Auto Express 1.4cod Test...

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dm2583

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So I was reading the above article and was quite surprised when the author stated he averaged 34.5mpg over a 2500 mile period.

What have owners on here been getting over a period of time of mixed driving?

If we get 34mpg out of ours, I'm going to be a little dissapointed!!
 
That's on the low side but I have managed 32mpg from a tank once and once only. This was mainly from crawling around town, suburban London school run and commutes.

The best I've managed from a tank is 46mpg - 467 miles. I wish I'd kept going and cracked 500. That's from mainly motorway and A-roads.

The long term average on the DIS is 39, over 5,200 miles.
 
I have just checked my receipts and mileage and I have averaged 44 MPG over 7k miles. This has included a trip to Germany and Switzerland and motorway driving to work. I did a 500 mile trip to London mainly motorway and back and averaged 49. Driving around town and driving around the lanes brings the average down. I have to 1.4 petrol cabriolet. Driving with the top down does not appear to affect the average much. I am sure it is less aerodynamic.
 
I would say I only really get 36-37 but most of that is around town
 
I am still on my first tankful so can only go on what the trip computer is saying - 44 mpg so far over 300 miles or so. A couple of 20+ mile runs on mixed roads have seen just over 50 mpg and short trips in town maybe about 38 mpg.

Compared to my Mk VI Golf GTD probably 2-3 mpg worse for the same trips - but the Golf was well run in.

Overall more than happy so far.
 
All figs are brim to brim. Since new:
- first tank 43.80
- second tank 40.13

This has been a mix of driving - around town, motorway etc.
 
Does having a manual or S-Tronic gearbox make much of a difference to economy?
 
dm2583 said:
So I was reading the above article and was quite surprised when the author stated he averaged 34.5mpg over a 2500 mile period.

What have owners on here been getting over a period of time of mixed driving?

If we get 34mpg out of ours, I'm going to be a little dissapointed!!
Click to expand...

I haven't seen the article but journos are notorious for, shall I say, "thrashing" their test cars. It doesn't belong to them and their not paying for the fuel so what the hell!
 
The reviewer probably never reset the mpg, then caned it. Currently averaging 41.2 on 5 mile journey's around town. If I caned my 2.0l diesel I got the same. I have easily seen figures of 55-65mpg on a mix of A roads and motorways...
 
I had my 1.4 COD 3 door manual for 9 months and covered 5,600 miles. Average milage on the DIS for the whole time came in at 37.9mpg.

Si.
 
I have emptied the fuel tank 4 times since I got the car in mid-July (been away for three of those weeks without the car). Working from the trip (I reset at each refuelling) and the fuel receipts (litres purchased) I have averaged the following: wk1: 42.49, wk2: 43.54, wk3: 39.86 and wk4: 45.78. I'm not sure how accurate the DIS is. Most of the mileage has been sitting at around 70 on A roads.
 
Was driving up the M6 to a meeting and was not in a hurry so put ACC on and followed an HGV at 55 MPH for 25 miles. Averaged 60 MPG.
 
dm2583 said:
So I was reading the above article and was quite surprised when the author stated he averaged 34.5mpg over a 2500 mile period.

What have owners on here been getting over a period of time of mixed driving?

If we get 34mpg out of ours, I'm going to be a little dissapointed!!
Click to expand...

Sounds about right if they're driving this car a little 'enthusiastically', as you tend to have to do with these engines. The clueless reviewers then tell you it's a great engine to drive and proceed to then quote the official MPG figures.

In any most petrol engines for some time you've been able to get around 40mpg if you do a lot of economy driving such as lifting and coasting as well as shifting up into fifth at 30 etc. etc. etc. which most people obviously don't do. With modern petrol engines that can now stretched into the 40s generally but the official economy figures for this engine are complete ********. You aren't getting anywhere near diesel economy figures with this I'm afraid and for petrol engines to improve further it's the fuel at the pump that has to get better. That means more expensive petrol.

The official diesel figures are off as well but not by as much as this. Reasonably, you can expect to get into the 50s, driving really enthusiastically late 40s and if you're willing to do real economy driving you might be able to hit the 60s and certainly if you drive the 1.6 diesel. However, the economy figures for the petrol are pure fantasy and the motoring press have bought into the notion that you can have a petrol with diesel economy. You can't.

When I talk about economy figures I'm talking about how much you put in at the pump and how many miles you get over a reasonable tank-full, not the meaningless figures that flash up at you on the dash to make you feel better.
 
I found that as well really good mpg at slower speeds i.e. 50-55 but at 70mph Im on around 37-40mpg
 
cilurnum said:
The official diesel figures are off as well but not by as much as this.
Click to expand...

The stats from the link below contradicts this. Diesel owners are getting a lower % of the official combined mpg.

1.4 TFSI CoD 60.1 mpg 47.7 mpg 79%
1.4 TFSI CoD S tronic 60.1 mpg 47.8 mpg 80%
1.6 TDI 74.3 mpg 54.1 mpg 73%
1.6 TDI S tronic 72.4 mpg 53.0 mpg 73%
2.0 TDI S tronic 64.2 mpg 46.0 mpg 72%

http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/realmpg/audi/a3-2012

I don't know how many people have contributed though, so to be taken with a pinch of salt.
 
I'm very interested to see what kind of figures I get.

I've previously exceeded manufacturer's combined figures by quite some way (usually by at least 10%) as I've got a near perfect commute (~50mph, 30 miles, mostly top gear with no traffic).

I did have high hopes for hitting 70mpg on that basis, but I'm now wondering how much impact the new stop-start has had on the figures. As this will be my first stop-start car and that feature won't get much of a workout I'm thinking my initial guess of 70mpg might be a little optimistic...

EDIT: Interestingly, my current car (Mondeo ST TDCI) has a book figure of 46.3mpg and I achieve a real 52mpg while Honest John figures show 43.9mpg.

EDIT2: I also wonder how many HJ diesel figures are from people who have fundamentally been mis-sold a diesel for short journeys / low miles etc...
 
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leosayer1 said:
The stats from the link below contradicts this. Diesel owners are getting a lower % of the official combined mpg.

1.4 TFSI CoD 60.1 mpg 47.7 mpg 79%
1.4 TFSI CoD S tronic 60.1 mpg 47.8 mpg 80%
1.6 TDI 74.3 mpg 54.1 mpg 73%
1.6 TDI S tronic 72.4 mpg 53.0 mpg 73%
2.0 TDI S tronic 64.2 mpg 46.0 mpg 72%

http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/realmpg/audi/a3-2012

I don't know how many people have contributed though, so to be taken with a pinch of salt.
Click to expand...
Over mixed driving I can get 65mpg, if I try, and I mean really trying, not going over 40mph and feathering the throttle, short gear changes etc, I've seen up to 87mpg. However then it gets silly.
 
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jongeddes said:
I found that as well really good mpg at slower speeds i.e. 50-55 but at 70mph Im on around 37-40mpg
Click to expand...
Sounds low at that speed because my car managed about 55mpg at cruising at 75-80mph. It's all about throttle opening though, and the turbo of course, like any forced induction engine, the more you use it the more fuel you'll use...
 
I've been reading this thread with some interest. I initially wanted a 1.4 cod s tronic saloon s line only to be told that my company car policy would only let me have a diesel. In order to get the right spec I ended up with the 1.6. I don't know where honest john got the figures from above, but my car over 1400 miles has averaged 64.1mpg. It managed a 120 mile trip last week averaging 79.1mpg and if not for motorway congestion I would have bettered that by some distance. So actually I'm inclined to agree with cilurnum. I've also driven a 2L tdi 8v sportback for a couple of days and that averaged 58 mpg on a 40 mile run. My old car was a leon fr tdi 170 pd and that had a long term average of 46mpg. All these figures are much closer to the quoted figures than the 1.4 cod. Am I disappointed that I couldn't get the cod?. No, not in the slightest.
 
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cuke2u said:
Over mixed driving I can get 65mpg....
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This isn't so much opinion as pure fantasy. I don't even need to ask whether you have a petrol or a diesel because you are not getting anywhere close to that kind of mpg figure with mixed driving and you would be lucky to get it with economical motorway driving if it is a diesel.

I don't know where you're getting this from, or if you are calculating it, but it is totally inaccurate whatever it is. You can't look at the mpg figure that flashes around on your dash and start telling everyone that's what you're getting.
 
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tinbumtudz said:
In order to get the right spec I ended up with the 1.6. I don't know where honest john got the figures from above, but my car over 1400 miles has averaged 64.1mpg. It managed a 120 mile trip last week averaging 79.1mpg and if not for motorway congestion I would have bettered that by some distance.
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I'm very suspicious of the Honest John Figures as well. If Autoexpress have calculated 34mpg over a pretty lengthy mileage period then I'm not sure what everyone else is doing to get an extra 13mpg other than doing a lot of journeys on the back of a low loader. I only really pay attention to economy figures if people are looking at how much fuel they are putting in, reading their trips and then dividing to get a figure.

64 sounds on the good side for an average but I suppose if you're doing mostly motorway and dual carriageway cruising with that engine then it's just about doable.

All these figures are much closer to the quoted figures than the 1.4 cod. Am I disappointed that I couldn't get the cod?. No, not in the slightest.
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Neither would I. Company fleet schemes have a lot of information to calculate what the cheapest options are taking into account economy and also maintenance.
 
cilurnum said:
I'm very suspicious of the Honest John Figures as well. If Autoexpress have calculated 34mpg over a pretty lengthy mileage period then I'm not sure what everyone else is doing to get an extra 13mpg other than doing a lot of journeys on the back of a low loader. I only really pay attention to economy figures if people are looking at how much fuel they are putting in, reading their trips and then dividing to get a figure.

64 sounds on the good side for an average but I suppose if you're doing mostly motorway and dual carriageway cruising with that engine then it's just about doable.


Neither would I. Company fleet schemes have a lot of information to calculate what the cheapest options are taking into account economy and also maintenance.
Click to expand...

My daily commute is 15 miles, of which 4 miles is A and B road, the rest is the M6. The longer runs I've done have been mainly motorway to be honest and that's when the efficiency is really noticeable. As the car is still running in, I'd expect it to improve a bit and I've also noticed (as I did with my fr to a greater extent) that tesco diesel is awful and affects performance and efficiency. So I'll try next week with bp ultimate and see just what I can get out of it
 
cilurnum said:
This isn't so much opinion as pure fantasy. I don't even need to ask whether you have a petrol or a diesel because you are not getting anywhere close to that kind of mpg figure with mixed driving and you would be lucky to get it with economical motorway driving if it is a diesel.

I don't know where you're getting this from, or if you are calculating it, but it is totally inaccurate whatever it is. You can't look at the mpg figure that flashes around on your dash and start telling everyone that's what you're getting.
Click to expand...
What are you on, my figures are based upon actual driving and what the read out tells me, which, according to what others have posted, is about 3-5mpg out. If you want other figures I have a test run for mpg from the filling station to my house. My previous car could manage 57-59mpg, my audi managed 87. Perhaps instead of flaming someone you should ask intelligent questions and you'd get the accurate answers :mad:
You don't need to ask what engine I have got because it is my sig, if you bothered to look.
 
[QUOTE="cuke2u, post: 2275219, member: 8244 you on, my figures are based upon actual driving and what the read out tells me, which, according to what others have posted, is about 3-5mpg out. If you want other figures I have a test run for mpg from the filling station to my house. My previous car could manage 57-59mpg, my audi managed 87. Perhaps instead of flaming someone you should ask intelligent questions and you'd get the accurate answers :mad:
You don't need to ask what engine I have got because it is my sig, if you bothered to look.[/QUOTE]
Please don't take offence at this, but you are quoting average mpg figures here and not just the best it got up to during the journey aren't you?.
 
I know mine will be lower as I usually have 2 adults and 2 kids in car seats and do a lot short commutes during the week so was never going to get great milage given the extra weight. I weighed it all up at the time and the COD still came out best for me in the long run given the type of driving I do, still wish Id gone S3 though ;-)
 
tinbumtudz said:
[QUOTE="cuke2u, post: 2275219, member: 8244 you on, my figures are based upon actual driving and what the read out tells me, which, according to what others have posted, is about 3-5mpg out. If you want other figures I have a test run for mpg from the filling station to my house. My previous car could manage 57-59mpg, my audi managed 87. Perhaps instead of flaming someone you should ask intelligent questions and you'd get the accurate answers :mad:
You don't need to ask what engine I have got because it is my sig, if you bothered to look.
Click to expand...
Please don't take offence at this, but you are quoting average mpg figures here and not just the best it got up to during the journey aren't you?.[/QUOTE]
That is correct, average figures which are what they should be, at least that's the way I've always been told to do it, and it would be difficult to quote instant as I tend to keep my eyes on the road in front. So I tend to reset my average mpg every time I fill up, or if my journey changes from urban to either mixed or motorway otherwise it would be impossible to compare to the official ones...
 
Sorry, but no. I didn't even need to look at the sig. You ain't getting these figures. They are far, far, far removed from any real world figures that anyone is getting here or anywhere else and they would be fantasy even for all but the 1.6 diesel, and that would be stretching it.

I don't know whether you're getting something screwy from your mpg counter in which case you need to look at what's happening or it's a case of really wishful thinking. You don't need to do much to add two and two together here because you're talking about matching or even exceeding official economy figures for a diesel....with a petrol.
 
No longer going to waste my breath, all I know is that the facts speak for themselves however much you choose not to believe it. Seeing as I could get an average of 57mpg from my old car, a mk3 1.6 ecoboost focus, in mixed driving maybe it is me that is the factor. But then I guess you'd say that the computer was 'screwy' in that too..
 
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It's a recurring theme with him, choosing not to believe facts .....
 
The problem with the Auto Express figure is that we have no idea of the kind of motoring that achieved this. Inner city with a heavy foot would certainly be a lot lower than many others could expect to achieve. My average over first 1,000 miles is about 43.5 mpg on the trip computer and about 42.5 mpg calculated from actual refills. This includes a mixture of hilly A roads and dual carriageways, town centre and about 100 miles on narrow Cornish lanes with plenty of reversing into passing places.

I seem to recall with my previous car (Golf GTD mk VI) that early Auto Express quoted averages were about 39 mpg. In 54,000 miles every single tankful I had was more than that with an average of around 46 (calculated nog trip comp) and mid 50s on long trips through France.

Given the level of performance on offer I am more than pleased with this. I would expect longer journeys on flatter roads to regularly yield close to 50. I also have found that the economy on undulating roads is much better with cruise off as you can keep the car in 2 cylinder mode for much longer by gaining speed a little in the downhill and losing a little speed on the uphill.
 
I cannot believe that anyone would post a picture like that. Rush outside and roll that down a hill for the purposes of this thread did you? I notice the other half of the reality distortion twins has turned up right on queue. ;)

The only facts of note here are that you are claiming economy figures that no one else is anywhere in the same postcode to getting, either here or in the motoring press, and in many cases you're claiming economy figures beyond even the heavily doctored manufacturer combined figures as well as claiming figures for a petrol car that a diesel would struggle to achieve. You don't need to be very suspicious to suspect something is amiss here, and it most certainly is when you're averaging 24mph to get anywhere. There's no odometer reading but the fuel consumption tells you this has likely been run around the block, if that.

You're right. The issue here is with you, because you've at least definitively proved it's not any of your trip computers. It's between the two ears. Other threads have been bad, but this takes the biscuit for nuts, it really does. :eek:
 
The picture he posted was from his Focus that he mentioned earlier in the thread. I once saw a 40 MPG average from my 2.5 V6 Cougar after a long motorway run, we don't all drive around like our hair's on fire.
 
Give it up. This is nuts and is plain for all to see.

* Deliberate Freudian slip by the way - not that it matters or is relevant in the slightest of course.
 
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Relliott6879 said:
The picture he posted was from his Focus that he mentioned earlier in the thread. I once saw a 40 MPG average from my 2.5 V6 Cougar after a long motorway run, we don't all drive around like our hair's on fire.
Click to expand...
His average speed is 24mph if you look at it he's posted and he's obviously nipped out for a few minutes purely to get the figures he's telling everyone he gets.

:keule:Pure and simple. Let's move on from this brain damage please and let people produce something constructive that is pertinent to the OP's query and the real world.
 
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cilurnum said:
Let's move on from this brain damage please and let people produce something constructive that is pertinent to the OP's query and the real world.
Click to expand...


Extremely difficult, especially as you keep posting your narrow, blinkered guff.
 
audi upgrades
cilurnum said:
if you look at it what he's posted and he's obviously nipped out for a few minutes purely to get the figures he's telling everyone he gets.
Click to expand...

cuke2u said:
Seeing as I could get an average of 57mpg from my old car, a mk3 1.6 ecoboost focus, in mixed driving maybe it is me that is the factor..
Click to expand...


Two options here:

1) His current car is equipped with a flux capacitor and he went back in time to, as you suggest, take his old car out for a very gentle drive to manufacture a misleading readout to support his case.

2) He took this picture some time ago, having gone for a very gentle drive to manufacture a misleading readout in anticipation of having this debate with you once he'd bought an Audi A3.

Neither seems likely. There is of course option 3, that the man has a light right foot, drives economically and is simply sharing his own personal experience.
 
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