1.4 MPG Dissapointing

Brandon Williams

Brandon Williams

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Hey all,

Loving the car had it a month now, it has gone so quick and have currently done 1,300miles.
The one thing I am extremely dissapointed in is the MPG for the 1.4 Saloon.
On short runs I am getting between 19-24mpg and on average 30mpg. I have it in comfort 95% of the time and I can be heavy footed but these figures are just dissapointing and I’m constantly in the petrol station, what is everyone else getting with there’s?
Cheers y’all!!
 
Brandon Williams said:
Hey all,

Loving the car had it a month now, it has gone so quick and have currently done 1,300miles.
The one thing I am extremely dissapointed in is the MPG for the 1.4 Saloon.
On short runs I am getting between 19-24mpg and on average 30mpg. I have it in comfort 95% of the time and I can be heavy footed but these figures are just dissapointing and I’m constantly in the petrol station, what is everyone else getting with there’s?
Cheers y’all!!
Click to expand...

I can see why you’re disappointed. Those are identical figures to my S4!


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It'll get better as the engine loosens up. Try taking it easy with your right foot for the time being


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I don’t get it and coming from a Car that did 65mpg it’s sickening ahah; don’t get me wrong I knew it wasn’t going to be great but i was hoping for mid to high 30s, is it something I should look into or?
 
I’d give it until about 3k, mines just clicked over that and I’ve noticed it’s easier to achieve slightly higher mpg now (hit 40mpg over a 100 mile stint the other day!)...


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Average 42 mpg and as stated above it will improve with mileage. My driving is local runs through the week and longer runs at the weekend.
 
Same engine, I seem to get between 30 - 35mpg on my morning commute (through town, lots of stop/starts) being light footed. I find if I sit it on cruise control on the motorway at 70 - 80mph I easily get 45mpg.
 
Stronics do hit the mpg if you only drive around town, try the manual mode? My A3 1.4 used to be around 40-44mpg urban but I can't see myself the A4 being as low as 19, even with the stronic box. Either something is wrong or you're treating the throttle pedal as a on/off switch..
 
How heavy footed are you mate? Are you driving it like you stole it?

A guy on here a while back achieved 60+mpg and that was in the Avant.

I’m guessing a combination of rapid driving, new engine and s-tronic could be to blame. I get my manual in just over a month. I’ll let you know what I get.
 
It’ll be 3k miles before the engine loosens up fully although 38mpg sounds optimistic with mixed driving as the A4 is a big car.

Fingered crossed it improves for you
 
My car’s consumption has definitely improved with miles. I’m up to just on 3k now, and I did a run down to Gloucester from Huntingdon and back yesterday, so mainly motorway stuff but some town work at either end. The last time I did this trip, I was impressed with the 41+ mpg, but yesterday, the Dis was showing 46 mpg on the return leg, averaging 66 mph, so I wasn’t driving like a vicar. More than happy with that!
 
After a couple of thousand miles, wife is getting just under 38mpg average on a 30 mile daily commute, 15 miles each way

img_1681.jpg
 
I've had mine for a couple of weeks now, and I'm getting similar figures to you Brandon.

My commute is about 7 miles of stop-start traffic that takes me about 30 minutes. One day the traffic was much lighter than normal for some reason and I got about 35mpg. Often on the way home, when the traffic is even heavier, it can take me 45 minutes and is under 25mpg.

I have it in Auto on the drive select and I'm not very heavy footed. I'm finding it a bit disappointing too, but then I've done no longer journeys at all yet to compare it.

I'm expecting (hoping for!) it to improve a bit as it runs in. The long-term is currently about 26mpg I think, but it's under 200 miles in so far.

My old 1.7 diesel (Hyundai IX35) was 38mpg on the long-term reading, but that was probably over a year since I last reset it, and had a good few longer journeys in it and I never really looked too much at the commuting mpg so maybe it wasn't that much different.
 
I got a jaw dropping 35mpg on my morning commute! its about 16 miles of A roads and once into town start stop. I have done 1,500 miles so far and my average is 28mpg. I am now being extra cautious with my right foot and hoping for some improvement!
 
Brandon Williams said:
I got a jaw dropping 35mpg on my morning commute! its about 16 miles of A roads and once into town start stop. I have done 1,500 miles so far and my average is 28mpg. I am now being extra cautious with my right foot and hoping for some improvement!
Click to expand...
I have always noticed better fuel consumption when in Dynamic mode.
 
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We've got a 1 litre 63 plate corsa and 330d 4 wheel drive and the BMW is always better on juice than the corsa. Small engines have more power than they used to but still guzzle fuel if you give them the berries. And automatic always makes more than the 2mpg it says on the official stats, probably nearer 10mpg worse if your an enthusiastic driver. Also try using it in semi auto it might be less thirsty.
 
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My car (1.4 Manual Avant) mpg increased dramatically at 5-6k miles.I m really impressed with the fuel consumption.
Better than my previous Passat Estate Diesel Dsg.
Around town (London) Low 30s and Motorway around 55 mpg at 70 mph.
Last night drove all the way from Blackpool to London and averaged 59 mpg.My best so far 64 Mpg.
There is one answer.Light foot and avoid unnecessary braking on motorway.

Regards
 
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With only 730 miles on clock im currently on 33mpg long term memory i do a 10 mile round trip each day with alot of traffic lights , at 1pm with fair amount traffic i get around 33ish and on way home with hardly any traffic i get anything up to 45mpg (would be more if had less traffic lights!)

For another form of refrence off the two full fill ups ive done one was 360 miles to full tank this one looking closer to 400.

having the current mpg bar on VC is a good way to see how heavy footed you are as can see in real time how different throttle positions effect mpg
 
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Nope not at all, even overtook a car that was doing 40mph, but it was hard work. However it was only to demostrate that quoted the figures are achievable under certain, perhaps maybe artificial, conditions.
 
cuke2u said:
Nope not at all, even overtook a car that was doing 40mph, but it was hard work. However it was only to demostrate that quoted the figures are achievable under certain, perhaps maybe artificial, conditions.
Click to expand...
Thats impressive stuff.

Years ago when I was poorer than poor (now I’m just poor) and I had a long commute every day I used to do 55mph sat behind the wagons on the motorway. I got up to 70mpg in my 2002 Renault Clio 1.5 dci. I thought that was impressive.

It would be interesting to see what could be achieved on a long motorway drive doing 55mph.

I may be driving to Denmark next year so I’ll give it a go for a few hundred miles... until I get to the autobahn that is.
 
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Recently I did my IAM advanced rider test, (Institute of Advanced Motorists enhanced motorbike test) and one of the things which comes up as part of advanced riding is something called 'acceleration sense'. Basically it's about being in the right gear and using accurate throttle movements to maintain the required speed (not the same as banging it down the gears to slow down which isn't good -brake pads are cheaper than gearboxes). In other words trying to smooth out your riding/driving by not accelerating hard one minute then jumping on the brakes the next. Not using more acceleration than required usually means you don't need to jump on the brakes as much. Which makes you a better rider or driver, but also more fuel efficient. Trying to take the line of least resistance to avoid unnecessary start/stop at traffic lights or slow moving traffic etc all makes a difference. If a person is naturally heavy on the accelerator and heavy on the brakes, they will be heavy on the fuel usage.

The ordinary driving test is not demanding enough in my opinion, and I think people should be required to have a competency check periodically. As it is now you could potentially be a crap driver but somehow fluke your test aged 17, then continue to drive badly (get worse) until being 75 or whatever it is without a checkup. Total madness really.

Just my ten-bobs worth anyway.
 
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IbisWhiteBob said:
Recently I did my IAM advanced rider test, (Institute of Advanced Motorists enhanced motorbike test) and one of the things which comes up as part of advanced riding is something called 'acceleration sense'. Basically it's about being in the right gear and using accurate throttle movements to maintain the required speed (not the same as banging it down the gears to slow down which isn't good -brake pads are cheaper than gearboxes). In other words trying to smooth out your riding/driving by not accelerating hard one minute then jumping on the brakes the next. Not using more acceleration than required usually means you don't need to jump on the brakes as much. Which makes you a better rider or driver, but also more fuel efficient. Trying to take the line of least resistance to avoid unnecessary start/stop at traffic lights or slow moving traffic etc all makes a difference. If a person is naturally heavy on the accelerator and heavy on the brakes, they will be heavy on the fuel usage.

The ordinary driving test is not demanding enough in my opinion, and I think people should be required to have a competency check periodically. As it is now you could potentially be a **** driver but somehow fluke your test aged 17, then continue to drive badly (get worse) until being 75 or whatever it is without a checkup. Total madness really.

Just my ten-bobs worth anyway.
Click to expand...
I agree with the driving test. Same for when people hit 70 years old too. Or maybe even younger. Not a full retest, but just to make sure their reaction times and awareness are still adequate.

As an example, my wife’s grandmother passed her test at 65. How, I have no idea because her driving and spatial awareness were downright dangerous. She crashed her own car 5 times within a year and that was literally driving on and off her own driveway. I wish I was joking. This woman should never have passed her test. Her driving was beyond bad. I’m sure statistically, older (65+) drivers are involved in less accidents than new 17/18 year old drivers but I’m convinced older drivers are the cause of many accidents but get away unscathed, as so many are just oblivious to the speed limit or their surroundings.

Older people please don’t bash me. I’m not putting you all in the same pigeon hole but every time I see a car tootling along at 20 under the limit it’s always some dithering old idiot who’s squinting over the wheel. Then the same dithering idiot who was happy doing 40mph in a 60 zone continues to do 40 when they come into a 30. I see it all too often.
 
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IbisWhiteBob said:
Recently I did my IAM advanced rider test, (Institute of Advanced Motorists enhanced motorbike test) and one of the things which comes up as part of advanced riding is something called 'acceleration sense'. Basically it's about being in the right gear and using accurate throttle movements to maintain the required speed (not the same as banging it down the gears to slow down which isn't good -brake pads are cheaper than gearboxes). In other words trying to smooth out your riding/driving by not accelerating hard one minute then jumping on the brakes the next. Not using more acceleration than required usually means you don't need to jump on the brakes as much. Which makes you a better rider or driver, but also more fuel efficient. Trying to take the line of least resistance to avoid unnecessary start/stop at traffic lights or slow moving traffic etc all makes a difference. If a person is naturally heavy on the accelerator and heavy on the brakes, they will be heavy on the fuel usage.

The ordinary driving test is not demanding enough in my opinion, and I think people should be required to have a competency check periodically. As it is now you could potentially be a **** driver but somehow fluke your test aged 17, then continue to drive badly (get worse) until being 75 or whatever it is without a checkup. Total madness really.

Just my ten-bobs worth anyway.
Click to expand...
Just about sums up how I drove that little test, it's all about anticipation really..
 
A4AvantBlackEdition said:
I agree with the driving test. Same for when people hit 70 years old too. Or maybe even younger. Not a full retest, but just to make sure their reaction times and awareness are still adequate.

As an example, my wife’s grandmother passed her test at 65. How, I have no idea because her driving and spatial awareness were downright dangerous. She crashed her own car 5 times within a year and that was literally driving on and off her own driveway. I wish I was joking. This woman should never have passed her test. Her driving was beyond bad. I’m sure statistically, older (65+) drivers are involved in less accidents than new 17/18 year old drivers but I’m convinced older drivers are the cause of many accidents but get away unscathed, as so many are just oblivious to the speed limit or their surroundings.

Older people please don’t bash me. I’m not putting you all in the same pigeon hole but every time I see a car tootling along at 20 under the limit it’s always some dithering old idiot who’s squinting over the wheel. Then the same dithering idiot who was happy doing 40mph in a 60 zone continues to do 40 when they come into a 30. I see it all too often.
Click to expand...
At 62 I won't bash you, but just wait until I am three years older ;-)
 
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cuke2u said:
Just about sums up how I drove that little test, it's all about anticipation really..
Click to expand...
Precisely. It's about looking as far ahead as you can to give yourself as much time as possible to make good decisions.
 
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Brandon Williams said:
I got a jaw dropping 35mpg on my morning commute! its about 16 miles of A roads and once into town start stop. I have done 1,500 miles so far and my average is 28mpg. I am now being extra cautious with my right foot and hoping for some improvement!
Click to expand...
My s3 has averaged 36mpg over 10k miles. I used to have a 150bhp 2.0 tdi A4 and the economy on that was poor, weight is a killer especially for a lower powered engine. My 2.7 tdi A5 was better than the A4.
 
It takes a lot more energy to get a mass moving than it does to keep it going at a steady speed.

Small engines will have to work a lot harder than a big engine to get moving but once moving they are more efficient at delivering a minimal amount of power. Fewer losses.

Bigger engines have more losses- more friction and need to burn a larger amount of fuel just to 'tick over'. Seems from this thread that the 1.4 engine is great on motorways and steady journeys because it can keep the car going consuming its minimal amount of fuel. But stop start is a different story, getting that heavy lump up to speed drinks the juice.

Clearly there is a sweet spot somewhere - probably about the 1.8-2.0 mark that is a good compromise between standing losses and not being maxed out.
 
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On paper the engine has enough power and torque for the A4 and all the torque comes in at just 1500rpm. That engine is one of the best the VAG group has produced. It is stated, after all, that torque gets you there quickly and power keeps you there. The engine has far more about it than bigger engines ten years ago had in heavier cars..
 
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Just a shame about the fuel consumption


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cuke2u said:
I'm not sure if those who haven't driven a car with the 1.4 engine should really comment, on paper the engine has enough power and torque for the A4 and all the torque comes in at just 1500rpm. That engine is one of the best the VAG group has produced. It is stated, after all, that torque gets you there quickly and power keeps you there. The engine has far more about it than bigger engines ten years ago had in heavier cars..
Click to expand...

I’m assuming you’re talking about the driving experience with this and not commenting?

I think we can definitely comment on how terrible the mpg being 50% or less of the quoted figures is though. Especially when it’s comparable to something with a much larger and more powerful engine such as an S4.

Edit: But I’m not saying that this low mpg is normal across everyone’s experience of the 1.4 of course...

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Didn't the 1.4 effectively replace the old 1.8? I've not driven one but I have driven plenty of VAG products with the smaller capacity turbo engines, they all feel more than adequate compared to the larger capacity NA engines they have replaced.

In my experience petrol engines used lightly can give decent mpg but driven even slightly enthusiastically they are thirsty especially compared to their diesel counterparts.

Compared to the old 1.8 my guess it's a revelation.
 
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Bang on and my experience with this engine has been it is capable of equalling, or even beating the quoted mpg. I am not wishing to start an argument but I feel those who are getting poor figures we can put down to a 'glitch'. Even diesels if driving in certain ways in certain driving conditions can give poor mpg.
I drove both a 1.4 petrol against the 1.6 diesel and the 1.4 was better in all area's. I got a low of 23mpg from the 1.6 when cold and the diesel was positively agricultural..
 
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i have taken it down a notch now lol and i am getting around 35mpg and have got 42-50pmg on a run, more like it, do love to put it in sport and push it occasionally haha
 
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Brandon Williams said:
i have taken it down a notch now lol and i am getting around 35mpg and have got 42-50pmg on a run, more like it, do love to put it in sport and push it occasionally haha
Click to expand...

That’s better! Must’ve been fairly enjoying putting the foot down previously!


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I still haven't got mine out onto a decent run, but it sounds like it's the heavy town traffic that kills it. My commute is all that. Today (half term!) traffic was lighter and I got 34mpg. In terms of speed I usually get only about a 12 mile-per-hour average on my journey. On the way home I get an mpg in the 20s every day (it takes me longer to get home than to get to work). I don't have it in Sport and don't push it - I just don't get the chance to!

What I have noticed though is even on the sections where I might get to sustain 30miles per hour for a minute or two, the slight pressure on the gas pedal is enough to keep the mpg down at 30-ish even then. So maintaining a speed seems not very efficient.
 
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