Drive Select - Is there any real cost savings???

[bfevo]

Hi

I've driven a far distance this month, about the same distance as the past 11 months combined in my S3. Given the cost of fuel at the moment i've been trying to save a few quid and experimented with different driving modes. Its normally in individual or dynamic on a day to day basis but for a few weeks i've stuck in in economy.

I havent noticed a difference in MPG or my wallet and the only difference I can see and feel is a slower upshift and heavier steering, whats everyone elses experiance like?

Cheers

 

[Simon]

I certainly notice higher fuel consumption when in dynamic in my S4

 

[AdamInKent]

I don’t have any mpg info but I’m pretty sure, from experience, that the driving mode impacts the way the car behaves when the adaptive cruise control is selected. (I think the car accelerates more gently in Economy mode.) So it might make more of a difference for journeys under adaptive cruise.

The car also puts the aircon into eco mode when the economy drive select mode is selected, which increases the likelihood of the MHEV switching off its engine under coast / stop conditions.

 

[DreamInCode]

I don't have any MPG info but when I drive in 'S', the MPG display in the dash shows 3/4 green more frequently. Whereas In 'Comfort' driving it shows 3/4 bar in grey instead.
Does it mean S mode saving more fuel? Or generating more electricity for the MHEV battery?

 

[Jason1987]

Would just driving in manual mode use less fuel? As you are controlling the gears?

 

[AdamInKent]

Would just driving in manual mode use less fuel? As you are controlling the gears?

I would be amazed if you can consistently select gears more economically than the gearbox computer. It has one job and one job only: it is solely focussed on changing gears at just the right time to keep the engine in the most appropriate rev range for the current conditions. You, as the driver, have other things to think about.

 

[Jason1987]

I would be amazed if you can consistently select gears more economically than the gearbox computer. It has one job and one job only: it is solely focussed on changing gears at just the right time to keep the engine in the most appropriate rev range for the current conditions. You, as the driver, have other things to think about.

I thought autos used more fuel than manuals as they are doing the gears? Albeit these are dual clutch so probably different

 

[AdamInKent]

I thought autos used more fuel than manuals as they are doing the gears? Albeit these are dual clutch so probably different

That’s how things used to be in times past, when automatic gearboxes all used torque converters without lockup and often with fewer gears than manual boxes.

The S-Tronic gearbox is a dual clutch unit, usually with dry clutches, so there is no energy loss through a torque converter. Whilst there might be small energy losses through the larger number of moving parts and increased weight compared to a manual, in real world use, this is more than made up for by the fact that they shift gears much more efficiently than we human drivers.