper, Wyoming
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'15 Sportwagen '15 Golf Hatch
I can get over 60mpg in the summer going to work. I'ts a chore and 55-60 mph tends to anger folks on the 80mph freeway. The 51psi tires are a little harsh and the speed to merge is counted in minutes. If I run my aircon, drive normally at the 80mph limit, merge quickly, run my tires at 40psi I will get consistent mid 40's in the summer depending on wind and temperature. In the winter with cold temps, winterized diesel and snow tires I can consistently get upper 30's to low 40's. This is actually true for both my hatchback and sportwagen, both dsg's. My unfixed manual 2015 Passat managed a couple miles more per gallon but she is history with the buyback.
 
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