TDI Fuel Consumption: Real-World MPG & Highway Mileage

Hello,

Here, there have been several mentions of positive fuel consumption figures, but without "hard" data regarding the driving conditions (achieving 4.0 liters per 100 km while drafting behind a truck is not really impressive...).

To explore what's truly possible with TDIs in everyday life, I'd like to conduct an informal survey here. If you're not interested, you can simply scroll past it.

How do you mean the survey?
Sure, I understand. Please provide the German text you would like me to translate into English. I will provide only the translation, without any explanations or additional information.

Car: the ALH-Ibiza belonging to my wife, without air conditioning, engine stock except for a faulty AGR valve, mileage at the time approximately 25,000 km, load: 2 people + light vacation luggage.

Route: from a gas station near Pirmasens to Lake Chiemsee, total length approximately 480 km, of which about 400 km are on the Autobahn. Total elevation gain = approximately 100 m "uphill" .
Weather: hot, with a light breeze (August 2003).
Road conditions: practically optimal = no significant traffic jams.
Driving style: Always in the highest possible gear, driving quickly but anticipating, focusing on early coasting rather than late braking.
Total consumption according to the MFA = 4.5 liters with an average travel speed of 101 km/h.
The fuel consumption was confirmed during refueling (the MFA is absolutely accurate for long distances, but it shows up to 0.2 liters less for mixed and short distances - why is that?).

What is your current best score?
Instead of the MFA travel segment, it is also possible to specify the total distance, total travel time (net, i.e., without breaks), and the exact amount of fuel required.


At this opportunity, I would like to say goodbye here until December 24th to January 8th -> happy holidays and a good start to the new year, etc.

Hi Ulf,

My best fuel consumption with my AHF was this summer:
- Air conditioning usage is approximately 50% (I'm not entirely sure of the exact figure).
- usually around 25-30°C.
- 90% country roads and highways, the rest urban traffic.
- The speedometer usually reads around 100 km/h, except of course in the city.

over the entire tank of fuel, 4.3 liters / 100 km .
I was really being very gentle with the accelerator; I didn't have much fun doing that.

Otherwise, with 80% country roads and highways (average speed of approximately 130 km/h, but almost always full throttle during acceleration), and 20% city driving, I get around 5.5 liters per 100 km. The air conditioning is always on.

Best regards, happy holidays, and a good start to the new year, Rainer.

@ulf,

If you're targeting your 96kW PD Polo:

'Approximately 350km from home to Munich, with about 80km on country roads, 5km in the city, and the rest on the highway (average speed of 170-180 km/h), the fuel consumption was around 6.5 liters. At an average speed of 140 km/h, it was just over 6 liters. That would also be the average consumption on country roads. As mentioned, it's a Passat with a weight of approximately 1600kg.'

My 1Z's fuel consumption was approximately 5.2 liters per 100 kilometers, both on highways and in city traffic.

but: I don't drive the 96 kW PD engine gently!!!!

Wishing you, Ulf, and your wife a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Hi,

"@Ulf: Based on my observations, the discrepancy in the fuel consumption readings on the Ibiza is likely due to the fact that fuel consumption while the car is stationary is not being accurately calculated or at all. The deviation is greater the more stop-and-go driving there is; in my case, it was up to 0.5 liters per 100 km. However, on highway driving, the displayed reading is accurate."

"We could check that sometime... For example, if the display shows 5.2 liters after driving 750 km, and the fuel bill says 5.7 liters, then 7.5 * 0.5 = 3.75 liters were not accounted for. With an idling consumption of around 0.8 (which I think was about that, although my car doesn't display it), that would mean 4.5 hours of idling."

In the city, I average 40 km/h (which includes the time spent stopped), so that's roughly 19 hours of driving with 4.5 hours of stationary time. Converted to my 25-minute commute to work, that would be 6 minutes of stationary time, which certainly accounts for all the traffic light waiting.

As far as I know, this only applies to the Ibi GP01 on-board computer, which does NOT switch to liters per hour (l/h) when the car is stationary, but instead retains the last value and, according to the theory above, stops the integration process as long as the car is stopped.

Here are some driving profiles from my car (everything is stock, including the AGR seats):

Towing a trailer for 330 km from Berlin to Rügen, with approximately 40% being highway driving. The trailer weighs 600 kg. Highway speed: 100 km/h, country road speed: approximately 90 km/h. Air conditioning almost always on: 8.2 l/100 km fuel consumption.

280 km of rural roads (Rügen to Berlin) without using highways, with occasional city driving (climate 50%): 4.5 l/100 km.

380 km of highway from Berlin to Bremen, consistently slightly above the speed limit, and on unrestricted sections, exceeding 190 km/h (without air conditioning): 7.8 liters per 100 km.

My standard mix (20% highway driving (80-100 mph), 80% city driving): 5.0-5.7 mpg, with the summer consumption typically 0.3 mpg higher than in the winter due to air conditioning use.

40 km of city highway with light traffic (80...100 km/h), no air conditioning: 3.8 l/100 km (according to the onboard computer, but without any stops included).

Best regards,

Jan.

joergs wrote:

@ulf, if you're targeting your 96kw PD Polo...

Hi Jörg,

No, it should first be in perfect working order + have successfully completed the initial run-in period without any issues, then I'll worry about the oil consumption .

Jan6K wrote:

Regarding the BC (Board Computer) readings on the Ibiza, based on my observations, it seems that the fuel consumption while the car is stationary is not being calculated correctly or at all...

Hi Jan,

"This theory has been somewhat shaken for me since I (on several occasions) saw the average fuel consumption slowly increasing while the engine was running and the car was stationary, just a few kilometers after refueling (with the trip computer reset)."
So, the standby consumption will be included "in some way" at least.

@ulf,
if you're targeting your 96kw PD Polo...
Hi Jörg,

No, it should first be in perfect condition + have successfully completed the initial run-in period without any issues, then I'll worry about the oil consumption .

Then it fits! But you will have fun with it! It's a bit unusual, but... ! I won't give it away voluntarily again!

My best score on the 1Z test: 4.8 liters.
"That was the last full tank. I drove the usual daily commute to work, which is 120 km total, consisting of approximately 100 km of country roads and villages, and about 20 km of city traffic. The current tank is expected to yield a similar fuel consumption. Since I don't have a multi-function display, the fuel consumption is calculated based on the amount of fuel I put in and the odometer reading. In city traffic, I drive around 1500-2000 RPM. But otherwise, I tend to accelerate quickly when leaving town; you want to make progress, after all. So, I drive economically in the city, but not on the country roads."

Golf4 Variant 100HP PD: Fuel consumption 7.8 liters, highway driving with constant full throttle whenever the road was clear. Distance approximately 600km.

A3 TDI 110 hp.

Ffm > Varano (near Parma, Italy) via Brenner with a trailer (850kg) in 11 hours (approximately 1000km) .
incl. 1 tank of fuel and 2 breaks.
98% highway, highway is busy.

Cut: 8.0 liters.

A4 Avant 130PS + *** modifications + own trailer + 115 size
(it has always been around 120-140)
AB = 9.5 liters

Würzburg - Starnberg - Würzburg via A7 / A8.

as fast as possible when there were no restrictions on the train.

6.5 liters (actual consumption based on fuel tank volume).

CU Gremlin.

Hello!
Here are the values I've achieved with my Passat Variant, manufactured in February 1996, 1.9L engine, with approximately 275,000 km on the odometer:
In July, I drove from Starnberg to Gräfenheinichen (somewhere behind Leipzig). I used the cruise control on the A9 whenever possible, maintaining speeds between 150 and 160 km/h. There were two people, and we had open-air luggage for a weekend. According to the MFA (Multi Function Display), the fuel consumption was 5.5 liters. The highest consumption I've seen was on a trip from Starnberg to Frankfurt, driving very fast; the speedometer was almost never below 170 km/h, and the MFA showed around 8 liters (!). The lowest consumption was during a commute from Starnberg to Innung Munich, which resulted in 4.8 liters for the entire tank. Regarding the accuracy of the MFA in my Eicher, if it's inaccurate, it's usually off by up to 0.3 liters. I've never experienced it showing a lower consumption than what was actually used, based on my calculations.

@Gremlin
Do you often have to go to Starnberg?

Best regards,

Dominique.

A6, see profile.

- On country roads/motorway, gentle acceleration, no driving pleasure, average fuel consumption of 5.90 liters per 100 km over 1000 km, 1 person.
- Autobahn driving with a maximum speed of 190 km/h, driving as fast as possible, average speed of 88 km/h over a distance of more than 700 km, with 2.5 people.
- Mixed driving (city/country/highway), quiet but fast, average speed 7.40 km/h over 900 km, 1 person.

I work in field sales, and the fuel consumption is settling around 7.00 to 7.50 liters.

Hello,
I have experienced that the 96 kW PD engine (which, as far as I know, all TDI engines with the corresponding letter code are listed somewhere on the website) can also be quite thirsty.
I drove around for about 100 km in an A4 with this engine. I covered a mix of city driving, countryside roads, and 20 km of highway.
I always accelerated quickly, but I never fully shifted through the gears, instead changing gears around 3000 to 3500 RPM.
The car is full of gas, and I'm alone with summer tires.
I had calculated a consumption of 9.5 liters.

I wasn't expecting that. But my father drives the car and gets about 6.5 liters per 100 kilometers, so everything is okay with the car.
But if you give him the spurs, then he also performs quite well .

Sure, here is the translation of the text from German to English:

'MFG' is an abbreviation for 'Mit freundlichen Grüßen,' which means 'Sincerely' or 'Best regards' in English.

Hi,

It can also be a bit higher if the engine has to work harder.

VW T3 Syncro 16" Camper Van with high roof. Engine: AFN series, except for the AGR valve. Weight: 2200 to 2500 kg.

Fuel consumption during a vacation trip of 8,000 km through Scandinavia, at a relatively low speed and with the maximum allowed weight: 8.5 liters per 100 km.

Normal city/country/highway driving with a moderate speed (no constant full throttle, only occasional quick acceleration from traffic lights) results in 10 liters per 100 kilometers.

During longer stretches of driving at full throttle (with a top speed of 144 km/h according to the GPS), the fuel consumption will be around 12-13 liters per 100 kilometers.

All in all, I find that the fuel consumption for this car is quite reasonable.

Happy holidays.
dieter

Hi everyone!

When I read about these crimes, I start to wonder a little.

My Golf IV TDI (AGR) with 66kW always consumed more than 7 liters per 100 kilometers.
On long highway stretches (approximately 400 km or more), I can sometimes get it down to just under 7 (6.5-7) liters per 100 kilometers.
Otherwise, the driving cycle consists of country roads and villages, with occasional city driving, and sometimes includes stretches of 100-150 km on the highway.
Speed on the highway: ~140-150 km/h. Speed on country roads: ~110 km/h.
Mostly driving at high speeds, but occasionally also enjoying some fun with stronger acceleration.

Recently, my mass airflow sensor (MAF) was defective, but replacing it didn't significantly change the fuel consumption.
At 15,000 km, the turbocharger failed and was replaced. Since then (now at 40,000 km), the range is approximately 700 km (+/- 40).
Is the fuel consumption reading accurate, and is the high consumption due to the many short trips (less than 5 km), or should I be concerned?

Greetings, Ruki.

Ruki wrote:

Hi Folks! When I read about these crimes, I start to wonder a little. My Golf IV TDI (AGR) with 66kW always consumed more than 7 liters per 100 kilometers. On long highway stretches (approximately 400 km or more), I can sometimes get it down to just under 7 (6.5-7) liters per 100 kilometers. Otherwise, the driving cycle consists of country roads and villages, with occasional city driving, and sometimes includes stretches of 100-150 km on the highway. Speed on the highway: ~140-150 km/h. Speed on country roads: ~110 km/h. Mostly driving at a high speed, but occasionally also enjoying some fun with stronger acceleration. Recently, my mass airflow sensor (MAF) was defective, but replacing it didn't significantly change the fuel consumption. At 15,000 km, the turbocharger failed and was replaced. Since then (now at 40,000 km), the range is approximately 700 km (+/- 40). Is the fuel consumption reading accurate, and is the high consumption due to the many short trips (less than 5 km), or should I be concerned? Greetings, Ruki

.

Hello,

Frequent short trips can significantly increase fuel consumption.
Anyone who knows my car and the routes I drive will understand why the fuel consumption is so low.

Best regards, Rainer.