WarwickL
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Having made my comment above, E mode is the work of the devil and my S3 will never see it again 
New S3 fuel?!
- Thread starter Richierich37
- Start date
I've been doing some testing since I got my S3 almost a year ago, and have the following stats:
Shell V Power: 6,109m 31.14mpg
BP Ultimate: 2,000m 29.91mpg
Momentum: 8,213m 29.65mpg
This is a mix of driving conditions and mostly in Dynamic mode. Given the price difference between BP and Tesco and the small difference, I would choose Tesco over BP. Tesco is also my nearest garage hence the higher mileage, and I've been using it more recently as the prices at Shell have been creeping up again.
Never used non-premium grade so I can't compare that. I pretty much had to coast across the IOW on a recent trip there to get to the Tesco on the other side as the indicator was on 0 for a good while!
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Shell V Power: 6,109m 31.14mpg
BP Ultimate: 2,000m 29.91mpg
Momentum: 8,213m 29.65mpg
This is a mix of driving conditions and mostly in Dynamic mode. Given the price difference between BP and Tesco and the small difference, I would choose Tesco over BP. Tesco is also my nearest garage hence the higher mileage, and I've been using it more recently as the prices at Shell have been creeping up again.
Never used non-premium grade so I can't compare that. I pretty much had to coast across the IOW on a recent trip there to get to the Tesco on the other side as the indicator was on 0 for a good while!
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Wow, thats a good turn out then, 6mpg more possible just by pressing a button.
To be Honest with you, I shouldn't have bought my S3, I had a perfectly good A3 1.4TFSI Ultra (COD) before it, bought brand new. Everytime I'm out of the car I think "I should sell up and get something more practical and much more like my previous car. Everytime I'm in the car or near it, it's like it brainwashes me with it's Sepango Fandago Brilliance and I can't bare to part with it. Jekyll & Hyde attitude towards it, you could say.
There are loads of things I love about it, not many things I loath about it. This 6mpg extra will help my bank balance and lessen trips to the cash stealing stations. I know it's a performace hatch and I know that I new what to expect fuel wise when I bought the car, but every pound counts right?
Thanks for the input, keep em coming, it's good to hear from those who use this mode "E" a lot more than I do.
G
To be Honest with you, I shouldn't have bought my S3, I had a perfectly good A3 1.4TFSI Ultra (COD) before it, bought brand new. Everytime I'm out of the car I think "I should sell up and get something more practical and much more like my previous car. Everytime I'm in the car or near it, it's like it brainwashes me with it's Sepango Fandago Brilliance and I can't bare to part with it. Jekyll & Hyde attitude towards it, you could say.
There are loads of things I love about it, not many things I loath about it. This 6mpg extra will help my bank balance and lessen trips to the cash stealing stations. I know it's a performace hatch and I know that I new what to expect fuel wise when I bought the car, but every pound counts right?
Thanks for the input, keep em coming, it's good to hear from those who use this mode "E" a lot more than I do.
G
I've got a 1.4 TFSI 8P right now but want to get an 8V so was deciding which one and your situation is how I feel (without having driven either cars). If only there was a car in the middle of the 2, from what I've heard the 2.0 TFSI seems too focused on economy for my liking. No idea how the 1.8TFSI is.
My Advice is to stick with the current car, you aren't getting that much more of a car to be truthful changing for an 8V, ok you can spec B&O and if sound matters to you as much as it does me, then change. But your current car is nice and above all cheap to run. Is it a 150BHP one with COD? I don't think it is because iirc that engine is new for the 8V. But I could be wrong.
I'll wait and change mine when a totally new A3 is released, I think the facelift hasn't really done much for the car, hate the rear valance/diffuser surround and don't like the huge grill on the front. Nice looking car but not something i'm willing to fork out a load more cash for.
Back on topic: I put the car in Efficency for most of my driving yesterday, it's all true, the MPG is now at 31, which i was shocked at, thats around town too, no motorways. I never seem to get anywhere above 25/26mpg in "Dynamic mode. Very handy button is the Drive Select. Think I'll re-label mine to read "Quids in".
G
I've got the 2008 1.4tfsi before the facelift, its 123BHP. Sound does matter to me, this car has got Bose sound system so I'm pretty much just looking for B&O 8V cars (or Dynaudio Golfs). Had this car for 3 years now and its been great but would like a change. Not sure the 150BHP with COD will be much of a change, I know it is cheaper to run though. It's funny how far cars have come in terms of efficiency, the Golf GTI is pretty much the same as my car in terms of fuel, road tax and insurance.
Well the first tank of BP Ultimate has gone, covered approx 230 miles and was still showing 50 miles left till empty. That was a mixture of efficiency and dynamic mode and mainly around town?!
I've just filled up with Tesco Momentum and will leave it on dynamic mode until it's showing 50 miles to empty. Tesco petrol was 11p/lt cheaper too!
I'll report back with my findings.......if anyone is interested!?!?
Well that tank lasted longer, 260 miles with 50 miles showing till empty! Dynamic mode on all the time with a few blasts through the gears!
I've just filled it up with Tesco Momentum again as it seems to last longer
Still using the Costco high octane stuff and it's doing well! Not had many blasts the last week or so though, as I'm running the Aviva drive app (insurance quote discount thing) so I'm driving like Miss daisy Almost messed up this morning when a Golf GTD pulled up next to me at the lights and I could see he was going to boot it I was soooo tempted to leave him there And yes he did boot it.
Almost messed up this morning when a Golf GTD pulled up next to me at the lights and I could see he was going to boot it I was soooo tempted to leave him there And yes he did boot it.
I had a 100 mile motorway run on my last tank, then my usual driving about for the rest.. got 28mpg, well happy with that!
The car showed 37mpg on the run, if I still got 28mpg after the way it was driven after the run I can believe it.
The car showed 37mpg on the run, if I still got 28mpg after the way it was driven after the run I can believe it.
Right then. This, dear friends, is an intervention.
Your fellow members are concerned that some of you S3 owners are becoming a bunch of misers more concerned with 'eco' than 'evo'. This just won't do.
Worse still, some of you appear to have advanced to extreme measures to eek out a miserable couple of extra miles from a gallon of fuel, and have forgotten that when you buy a car with four times the power any sensible person would consider it actually needs to do it's job, you have a responsibility to use it and show 'those who can no longer be saved' (Diesel owners) the error of their thrifty tightwad ways at every opportunity.
So, further mentions of the use of 'Efficiency' mode in an S3 will leave us with no choice but to recommend you are immediately sectioned and taken away by burly men in a plain white van in order to have your bumps felt and to be administered sufficient doses of electrical therapy that you start to consider the aquisition of a V8 engined vehicle as 'almost sensible', just like us normal people.
Your fellow members are concerned that some of you S3 owners are becoming a bunch of misers more concerned with 'eco' than 'evo'. This just won't do.
Worse still, some of you appear to have advanced to extreme measures to eek out a miserable couple of extra miles from a gallon of fuel, and have forgotten that when you buy a car with four times the power any sensible person would consider it actually needs to do it's job, you have a responsibility to use it and show 'those who can no longer be saved' (Diesel owners) the error of their thrifty tightwad ways at every opportunity.
So, further mentions of the use of 'Efficiency' mode in an S3 will leave us with no choice but to recommend you are immediately sectioned and taken away by burly men in a plain white van in order to have your bumps felt and to be administered sufficient doses of electrical therapy that you start to consider the aquisition of a V8 engined vehicle as 'almost sensible', just like us normal people.
Right then. This, dear friends, is an intervention.
Your fellow members are concerned that some of you S3 owners are becoming a bunch of misers more concerned with 'eco' than 'evo'. This just won't do.
Worse still, some of you appear to have advanced to extreme measures to eek out a miserable couple of extra miles from a gallon of fuel, and have forgotten that when you buy a car with four times the power any sensible person would consider it actually needs to do it's job, you have a responsibility to use it and show 'those who can no longer be saved' (Diesel owners) the error of their thrifty tightwad ways at every opportunity.
So, further mentions of the use of 'Efficiency' mode in an S3 will leave us with no choice but to recommend you are immediately sectioned and taken away by burly men in a plain white van in order to have your bumps felt and to be administered sufficient doses of electrical therapy that you start to consider the aquisition of a V8 engined vehicle as 'almost sensible', just like us normal people.
Lmao, that made me laugh!! It is something we have all prepared for and accepted, but it is a daily driver after all
Right then. This, dear friends, is an intervention.
Your fellow members are concerned that some of you S3 owners are becoming a bunch of misers more concerned with 'eco' than 'evo'. This just won't do.
Worse still, some of you appear to have advanced to extreme measures to eek out a miserable couple of extra miles from a gallon of fuel, and have forgotten that when you buy a car with four times the power any sensible person would consider it actually needs to do it's job, you have a responsibility to use it and show 'those who can no longer be saved' (Diesel owners) the error of their thrifty tightwad ways at every opportunity.
So, further mentions of the use of 'Efficiency' mode in an S3 will leave us with no choice but to recommend you are immediately sectioned and taken away by burly men in a plain white van in order to have your bumps felt and to be administered sufficient doses of electrical therapy that you start to consider the aquisition of a V8 engined vehicle as 'almost sensible', just like us normal people.
I hear you loud n clear! We will only be using Dynamic mode and no more talk of MPG........./thread!
Such an interesting read...I've now done just over 500 miles in my new S3 and it's averaging 29mpg since start. Round town, journey to work 4 miles each way it averages around 20-25mpg.
That's a mix of efficiency and Dynamic
That's a mix of efficiency and Dynamic
Im not an S3, more like 1.6tdi, but as i have been very pro V-Power i just wanted to throw a curveball! I got 54mpg from latest tank of V-Power and I'm currently on 61.9 with BP Ultimate! Last night went from Calais to Milan, Filled up in Dover with V-Power and Swiss boarder with BP Ultimate. No real difference in performance i don't think. Roads were all very similar and if anything the last stint was hillier as it was over the Alps. Only real difference was temperature. France got down to -7 whereas in Switzerland it went to +6 and over. could this affect it? used dynamic mode & cruise control all the way.
Oh yes, ambient air temperature has wide ranging and very marked effects on the efficiency, power, cooling and friction losses, exhaust temperatures, fuel flows and many their variables in an internal combustion engine. It's a long time since I looked into the thermodynamics of the Otto cycle, but to be able to truly compare your experiences the effects of these temperatures on your car it would have to be measured, which is a long, laborious, tedious and very boring job to do. It's far easier to say that you should only really compare fuel efficiency figures at the same ambient temperatures.
Interesting stuff. Thought & hoped it might be the case. Must say the engine seems much smoother when the temp is above zero. didn't seem that comfortable in -7.
Frejus tunnel on way to UK and then i went Switzerland (Basel to Como) on the way back. It was so much cheaper. Frejus was 40euros each way, same as Mont Blanc i think. Switzerland has much nicer roads and its just such a beautiful country to drive through. I would really recommend it to you all. Would have loved to have been in something a bit more sporty to be honest. I didn't dare go off the motorway due to ice & snow but will have to explore when its warmer.
RSS-S3
Registered User
Shell is what I use ...... I prefer it!
I couldn't care less about the price of fuel ..... its a necessity, that all cars need.
If people want to use cheaper fuels in their expensive cars, thats up to them
I always get less mpg using alternative fuels and it certainly does effect top end performance!
I couldn't care less about the price of fuel ..... its a necessity, that all cars need.
If people want to use cheaper fuels in their expensive cars, thats up to them
I always get less mpg using alternative fuels and it certainly does effect top end performance!
I've only ever been Chamonix - Courmayeur via Mont Blanc (or Monte Bianco depending on your origins), not in my car though, but just looked up your routes on the maps and they look interesting.
A question to those that drive in dynamic in a stronic s3 . When does it change up to 6th gear? For me at motorway speeds is stays in fifth.
Mine too, but I think it only goes into 7th if cruise control engaged or it's knocked out of Sport (?)
Certainly that's what my S5 did.
Interesting , i have only tried dynamic for a short while because of this , perhaps need to try for longer to see what happens
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Must admit, I've only read page 1 then skipped the rest but I was at Surrey Rolling Road years ago and said I used BP Ultimate, the bloke there said it was **** and actually recommended I use the likes of Tesco fuel instead, have only every really used that since and have had no issues - MPG is pretty crap but I think that's more down to the 3.2l sitting up front.
RSS-S3
Registered User
Is your gearbox out of sport? If your gearbox is in sport (it does when in dynamic) then the car will be very reluctant to go into 6th. Put it in dynamic, pull the gear lever down again without pressing the button when in drive and the gearbox will change to standard drive mode. I very rarely use sport on the gearbox, unless I am driving very quickly which when normally in that case, I use the paddles.
Well said, we did not buy S3's to be worrying about fuel consumption, have been using Shell V-Power for many years across all my previous cars, it's a top fuel and for the slightly higher price I think it's well worth it, your S3 will also thank for using it.
Eco mode what's that all about, I cannot believe anyone on this forum is using it, total waste of a great motor.
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May have missed in this (long) thread, but is there any practical difference/impact of using supermarket fuel from an engine longevity point due only to the different types/levels of additives used in the cheap supermarket vs 'branded' fuels?
To answer that you would need a large amount of similar cars, with some only using cheaper supermarket fuel, and the others using expensive high octane fuel. But, considering that they will all be driven at different times, in different places in different ways, theres just too many confounding factors at play. Even if you did see a higher number of faults in the cheaper fuel cars, the large variation in different faults and different components would make it very difficult to directly attribute those faults purely to the fuel used....
In short, I don't think you will ever know...!
I've only had my FL S3 for a short time but I can say already that I hate the "efficiency" setting. It makes the car feel sluggish and to be in 7th gear at 40 mph is just ridiculous. Over my usual 76 mile run to work (some town driving at both ends, congested motorway and open dual carriageway) I am getting 35 mpg in dynamic and sport. Around town is about 25 mpg again in dynamic. It just happens that there is a convenient Shell on my route so I am using V-Power but I will try some others and see if there is any noticeable difference.
Just encountered this thread and thought I'd add my two pennyworth ..
Right from the off I was advised to use premium 98 octane fuel if I wished to get the best performance from the engine of my S3. Whether by 'performance' he meant economy or grunt I'm not sure, but I took the view that I'd just written out a cheque for a smidgeon over 40K, so it just made sense to do as the guys advised.
If you own and drive an S3 (or an RS3) you're very unlikely to be too concerned about fuel consumption. As for those who go for the 'E' mode, well they should probably stick with an S-Line. Personally I always have my car set to 'Dynamic' .. my wife soon got used to the harder ride and just over two years down the road the exhaust note has matured nicely into something befitting 296 bhp at full bore!
Right from the off I was advised to use premium 98 octane fuel if I wished to get the best performance from the engine of my S3. Whether by 'performance' he meant economy or grunt I'm not sure, but I took the view that I'd just written out a cheque for a smidgeon over 40K, so it just made sense to do as the guys advised.
If you own and drive an S3 (or an RS3) you're very unlikely to be too concerned about fuel consumption. As for those who go for the 'E' mode, well they should probably stick with an S-Line. Personally I always have my car set to 'Dynamic' .. my wife soon got used to the harder ride and just over two years down the road the exhaust note has matured nicely into something befitting 296 bhp at full bore!
I put £40 of the Costco fuel (supposedly the same as the Tesco stuff) on the 24th December, done all the running around over christmas, did a run to North Wales bank holiday monday and been to and from work Tues-Thurs and a few local runs since then. 100% sure it's lasting longer than the V-power I had been using! as I'm still showing:
Thought I'd share the long term mpg as well:
Can't moan at that, most of my driving is in 30 & 40 mph limits and short trips Last journey was 6 mile = 28mpg, av speed 27mph.
Thought I'd share the long term mpg as well:
Can't moan at that, most of my driving is in 30 & 40 mph limits and short trips
Last journey was 6 mile = 28mpg, av speed 27mph.
