S3 MPG and buying help

N

nickaliath

Registered User
Joined
Dec 28, 2009
Messages
12
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Location
NULL
Hello,

Im looking at buying an S3 but am Unsure to what i should expect from day to day MPG??

I was told by another s3 driver who i know that he regularly gets around 35mpg on day to day driving!!!!!!

Also is there anything i should look out for when buying one of these cars.

Ive got the bodywork covered as thats my area of expertise especially vw audi :)
 
Last edited:
when i bought mine it was averaging 27mpg recently i reset the meter and the average is currently 20mpg! as i do really short journeys to work etc with lots of stop starts for traffic lights, roundabout... oh and a little bit of right foot
 
  • Like
Reactions: K.A
35mpg!!! honest mate i have never seen anywhere near that i do a steady 20 miles a day round trip to work mainly motorway with a bit of town and have never managed over 24-25 mpg, thats a steady drive 60mph, if u give it some beans this would be less, my car does have a revo map this could affect it, but from what i have heard this should only improve mpg, 35 mpg i just cant see it unless you are crawling along and covering a lot of miles. If its them sort returns your after buy a diesel!
 
I thought it would be to good to be true!!!!

My 3.0TD bmw is currently average 37mpg on the computer and thats mainly town driving!

This is what im trying to replace.
 
no chance mate, i get about, 26-28 driving urban, if im super super slow i can get 34 or so, but that is driving like mis daisy, but put your foot down it can get average as low as 24 ish,

I find if you stay of boost it makes a hell of a difference, in mpg and change early etc all self expalintry,
 
gutted i was hoping to get more!!!
not sure what else to get??? need over 30mpg really.
 
£20 is roughly 4.4 gallons which i get around 165 miles @ 37mpg
an s3 would take it down to roughly 110 miles @ 25mpg!!!!
 
nickaliath said:
£20 is roughly 4.4 gallons which i get around 165 miles @ 37mpg
an s3 would take it down to roughly 110 miles @ 25mpg!!!!
Click to expand...

Can't really compare diesel economy with petrol economy these days, diesel will always win.

As said before, if economy is important then get a Mk4 Golf GTI diesel and get it remapped...

<tuffty/>
 
nickaliath said:
had a 1.8t gti golf which was a lovely car
Click to expand...

well the tdi's are meant to be nice and super good on mpg, and fairly quick too, and can be reamapped to improve them, if mpg is a problem to you i would not even consider the s3, there are worse. buts it not the best on fuel.
 
Day to day driving 28-30 mpg 35 on a long run at a steady 80-85mph is realistically attainable. if you flog the kahonies off the car it will go like stink but use a fair bit of fuel (low 20's), but then thats why we love them.
 
If you are planning to replace your BMW 330D Touring M-sport with an S3, you are going to be disappointed in my opinion, you really need to take one out for a test drive to make sure though.
Around town, my S3 averages 22mpg, and that is 100% town driving, mix is more like 25/26, and motorway, 30+ is possible, depending on what speed you like to travel at.

Totally off topic though, I'd like to see wome pics of this...
Mercedes-Benz 190E Evo 1 257 of 502
Click to expand...
 
Welcome,

Ermm....Good luck on 35MPG. You wont find many petrol cars in the same class as the S3 that do anywere near that MPG. What about an A3 TDi?
 
my golf gti 1.8t was remapped to 203bhp didnt ever check what it was doing on mpg, but would have thought it was similar to the s3.

I dont do lots of miles in our daily driver (bmw) we put about £25.00 every two weeks.

In my previous audi a4 B6 1.8t 163bhp i was putting in around £20.00 per week.

Its something ill have to consider seriously, i know its not going to compare to the bmw diesel for economy.

But i would like a sporty audi and this is probably the most economical for performance!!!!

my merc as requested

DSC01145.jpg
 
nickaliath said:
my golf gti 1.8t was remapped to 203bhp didnt ever check what it was doing on mpg, but would have thought it was similar to the s3.

I dont do lots of miles in our daily driver (bmw) we put about £25.00 every two weeks.

In my previous audi a4 B6 1.8t 163bhp i was putting in around £20.00 per week.

Its something ill have to consider seriously, i know its not going to compare to the bmw diesel for economy.

But i would like a sporty audi and this is probably the most economical for performance!!!!
Click to expand...

The problem with the S3 over the Golf is the weight and the Haldex 4WD system, which all saps power. It's not an economical car for town driving, and the drive is pretty dull around town, but it's comfy for a 200bhp hatchback. If economy is a priority, then I'd stick with a TDI, since petrol prices are only ever going to go upwards. All my opinion of course.

my merc as requested

DSC01145.jpg
Click to expand...


As standard as then come, very nice! :cool:
 
I get pretty much 20mpg consistently but that is all 30-40mph roads, (the most i ever got was 24mpg on a tank and that was really concentrating eco driving). The few times i have had it on the motorway economical driving has not been on my mind and i have had it down to 8 (on the computer) on the track :)!
 
Jeez a really must drive like a granny mine never dips below 30! I reset it after every full tank too! :uhm:
 
My avg mpg is 32.5 just now.

Depends on your driving. 99% of the time mine is very sedate due to the roads and traffice.
 
sportquattro said:
Day to day driving 28-30 mpg 35 on a long run at a steady 80-85mph is realistically attainable. if you flog the kahonies off the car it will go like stink but use a fair bit of fuel (low 20's), but then thats why we love them.
Click to expand...

Well I have the 225 engine S3 and completely agree with the above post. I have personally done effectively a trip half way round the m25 and back again and reset the counters and managed to get a reading of 37mpg. This was doing speeds of between 60 - 100mph. Admittedly I reset the counter as soon as I got on the m25. Also I think the counter is not fully accurate with actual filing of tank. I worked it out to be more like 35mpg, but nevertheless very impressive motorway consumption.
motorway driving is a rare occasion for me.
 
the above few posts reflect what i was told by the s3 driver i know.

if i could see 30mpg + i would be happy to buy one.

Are the facts on the few above done mainly in town driving? or 50 speed limits etc??

This is basically what im after:

  • a sporty looking car
  • 30mpg + on combined driving.
  • German build quality audi,bmw,mercedes (although only old mercedes)
  • leather interior.
  • dont need as much space anymore as dont have a big pram just small stroller now.
  • manual gearbox.
  • something i can have a bit of fun when drivin on my own.
the only thing im doubting the s3 on is the mpg.
 
tbh your 330D wont be much slower than the S3, and is probably more fun to drive being rwd, the S3 is pretty much fwd most of the time and in standard setup a bit dull as driving experience goes. I'd stick with your bmw or change it to a 330ci which will average over 30mpg. My S3 averages 29mpg on a long run you can get 34mpg (about 400miles out of a tank)

If you want sporty looking and fun to drive with good mpg look at the renault megane 175 lux with a cup setup. http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/sales/1356754.htm
 
I personally never find the S3 dull, I know some people do but I don't, if I drive with my foot planted it puts a smile on my face and if I take a steady drive I just sit back and appreciate the ride...

Overall I usually average 27mpg, however the last few days I have been driving off boost near enough constantly and I'm seeing 34ish mpg...
 
The 330d touring 0-60 7.9 sec the s3 is more like 0-60 6.4sec??
 
performance and economy in petrol cars don't generally go together.
You may have to compromise. Mine returns average 29MPG but is not regularly thrashed and is standard. I consider this good and it certainly does more than the Fiesta ST I owned.
 
i think around town youll strugle to get 30mpg. i do alot of motorway miles and depending on how my right foot wants to behave i have done the same journey geting anywhere from 28mpg to he best was 41mpg. its how you drive it. in and around london i rarely get above 25mpg.
 
It's worth noting that the DIS lies, if you measure your economy using a brim to brim method it always works out slightly less than whats displayed in the car. I do mainly town driving and generally see about 150 - 160 miles off £20 of VPower, and thats mapped. The most I have achieved off a full tank is about 450 miles, the majority being motorway miles.

P.s. Do you go on 205gtidrivers.com? The username seems familiar and I notice you have Pug...
 
Been reading this thread and alot of you s3 owners seem to be getting the same sort of mpg as myself and i only have a a3 1.8t which is totally standard. Do not really drive it hard either.. any ideas?
 
I average 24mpg doing town, B road and up/down a fairly steep/long hill. I may also add I have a big turbo.

S3's 'can' be economical but it really is dependant on how you drive and the circumstances of the roads you use.

If you are looking for an average 30mpg+ per tank consistently then I think you will have to look elsewhere as you will struggle to get close doing town driving in an S3... IMO at least..

<tuffty/>
 
Without being cheeky have many of you guys getting over 30MPG checked the accuracy of the onboard computer Mine is 7 MPG optimistic! So I thought I was getting 30-35 but infact working it out on a full tank 23-28MPG.

You can adjust this with VAG COM but it makes me feel happier thinking I am getting good MPG lol! :)
 
Mine says 27mpg but calculates to 24mpg... I generally get 280 miles to 50 (ish) ltrs of fuel

<tuffty/>
 
Funky_Junky said:
It's worth noting that the DIS lies, if you measure your economy using a brim to brim method it always works out slightly less than whats displayed in the car. I do mainly town driving and generally see about 150 - 160 miles off £20 of VPower, and thats mapped. The most I have achieved off a full tank is about 450 miles, the majority being motorway miles.

P.s. Do you go on 205gtidrivers.com? The username seems familiar and I notice you have Pug...
Click to expand...

150-160 on £20 is good thats what i get roughly from my 330d bmw about 160 in that.

Yeah i go on 205 gti drivers, i am the original nickaliath:)
 
nickaliath said:
£20 is roughly 4.4 gallons which i get around 165 miles @ 37mpg
an s3 would take it down to roughly 110 miles @ 25mpg!!!!
Click to expand...

sounds about right i top up £20 a week and get between 90 - 100 miles max! sometimes less
 
Funky_Junky said:
It's worth noting that the DIS lies, if you measure your economy using a brim to brim method it always works out slightly less than whats displayed in the car. I do mainly town driving and generally see about 150 - 160 miles off £20 of VPower, and thats mapped. The most I have achieved off a full tank is about 450 miles, the majority being motorway miles.

P.s. Do you go on 205gtidrivers.com? The username seems familiar and I notice you have Pug...
Click to expand...

i honestly dont know how you can get that sort of milage no matter how i drove my car i know there is no way it would be possible, fancie a swap!!
 
i do short trips, round to the girl friends which is only about a mile away, and thats with the engine cold. go to work in the rush hour, come home in the rush hour. and i average about 27mpg.

only time i've been above 30mpg is down the motoway and i'd just filled up and reset the average mpg.

it would be nice to get 35mpg. but it'll never happen.:sob:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

adcooper
S3 MPG Help?
Replies
35
Views
1K
Smokebelch
S
L
S3 buying help
Replies
9
Views
771
jcs356
jcs356
J
Help buying an S3
Replies
14
Views
1K
colicabcadam
C
C
help buying an S3
Replies
11
Views
1K
cawood
C
M
S3 buying help/opinions
Replies
8
Views
797
Pacetree
Pacetree
Top
Back