MPG drop in 140 TDi Sportback

[Neil C]

Hi guys.

Just recently I have noticed a 3 - 5 mpg drop in the MPG I'm getting. I do the same run every day, which is abount 22 miles each way on a mix of dual carriageway and reasonable country roads. Having thought about what may be different over tha last few weeks, all I can come up with is :-

1. I decided to put Total Excellium diesel in one week, as it was massively cheaper that the Shell stuff I usually use.
2. I have had new Good Year Asymmetrics put on the rear.
3. My oil level is more towards the bottom of the dipstick marker than the top. ( must get some more )
4. The weather has gotten a lot colder.

Could any of the above be causing the change do you think ?

 

[SunnyDlite]

I found this too but i think its possibly due to my right foot getting heavier :S

 

[SteveTDCi]

not noticed mine drop, dis shows a 44mpg average although working it out I reckon its nearer 39mpg

 

[NHN]

I'd say all of the above have maybe affected, to have a 2-5mpg difference is not something you need to worry about in a 140 TDI fella, now if it was 10-15 then yeah, weathers changed & diesels I tend to find in cold seem definitely less with it until been running a while, no its not a technical way of putting it, but years of driving either fuels has shown me not to worry about that kinda difference fella.

 

[doug34]

Mine was the very same for the first year and 17000 miles was averaging 47mpg, then took for first service and new front tyres , MPG dropped to 42MPG and has remained there ever since . Audi checked car and found no faults, stated it came within the specified figures,cant understand why such a dramatic drop for no reason , figures are same for summer and winter driving, Was pleased with 47mpg but very dissapointed with current figures

 

[jamiekip]

Interesting this one.
My dad has a Golf GT TDi 140 and is baffled by the economy - he struggles to get above 43mpg on any run, whether he drives hard or gentle.
It frustrates the hell out of him, as he has a 1.9 TDi Audi A4 too and gets over 50mpg and his old golf sport 1.9 TDi 105 got ocver 50mpg too!!!

Is the 140 notorious for a lack of economy versus the old 1.9tdi engines?

 

[NHN]

seriously are you really that bothered with 42mpg, I mean petrols are nowhere near this so we should be grateful no we get this fella

 

[jamiekip]

I guess when you're used to more a drop is a pain.
You pay a premium for a diesal engine when you buy the car, and you pay a permium at the pump for the fuel..... when you're not getting the MPG you expect it must be pretty annoying!

 

[SteveTDCi]

Interesting this one.
My dad has a Golf GT TDi 140 and is baffled by the economy - he struggles to get above 43mpg on any run, whether he drives hard or gentle.
It frustrates the hell out of him, as he has a 1.9 TDi Audi A4 too and gets over 50mpg and his old golf sport 1.9 TDi 105 got ocver 50mpg too!!!

Is the 140 notorious for a lack of economy versus the old 1.9tdi engines?

my golf averaged the same but would hit 50 + on a run, in general driving i'd get 480 ish to 52 litres, i get about 430 out of the A3 for the same amount of fuel, both cars with a remap.

 

[Matt]

My 170 will do 42+ every drive without fail, I drive it a good mix of speeds too. Dads old 140 Golf was usually in the 50s. A mates 140 Golf with DSG also used to around 50mpg aswell.

Even the 140 A4 Avant I had a few weeks ago was doing 46/47mpg and I'm guessing thats quite a bit heavier.

 

[h5djr]

Interesting this one.
My dad has a Golf GT TDi 140 and is baffled by the economy - he struggles to get above 43mpg on any run, whether he drives hard or gentle.
It frustrates the hell out of him, as he has a 1.9 TDi Audi A4 too and gets over 50mpg and his old golf sport 1.9 TDi 105 got ocver 50mpg too!!!

Is the 140 notorious for a lack of economy versus the old 1.9tdi engines?

The 1.9TDI has always been more economical that the 2.0TDI but the 2.0 has better performace and is generally smoother and quieter. The new 140 and 170 common-rail designs are even better. You pay you money and take your choice.

I used to get around 48mpg from my 140 and now get around 43mpg from my current 170.

Audi use the 1.9TDI engine for their 'ultra economical' set-ups.

 

[benw123]

Like Dave, our Sportback 2.0TDI 140 returns 48mpg (on DIS) too in a wide mix of driving (short trips, cross-country, motorways etc).

I would think the colder weather would start affecting economy as engines will take a bit longer to warm up, plus you're likely to be using more electrical ancillaries (headlights, wipers, heated screens and AC for demisting) more often than you'd realise.

 

[Sem]

I'm getting fantastic MPG in my new CR-140, got 52MPG this morning on congested A-roads and a 15 mile busy motorway run. The same run in my Golf 1.9 PD150 would have returned 38-42MPG.

The 'fuel saver' function is pretty useful but takes some getting used to. For example, where I would normally use 4th gear on the old PD, the DIS on the CR tells me to change into 6th!

 

[SunnyDlite]

if im trying to drive eco i can get around 48-51 mpg but recently found it harder to get them figures, more like 38-42 but yeah i believe its due to a heavy foot after u get more and more used to your car

 

[Nilz]

Go back to Total and get your money back, im sure they are advertising something saying that you get more miles with their petrol, or you get your money back, check it out!!!

http://www.total.co.uk/UK/ukcorporate.nsf/VS_OPM/4F3EC46D304F06F5C12574200029C248?OpenDocument

 

[nhowroyd]

I'm averaging 43-46 mpg from mine using BP Ultimate.

The only issue I have is having to put 1l of oil in every 6000 miles........ Is this normal or should I be worried...

 

[Jo Sharp]

The only issue I have is having to put 1l of oil in every 6000 miles........ Is this normal or should I be worried...

Normal I think - nothing to worry about. Audi will say that up to 1L oil every 1500miles or so is within their spec! If you have never given your engine a really good thrashing to bed the piston rings properly that might help.

 

[nhowroyd]

regularly thrash it.... but it will be up for its first service in a couple of thousand miles so will sort it then..

 

[Neil C]

Update . .

Another 4 MPG drop today. Starting to get worried now.

Also, the DIS says that I am doing 79.8 MPG when I'm standing still !

 

[SteveTDCi]

best thing to do is brim the tank reset both dis and the trip counter, drive the car for a few days and then go and brim the tank again then just work out how much fuel you have used for the miles covered. Dis isn't all that accurate, i know mine isn't.

 

[dmal]

I've had my A3 for almost 2 months and I'm only averaging 34mpg. I do live in central london though so getting out to the motorways involves a lot of 1st/2nd gear stop/start...

 

[markwiggy]

Update . .

Also, the DIS says that I am doing 79.8 MPG when I'm standing still !

That's very good, just stay still !!

Seriously though cold weather my friend will be the reason, I always notice an increase in fuel consumption as the temperatures drops. Also worth remembering cold air equals more power, does on petrol engines anyway,not so sure about diesels, more power must mean more fuel though.

Mark

 

[Neil C]

A big thanks to all of you for your time and experience