S3 400+ mile range club

I'm just shy of 400 (at 370 now) but mpg wise, I've managed 33 mpg on a decent run including city/a little traffic/ mostly motor way and some fun overtakes ;) funnily enough, on the trip back I tried out the Efficiency setting on drive select... Only got 34 out of it so all that coasting isn't really helping much - yes I was mindful of its limitations and was very gentle with my accelerations etc


Around town however is a completely different story lol.... Im lucky if I get 14mpg

Been using whatever premium I've been able to get my hands on mostly shells variant :)
 
No you just insinuated it.

No I didn't, I suggested the constant posts about getting 400 miles to a tank means you bought the wrong car. Not difficult to understand really.

Not sure how u interpreted that into "do not post again" lol.
 
And the answer is "i don't care". Why have a fuel comp on your car and work it out yourself?

Because the fuel comps are not accurate!!

Listen I'm not having a go at you, I'm just trying to make you understand that "Range" is different to "Actual miles" and I'm actually trying to help you find out what miles your car "Actually" gets to a tank of fuel.
You say you started this thread to inform people of the kind of miles the S3 can achieve but you are giving people false hope.
Please (if you haven't already) just zero your trip and see how many miles you get, I think you will find its less than you think.
 
  • Like
Reactions: s3_trev, monkeyhanger, Jayden reed and 2 others
Because the fuel comps are not accurate!!

As reported in another thread, I took mine down south a few w/e's ago; just about all M'way driving. Had the cruise on, set so I would be just below the speeds they prosecute at, and I was suprised that I got 35.3 mpg (actual) which is very reasonable. The on board mpg was more optimistic at 36.8.
Now when I drive on "ordinary" roads, the car is nowhere near as economical:yes:
 
No I didn't, I suggested the constant posts about getting 400 miles to a tank means you bought the wrong car. Not difficult to understand really.

Not sure how u interpreted that into "do not post again" lol.

Whatever.
 
As reported in another thread, I took mine down south a few w/e's ago; just about all M'way driving. Had the cruise on, set so I would be just below the speeds they prosecute at, and I was suprised that I got 35.3 mpg (actual) which is very reasonable. The on board mpg was more optimistic at 36.8.
Now when I drive on "ordinary" roads, the car is nowhere near as economical:yes:

What do you call the speeds they don't prosecute at?

I'm imagine you don't mean 69MPH : )
 
What do you call the speeds they don't prosecute at?

I'm imagine you don't mean 69MPH : )

Its the math; take a couple of mph off the speed at which the cameras send you a ticket for and then add on how much the speedo overreads by.
 
I see the petty squabbles haven't been completely eradicated from the 8V forum...

;-)

Lighten up guys
 
Image

Almost !
 

What do you mean, almost? You have done 396m, you have 30m left before 0 and you'll still have a gallon of fuel in the tank afterwards. You will manage 450, never mind 400.

These threads always amuse me because you get people saying they only manage 280m to the tank but yet fill it up and only get 45l back into a 55l fuel tank. What are you guys that run it down to 0 putting back into the car? 50l?

It wont be long until someone cracks 500 to tank if they have the balls to run it Using 54l+
 
What do you mean, almost? You have done 396m, you have 30m left before 0 and you'll still have a gallon of fuel in the tank afterwards. You will manage 450, never mind 400.

These threads always amuse me because you get people saying they only manage 280m to the tank but yet fill it up and only get 45l back into a 55l fuel tank. What are you guys that run it down to 0 putting back into the car? 50l?

It wont be long until someone cracks 500 to tank if they have the balls to run it Using 54l+

Agreed, but running it down so low can be difficult unless you drive in circles around the petrol station. My next trip out is a 102 mile journey from North Wales where V-Power is scarce.

The 396 mile fill up was 48.58 litres
 
You need a set of bigger bollo**s ;)

As you can see you've filled up with 12% fuel still remaining in your tank (6.5l)

The next time you get down to 30mph range, bare this in mind, go to 0 then fill, then see how much you've got left and then repeat until you're satisfied on what range you can get out of your tank past 0. I have had lots of different Audi's over the last 5yrs and they are all the same, 0 comes up with a gallon left in the tank.

If you got 396 with 88% fuel used, your tank range on that particular tank extrapolated is 396/88x100 = 450. You therefore have filled up 54m too early ;)

These threads are worthless without information on the fill ups ;)

Going further, you managed an impressive real time 37.07mpg over that tank. (396/10.68g)
 
Last edited:
That's the 184quattro out the window s3 it is.Was this mostly motorway journeys? Still impressive
 
That's the 184quattro out the window s3 it is.Was this mostly motorway journeys? Still impressive

No motorways, about 50mile of dual carriageways and the rest on A and B roads. Steady drive to work and back helps with mpg, 4 trips, 19.5 mile each way, display reading 45-48.5mpg average to work, 38-41 average going home! Then midlands to North Wales on A & B roads just over 100mile each way. The rest is general commuting to shops etc.
 
I’ve been reading this thread with great interest. Let’s do the maths here.

Tank capacity on the S3 is 55L. 55L converts to 12.1 UK gallons (US gallons are different).

So the following table equates to the amount of MPG you’re actually getting, rather than what the computer says:

100 miles – 8.3mpg
150 miles – 13.4mpg
200 miles – 16.5mpg
250 miles – 20.7mpg
300 miles – 24.8mpg
350 miles – 29.0mpg
400 miles – 33.1mpg
450 miles – 37.2mpg
500 miles – 41.3mpg

Audi claim that you can do 40.9mpg combined, which is 494.9 miles; apparently you can do 47.9mpg extra urban (579.59 miles). So Audimad, when you say you’re getting ~46mpg on a tank you’re actually saying that your S3 does 556 miles to a tank… Reset the computer trip when you fill up next. Then when you next go to fill up with an empty tank (less than 10 miles for arguments sake), have a look at what the mpg is and how many miles you’ve done. Looking forward to seeing the results :)
 
Last edited:
I’ve been reading this thread with great interest. Let’s do the maths here.

Tank capacity on the S3 is 55L. 55L converts to 12.1 UK gallons (US gallons are different).

So the following table equates to the amount of MPG you’re actually getting, rather than what the computer says:

100 miles – 8.3mpg
150 miles – 13.4mpg
200 miles – 16.5mpg
250 miles – 20.7mpg
300 miles – 24.8mpg
350 miles – 29.0mpg
400 miles – 33.1mpg
450 miles – 37.2mpg
500 miles – 41.3mpg

Audi claim that you can do 40.9mpg combined, which is 494.9 miles; apparently you can do 47.9mpg extra urban (579.59 miles). So Audimad, when you say you’re getting ~46mpg on a tank you’re actually saying that your S3 does 556 miles to a tank… Reset the computer trip when you fill up next. Then when you next go to fill up with an empty tank (less than 10 miles for arguments sake), have a look at what the mpg is and how many miles you’ve done. Looking forward to seeing the results :)

No i'm NOT saying my S3 does 556 miles to a tank, you said that. Anyway back to reading my book. I bought it today for only £1.99, would anyone like me to get them a copy? LOL.
 

Attachments

  • RAC book 001.jpg
    RAC book 001.jpg
    100.2 KB · Views: 456
  • RAC book 002.jpg
    RAC book 002.jpg
    97.5 KB · Views: 464
  • RAC book 003.jpg
    RAC book 003.jpg
    97.2 KB · Views: 469
Just got exactly 400 miles to a tank, I was surprised. Filled up just outside Edinburgh on Friday and then drove up to Loch Etive (stayed at a house called Tigh na breac, I highly recommend it!) then filled up in Richmond on the A1.

No idea how I've managed to get 400 miles as I haven't been nannying it, I drove down to Leeds via Loch Lomond and dropped someone off in Glasgow.


I did only have 10 miles left in the tank when I got the petrol station. My MPG on Fuelly shows as 36.2 for that tank. Average it's showing as about 30 but my driving is 80% motorway.

The roads up in Scotland are really awesome too I've never driven up there before. ****** mountains everywhere.
 
No i'm NOT saying my S3 does 556 miles to a tank, you said that. Anyway back to reading my book. I bought it today for only £1.99, would anyone like me to get them a copy? LOL.

Yes I'm saying that because you said before:
410 mile range and 46.2mpg on the way back from Stanford Hall today.
So therefore if you reached 46mpg then I'm interested to see if you can reach the 550 mark; you'll see from my table that this is approximately the right figure. My S3 comes in a couple of weeks and I'm going to see how efficient I can make it on the longer journeys. Obviously I'm going to see how it performs properly too!
 
I don't care what anyone says. I love the fact it's a quick little machine when you want it to be, but if you're just looking to cover some ground and cruise it can return pretty impressive figures for its performance. Can't say I'd be getting such good figures all the time though...
 
  • Like
Reactions: Audimad
I don't care what anyone says. I love the fact it's a quick little machine when you want it to be, but if you're just looking to cover some ground and cruise it can return pretty impressive figures for its performance. Can't say I'd be getting such good figures all the time though...

Sums it up nicely. It can achieve decent figures however it can do the opposite which achieves less miles per gallon and more smiles per gallon.

See what I did there.

It's perfect for me. Get 30+ on the motorway and then blast away the cobwebs on the country roads.
 
  • Like
Reactions: monkeyhanger and Audimad
Yes I'm saying that because you said before: So therefore if you reached 46mpg then I'm interested to see if you can reach the 550 mark; you'll see from my table that this is approximately the right figure. My S3 comes in a couple of weeks and I'm going to see how efficient I can make it on the longer journeys. Obviously I'm going to see how it performs properly too!


If you say so but i DID NOT say anywhere that my S3 would do 550 miles to a tank. I have also seen 47.7mpg on the fuel computer too. Anyway i am not going to be drawn into an argument about this, i am just saying what i have seen on the fuel comp in my S3. Now would you like a book or not.
 
This is an example of how wrong and inaccurate the on-board fuel computer can be/is.


(The range estimate is something completely different, this is a made up figure/estimate based on driving economy since last ignition cycle - so if you drove like a nun in the last ignition cycle, it will show a fantastic range - therefore range is completely meaningless for accuracy - it's just an estimate)



1. Brim the tank - including filler neck
2. Zero the trip
3. Drive car (preferably, but not necessarily to zero)

LQGf55I.jpg



4. Fill car up again, brim tank, incl. filler neck

Hk3gsnG.jpg



5. Perform manual calculation, car did 300 miles using 54 litres. Therefore 5.55 miles per litre, = 25.2 mpg (4.54l in a Imp gallon)



On-board computer said 27.7 mpg. What optimistic rubbish.
 
veeeight - you're relying on the odometer to be accurate in that case then ?

why assume the odometer is accurately measuring 300 miles if the trip comp is out for mpg ?

just a thought .
 
You are correct, it is another variable with accuracy.


However, since the class action lawsuits in the US, the odometer has more realistic chance of being correct within 1%, rather than the ECU reporting of the metering of the fuel injectors, which is affected by a whole lot more variables (eg: fuel rail pressure etc.), which give rise to the errors on the fuel comp figures.

You can also adjust the fuel consumption correction factor in VCDS to get it to a more real world figure - so its absolute accuracy is definitely questionable.


Also - since both the on-board fuel computer and myself are using the same odometer - the only variance left is how much fuel actually leaves the tank, and how much fuel you have to replace. So if the odo is wrong for the on-board calculation, it's also wrong for me by the same factor.

The more accurate, or relevant factor here, is my filling up, how much fuel I actually used/lost - as this represents real £££ coming our of my wallet!



An interesting experiment to conduct for odometer accuracy would be to measure your distance along the km posts on the motorway to see how accurate your odometer is.......




edit:
Why Your Trip Computer Isn’t Giving Accurate MPG Readings (And How to Fix It) – Feature – Car and Driver | Car and Driver Blog
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Joetidman
Also - there is a % correction factor in VCDS that you can change to get more accurate results from the on-board fuel consumption thingymagic.

You can, in essence, calibrate it yourself.
 
Quite comical some of the comments in this thread! I posted elsewhere, but got 40 mpg yesterday on a longish drive out to the coast in my S3. Worst economy I have had is 29mpg. I've filled my car up twice since getting it and covered just over 800 miles now, with 3/4 tank still in it as I type this. So, very approx. 400 miles per tank. Not ragging the car yet, as running in sensibly, but not exactly driving it like a saint either. I didn't buy an S3 to save on petrol, but it's a nice surprise to get pretty decent economy with 300bhp under your right foot... mine's averaged 34mpg so far across the miles covered from delivery, mixture of A roads, Motorway and stop start through town...
 
Manufacturer figures are always a bit optimistic so I was hoping for 25mpg nipping on and 35mpg taking it easy, this is better than I was expecting. :icon_thumright:
 
Just thought I'd share the below. 400 miles can be done. I think I mentioned that I'd done it driving up to Scotland about 65mph all the way and some blasts, I am flummoxed as to how I achieved it but it's right I wasn't messing about on the nicer roads.

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1403816893178854
ImageUploadedByTapatalk1403816902781105

As you can see I'm getting just under 30 now with a lot a of motorway. It can be very economical I regularly see 35+ on my commute (90 miles)

Funny thing is I started off driving in economy (which I still do sometimes on the motorway) now it's: pull S tronic lever into S, knock to manual, dynamic mode.

When in Rome.
 
Last edited:
Just thought I'd share the below. 400 miles can be done. I think I mentioned that I'd done it driving up to Scotland about 65mph all the way and some blasts, I am flummoxed as to how I achieved it but it's right I wasn't messing about on the nicer roads.

View attachment 35771
View attachment 35772

As you can see I'm getting just under 30 now with a lot a of motorway. It can be very economical I regularly see 35+ on my commute (90 miles)

Funny thing is I started off driving in economy (which I still do sometimes on the motorway) now it's: pull S tronic lever into S, knock to manual, dynamic mode.

When in Rome.

Sounds fun.........................
 
I just got home from work... week's commuting, filled up on Sunday evening and 406 miles covered and the gauge still had one notch lit as I drove into the petrol station. It doesn't take too much working out does it :blahblah1:
 
  • Like
Reactions: Audimad
Thought I'd resurrect this thread!

Coming back from the west coast of Scotland, I managed 200 miles with 200 miles left on range.

Pretty good considering the car is only 2 weeks old.

Managed through limiting speed to 55-60 mph and 'Coasting' in Efficiency mode.

Not how I normally drive, just enjoying a relaxing drive taking in the beautiful scenery.

f0b8e1985a1bfb9c1685bee7a89d057d.jpg
 
  • Like
Reactions: Audimad
Just been reading this (and other S3 threads) with interest. The bottom line with all VAGs is that you will have to drive like a nun to get within 10% of official figures on a journey less than 30 miles or to match/surpass it on a long journey.

I'm currently in a MK7 Golf GTD, following a Scirocco 170TDI and was utterly bored and disappointed with it until I got a tuning box for it (up to 243ps/505Nm). I loved that Scirocco, it felt far faster than the GTD (probably because it was less refined), even though it is supposedly 14PS down. The GTD's mpg is very poor compared to the Scirocco, when driven in my style, even though it is 20% better on paper (due to the false gains of the stop start system only seen in test conditions, where the test cycle has the car static for 24% of the 11 mins). My next car will almost certainly be an S3, and if I get 30mpg it'll probably be putting a huge smile on my face.

Chasing mpg makes for a very dull ride - I was doing that for a while in the GTD, 50mpg for a dull ride, 44mpg for a fun ride, although doing a constant 80 on the motorway in the summer got me an actual 58mpg for a recent 105 mile journey.

If you aim to get 400 miles from a tank on an S3, the way you'll have to drive it to achieve that will make it less fun to drive than driving a 2.0TDI (150ps) moderately hard. When you are buying a £31k car and are prepared to lose £10k over 3 years in depreciation, an extra £700 a year on your fuel bill to have 5 x the smiles really pales into insignificance. £1500 a year fuel bill doing 40mpg in 10k miles, or £2220 doing 27mpg in 10k miles.

The fill up range is optimistic, you will generally get at least 10% less than predicted, even driving the car the same way as the last tank. My GTD usually shows 540 miles on fill up (based on my 50L tank, that's 48.6mpg), and does about 440 miles down to a 47L refill (42.9mpg) - with a heavy right foot.

Have fun with your car, you're paying a lot for it. Being a fuel miser will save you 13% on your annual (fuel and depreciation) costs of running that car with most of the driving fun removed. Why buy an S3 and drive it like a nun?
 
  • Like
Reactions: David83S1 and CraigI
Thanks to the op for pointing out that the car that we all spend loads of money on can be economical. I am actually really pleased to know that if i want to pootle about it wont cost me the earth and theres performance on tap

Its a forum about hot hatches so im guessing the majority of us on here have bought these cars as allrounders so its just as pleasing to see people talking about economy as well as performance
 
  • Like
Reactions: Audimad, David83S1 and P40ULW