T-sport Fuel Economy

[blackcts]

I have been finding recently that the good old T-Sport has been rather decent on fuel...120 mile round trip there and i averaged 41mpg....in fairness it was driven normally though, no lift.

Felt rather smug, that a car with a 190bhp petrol car with a screaming 8,200 rpm redline can still be economical if driven normally....

The question is, is there really that much of a saving with a diesel car if not doing big miles?? I had a PD105 TDi Octavia from work the other week and got 270 miles for £37 quid on diesel for the same type of driving....

Dont get me wrong, im not a diesel hater...some cracking diesel cars out there, like the BMW 335D and Alfa 2.4 JTD....but with diesel more expensive than petrol is there really much saving in going diesel????

Discuss....

[FoxX]

Even when driving economically though, we cant escape the fact that our cars are doing almost 4k rpm at the quite normal 75mph on the motorway which I'm sure isnt great for the fuel economy.

Took a trip down to Snowdon the other day from Tarvin in an Astra SRI diesel and at 75mph it was doing 2k rpm, from a full tank (52 litre) used about half a quarter over 130 miles. I know in my T sport driving that i'd be looking at at least just over a quarter of the tank driving normally. Coincidently we were tailing an Auris T180 for some of the way, looks good and certainly seemed to stick on the corners.

Also factoring in that diesel engines generally last a lot longer.

For some reason my trip computer is reading 42.8mpg at the moment, heh not likely.

[ae102]

i know two fellas with red i golfs and they only get around 30mpg - often less than that! i get more in my t sport? diesel doesnt add up to me................ yes i am a diesel hater. diesel engines last longer? not sure on that one...

[cabcurtains]

You need to do 18k per annum to break even, anything more makes the diesel cheaper to run, Diesel's have more expensive service costs as well as being expensive to buy but over the 18k distance the extra MPG levels out against the extra cost of diesel.

Also if the diesel pump/injectors break the bill usually starts at £1,000!

The 18k is based on equivalent cars eg Focus 1.6 Petrol 110PS vs Focus 1.6 Diesel 110PS.

Yes i am a nerd!

[ae102]

You need to do 18k per annum to break even, anything more makes the diesel cheaper to run, Diesel's have more expensive service costs as well as being expensive to buy but over the 18k distance the extra MPG levels out against the extra cost of diesel.

Also if the diesel pump/injectors break the bill usually starts at £1,000!

The 18k is based on equivalent cars eg Focus 1.6 Petrol 110PS vs Focus 1.6 Diesel 110PS.

Yes i am a nerd!

not nerdy - just informed. are you basing the mpg figures on manufacurers figures? i've spoke to a few people with diesels and the mpg figures are no way near. diesel pumps and injectors do tend to fail as they are under high pressure on a diesel. also turbo's dont last especielly on diesels as they come in at lower revs and ideally you shoudnt kick the turbo in until a car is fully warm and i have never noticed a turbo diesel driver warming down the turbo at the end of a journey. i've had a turbo fail on me and they can have serious knock on effects.

[cabcurtains]

You need to do 18k per annum to break even, anything more makes the diesel cheaper to run, Diesel's have more expensive service costs as well as being expensive to buy but over the 18k distance the extra MPG levels out against the extra cost of diesel.

Also if the diesel pump/injectors break the bill usually starts at £1,000!

The 18k is based on equivalent cars eg Focus 1.6 Petrol 110PS vs Focus 1.6 Diesel 110PS.

Yes i am a nerd!

not nerdy - just informed. are you basing the mpg figures on manufacurers figures? i've spoke to a few people with diesels and the mpg figures are no way near. diesel pumps and injectors do tend to fail as they are under high pressure on a diesel. also turbo's dont last especielly on diesels as they come in at lower revs and ideally you shoudnt kick the turbo in until a car is fully warm and i have never noticed a turbo diesel driver warming down the turbo at the end of a journey. i've had a turbo fail on me and they can have serious knock on effects.

The official MPG figures are used to benchmark for both, as you mention with the turbos coming in so low i.e 1200 RPM on some you have no chance of the engine being warm before the turbo engages. As has been said before the modern diesels are so complex if it goes wrong it will cost a fortune. Also as the official figures never take Air Con, passengers, weather or a cold engine etc into account getting the official MPG will be impossible in everyday use.

I wouldnt want to pay the bill if a turbo packed up and took all associated bits with it.

[Zoe Chick]

You need to do 18k per annum to break even, anything more makes the diesel cheaper to run, Diesel's have more expensive service costs as well as being expensive to buy but over the 18k distance the extra MPG levels out against the extra cost of diesel.

Also if the diesel pump/injectors break the bill usually starts at £1,000!

The 18k is based on equivalent cars eg Focus 1.6 Petrol 110PS vs Focus 1.6 Diesel 110PS.

Yes i am a nerd!

not nerdy - just informed. are you basing the mpg figures on manufacurers figures? i've spoke to a few people with diesels and the mpg figures are no way near. diesel pumps and injectors do tend to fail as they are under high pressure on a diesel. also turbo's dont last especielly on diesels as they come in at lower revs and ideally you shoudnt kick the turbo in until a car is fully warm and i have never noticed a turbo diesel driver warming down the turbo at the end of a journey. i've had a turbo fail on me and they can have serious knock on effects.

I got rid of my TDI Golf 115 and got my T-Sport, i was getting 58mpg on motorway and about 48mpg around town driving.

However i did spend £1150 on new injectors Also £950 on a new !Removed! turbo, only had the car 7 month !

Even though i use more petrol now at least i wont be paying out over 2k in the next 6 month :D

[Mooly]

Another VAG disaster then to explode the myth of super reliable, last for ever German engineering and quality.

If I get less than 39/40 mpg in my T-Sport very disapointed, Trip currently showing 42.9mpg, reset on every fill, it's nearer 40.8ish if you actually work it on a neck/neck fill. I see some motoring correspondents have done a total U turn on recommending diesel, particularly for cars a few years old. Quote " I am getting so many reports of failed turbos injectors and fuel pumps that any saving is totally wiped out" It makes you wonder ! Should add it,s "Not driving Miss Daisy" either, just use the lift when you need it.

[cabcurtains]

My T-sport gives a solid 33 MPG, which whilst not great, isn't bad considering the car is used on stop start driving all day (wife is a community physio), its not bad all in all.

Diesels being cheap to run is a myth unless you do big miles, so many people buy them and only look at the MPG without considering all the other costs. The other myth is that diesels are fine to buy with high miles, yes the engine has been spinning slower but all the ancillary equipment i.e injectors, turbo, wastegate, intercooler etc have worked hard and are under huge pressure to turn the dirty diesel into smoke free emissions. The only possible exception to this is a an old fashioned normally aspirated Diesel, but these are slow, smokey and noisy like a diesel should be.

[H13RNC]

I get 20 mpg

...sometimes lol

Alot of time I get 32-35 mpg

[Gwelandor]

i get around 27mpg usually. i live about 2mile from work, so it never gets up to temperature. i get around 40 on a run though.

filled her up yesterday £59! :(

[-T- Sport]

My clock never seems to move from 28.5Mpg. We're doing about 50 mile a day through small trips and country lanes. Does pretty well on the Motorway though!

I only use V-Power in mine so it's a lovely £1.13 per litre here atm, costs a fortune to fill up, but that's my fault I suppose :)

[ae102]

in our local paper - guy reviews that polo bluemotion............ if you do 12k a year it will take 9 years to break even on fuel! bearing in mind that in 9 years the repair bill for the diesel will no doubt be higher - turbo - head decoking ect they just dont add up. 50mpg + from a red I? where you on a tow truck

[choading]

:)

[ae102]

I usually get 31mpg from sainsburys super unleaded. Since ive been using V-power, I'm averaging 34mpg!

i've rcommended V-Power to a couple of people, they've all had similair results. the 2.0 carina e books at 28mpg - its now up to 31! one of me mates has a new 1.2 clio and she's gettng 3mpg more and says the car feels better.

[NATHAN WILLARD]

iv recently switched to v power also and now getting 30mpg insted of 26!!! was using bp ultimate at £1.16 a litre and v power is only £1.14!! best fuel on the market by far. car also runs better and has stronger lift.

[nrgizerbunny]

are you sure your perceived increase in fuel economy wasn't don't to warmer temperatures we've been having recently?

[choading]

:)

[ae102]

are you sure your perceived increase in fuel economy wasn't don't to warmer temperatures we've been having recently?

warmer weather decreases fuel economy benn using optimax/v power for a good few years now.

[Jock Fran]

are you sure your perceived increase in fuel economy wasn't don't to warmer temperatures we've been having recently?

warmer weather decreases fuel economy benn using optimax/v power for a good few years now.

Where do you get that idea from?

MPG will nearly always be worse in colder weather due to the engine taking longer to warm up and more use of heaters, lights, heated screens etc.

Unless you only ever do really long journeys (so the engine's warm up time is only a small percentage of driving time anyway) MPG will be best in warmer weather.

[nrgizerbunny]

two points to note, firstly warmer weather improves fuel economy because the engine isn't as rich for as long. (ie faster warmup)

The other thing is the actual temperature of the air has no effect on fuel economy once the engine is at temperature. It only has an effect on power.

[ae102]

are you sure your perceived increase in fuel economy wasn't don't to warmer temperatures we've been having recently?

warmer weather decreases fuel economy benn using optimax/v power for a good few years now.

Where do you get that idea from?

MPG will nearly always be worse in colder weather due to the engine taking longer to warm up and more use of heaters, lights, heated screens etc.

Unless you only ever do really long journeys (so the engine's warm up time is only a small percentage of driving time anyway) MPG will be best in warmer weather.

and you use air-con in the summer............ your point being. fuel and air are denser when its cold, more fuel per gallon. denser air - car is much more efficient as it is sucking in more air for the volume........ how long does your car take to warm up and if your journeys are that short get on yer bike

[Jock Fran]

OK....

I use air con all year round, so that doesn't really make a difference to me.

Air is indeed denser when cold, so for the same volume of air flow the MAF sensor will register more air, and therefore you will use more fuel.

However, that in turn means with colder weather you'll get more power for the same throttle opening. Or the same power for less throttle opening - this also actually harms efficiency because an engine is always most efficient at full throttle (that's most efficient - NOT uses least petrol!).

Trust me. Warmer weather = better MPG!

As for the car warming up, my journey to work is about 7-8 miles. Coming home, in cold weather and heavy traffic I can maybe get 75% of the way home before the engine temp gauge reaches the middle. That's one extreme. If it's warm and I can drive at full speed, the engine will probably be up to temp within a mile.

That's a big difference.

And if you look into it you might find that cars work on air mass, and fuel volume (calculated from injector pressures, nozzle sizes and pulse durations), so the temperature of your fuel won't make a difference to how much your ECU decides to use.

Like I said - trust me!

[nrgizerbunny]

What Jock Fran said is totally true.

[Norfolk n Chance]

I drive everywhere like a complete loon, hitting Lift as much as possible.

Weather doesn't seem to make a difference, i still manage an average of 31mpg!!

:D