T180 Poor Mpg

[Uncle Tobbler]

I just want to try and find out a bit more about the problems that everybody seems to be having with poor mpg figures from the Verso T180.

My issues are the same as everybody else and i have tried without success to get the problem resolved.

The only respones that i receive from the dealership and customer services, is "we can not find any fault with the car, it must be your drving style" I know it's not my drving style because i also own a Honda Civic Type r GT and i can almost get it to give me better mpg than i am getting from the Verso!!!

I have also been driving diesel engines for many years (VW,BMW etc)and they have all given me excellent mpg and in some cases exceeded the published figures.

My question to the forum is:-

Has anybody actually had the poor mpg problem resloved by a dealership?

[matty2767]

i dont think it is only the 180 that is affected. my 150 hasnt got out of the 30s since its service in november. i am going to give it one more tank and then take it to the dealer as the missus has been using it a bit and i am sure she forgets it has 6 gears.

[moose212]

This is a hugely contentious issue. There are a huge number of threads involving this topic on this site. At the company I work for there are a large number of Toyota's across the fleet and it would appear that a high percentage of the cars do not get near the advertised mpg(that includes all different models and variations of toyota). The problem is that for every person dissatisified with the car there is a person who is completely happy, couple that with Toyota's insistence that everything is as it should be and it makes it a very difficult battle to fight. The only thing I think we can all hope for is power in numbers and maybe we will make some progress. As it currently stands Toyota are not willing to publicly acknowledge any issues with the avensis and until we can prove a problem with any of the cars makes it your word against theirs (Toyota) and unfortunatley they carry a bit more punch than you or I.

[matty2767]

has anyone got to the bottom of the poor mpg issue? since the service in nov 08 my 150bhp 2.2 has averaged 39mpg. just filled it up today and it did 408 miles on 48ltrs of diesel. on the journey today i drove in a way i thought would improve economy but still averaged 44mpg from the obc. last year i used to get over 48mpg easily. any suggestions? i usually check the tyres but i have checked them again and they are all as per the manual unless my tester is broke but they dont look flat. i am calling the garage tomorrow, maybe they forgot to put something back in the service.

[T Sport 1978]

has anyone got to the bottom of the poor mpg issue? since the service in nov 08 my 150bhp 2.2 has averaged 39mpg. just filled it up today and it did 408 miles on 48ltrs of diesel. on the journey today i drove in a way i thought would improve economy but still averaged 44mpg from the obc. last year i used to get over 48mpg easily. any suggestions? i usually check the tyres but i have checked them again and they are all as per the manual unless my tester is broke but they dont look flat. i am calling the garage tomorrow, maybe they forgot to put something back in the service.

Hi all,

I have the 2.2 T180 in Auris form and we have had ECU reflash work done to ours, I have had it done and my MPG has improved slightly.

I am getting around 40mpg combined when mixture of MORE town and motorway, and 45 MORE of motorway.

Has this been requested to be done to your 2.2's?

[Aamir2892]

City driving it no good. My 150 Ive been around 31.6mpg, that wat computer saying. When on the motorway i can get about 42+mpg. I get about 250 miles maybe little more on 50 liters of fuel. I also carry some weight in the boot and i know it will be better with the weight out. It stopping and starting that burns the fuel. Its what Birmingham is like.

[matty2767]

tsport. i called the gargae today who said the car was due the ecu upgrade and i am taking it in on wednesday for this. the chap will also check if the air filter was put back correctly and that the brakes arent sticking.

[T Sport 1978]

tsport. i called the gargae today who said the car was due the ecu upgrade and i am taking it in on wednesday for this. the chap will also check if the air filter was put back correctly and that the brakes arent sticking.

matty,

The poor consumption is sometimes attributed to the working of the DPF where too much fuel is used for regeneration cycle, which the ECU reflash supposedly fixes/improves. Also i think generally the 2.2 does suffer more just because it is a 2.2.

Is your 2.2 with or without DPF?

[T Sport 1978]

City driving it no good. My 150 Ive been around 31.6mpg, that wat computer saying. When on the motorway i can get about 42+mpg. I get about 250 miles maybe little more on 50 liters of fuel. I also carry some weight in the boot and i know it will be better with the weight out. It stopping and starting that burns the fuel. Its what Birmingham is like.

250 miles to 50litres??? I make that 22.7MPG?

Whichever way you look at it, it is wrong. I used to get 280 miles out of my thirsty T SPORT Corolla... Your 150 should do MUCH better than that, i suggest you tell your dealer/garage and have it investigated mate.

[matty2767]

as far as i know it doesnt have the dpf. although i cannot be certain. it is a 150bhp

[tubaman]

I`ve had my T180 for 4 weeks now (hatchback), its doing the following mpg:-

Around town (loads of stop/start - average 19mph) 35 mpg

Motorway - fully laden, 4 adults 63 mph ish in 5th (50mpg)

Mixed motorway/A roads/Town - 44.5mpg

Whilst it`s not what the manufacturers say, I dont think its too bad considering the size of car, engine size & power available - probably around 10% under the unrealistic manufacturers data

[Aamir2892]

City driving it no good. My 150 Ive been around 31.6mpg, that wat computer saying. When on the motorway i can get about 42+mpg. I get about 250 miles maybe little more on 50 liters of fuel. I also carry some weight in the boot and i know it will be better with the weight out. It stopping and starting that burns the fuel. Its what Birmingham is like.

250 miles to 50litres??? I make that 22.7MPG?

Whichever way you look at it, it is wrong. I used to get 280 miles out of my thirsty T SPORT Corolla... Your 150 should do MUCH better than that, i suggest you tell your dealer/garage and have it investigated mate.

Well i think it’s about that im not saying it is that. I can’t remember how many miles i did as i reset it when i fill it up. I do carry a lot of heavy boxes in my boot and Birmingham traffic is terrible with all the stopping and starting. The 180 and 150 would be near enough the same as they are basically nearly the same engine apart from the 180 having other different parts like the injectors.

[Bigspeakerman]

In case anyone is interested, I bought a 56 plate Avensis Tourer T180 about 3 weeks ago and was immediately concerned I'd bought a problem car when my fuel computer showed 35mpg on the motorway at 70ish. Now I've read the forum posts on this subject, I'm relieved in one way to find its 'normal', but wish I'd read about the issue in advance of choosing the car. I cover less than 100 miles a week so it's not big a deal, when the car is such a delight to drive.

The car went to Toyota for new discs and pads last week and had the re-map done. I'm now averaging 32-33mpg instead of 31, but no other difference noted.

I've been spooked by another post stating it cost 5K to replace a turbo on a 57 plate. Surely it shouldn't cost so much, you'd get a whole new engine for that price wouldn't you?

[Adyone]

I've posted before re: T180 mpg.

I bought a VENOM Diesel tuning box and have done about 4,000 miles with it now.

Before fitting it, if I was very careful on a long run (200miles) I could just get 46 mpg average.

Over the last couple of weekends, Ive done a couple more long runs and have easily achieved 48.8 mpg.

I find that the old fashioned method of calulating MPG (fill up with fuel, zero trip and go long way, then fill up and work out how much fuel and how many miles etc) is more accurate/reliable than the on board computer!

Of course, I am also enjoying increased BHP, so I should have a T215 Badge on the boot lid!!

The extra peformance is great but with care, I can now easily achieve the average MPG.

BUT WE SHOULDN'T HAVE TO GO TO THESE LENGTHS SHOULD WE?

IT SEEMS THAT VW/AUDI 2.00TDI RUN RINGS AROUND TOYOTA MPG FIGURES.

MY BOSS DRIVES AN AUDI A3 2.00 TDI, THRASHES IT HARD AND EASILY GETS 50+ MPG.

ADYONE

[matty2767]

vw will always beat the toyota engine it is why you pay your £5k or so more. the extra is design time. i agree though when i had my previous avensis chipped the mpg went up.

to update on this scenario, i had my ecu upgraded and have been on a 120 mile round trip to birmigham and back, mostly motorways and managed to do 44mpg. didnt go above 75 on the speedo and there are roadworks at the mo which meant long stints at 50. not impressed really. last year i was easily getting 47+ and 50 on long runs. i dont know what is wrong with it.

[caveman_si]

vw will always beat the toyota engine it is why you pay your £5k or so more. the extra is design time. i agree though when i had my previous avensis chipped the mpg went up.

to update on this scenario, i had my ecu upgraded and have been on a 120 mile round trip to birmigham and back, mostly motorways and managed to do 44mpg. didnt go above 75 on the speedo and there are roadworks at the mo which meant long stints at 50. not impressed really. last year i was easily getting 47+ and 50 on long runs. i dont know what is wrong with it.

Remember this time off year the cold, the dark, etc screw your mpg as you need more power for the electricals which= bigger drain on the alternater etc = less mpg.

Also remember this time of yr the fuel will be heavily winterised especially after all the weather we have been having and winterised fuel = lower power = less mpg.

Other general things to consider is tyres are they the right pressure ? when did u last check them? under inflated tyres can easily cost you 10% drop in mpg.

[OldSkoO1]

Cold weather does have a big effect on it. More so on the t180 engines.

My 2.2 Rav definatly doesn't suffer as much as my t180 auris.

Anyway, VW / Ford / Vauxhall they will all trounce the toyota 177 (t180) on MPG. Its the DNPR / noX and particle emissions filtering in the t180 that kills the economy. The cars you compare against don't filter like the toyota and they kick out much much higher volumes of particles and nox gases.

Currently your VED doesn't take into account particle emissions and nox gases although the law was suppose to be changing soon. Cars without the filtering would fall into higher tax bands. Maybe it will become a requirement on the next gen of cars. I just think toyota jumped the gun a little bit.

They loved promoting the fact the t180 engine was one of the most powerful engines and the greenest engine in its class. The downside is slightly poorer economy compared to the competition.

Especially a diesel block like the A3 has. Thats quite an old engine now, not giving a hoot about nox and particle emissions, it pumps out the stuff all day long where as the toyota t180, traps that crap and injects extra diesel into the exhaust system to burn it all off. Thats where your fuel is going.

[Adyone]

When all is said and done, my Venom tuning box equiped T180 (T215) is still one of the nicest cars I've ever driven - I'm 54 years of age and been driving since I was 17.

It is now quick enough, fast enough and certainly very comfortable to ride in.

If I wanted a really economical car, I'd have bought something else.

One of my work mates drives a Peugeot 207SW (1.4 HDI engine) and he can often get 70mpg.

But its a PEUGEOT!!

Happy motoring!!

Adyone

[caveman_si]

Just to revive this old thread.

I got a T180 avensis this week, when i picked it up it was showing 31mpg on the display and now after 500 miles of fun on the motor way and up and down A roads its showing 35.2mpg. Which would be worrying but Ive checked the fuel consumption by hand and its getting over 45mpg.

So 2 days of a mix of fun and sensible driving and it hits 45mpg not bad and when I put a few more miles on the engine i expect it to loosen up a bit more, just got to read the manual now and work out how to reset the display mpg.

[MickeyBlue]

At the risk of starting to sound like a broken record, I bought my 150 d4d after a skoda 2.0 140 pd and was very disapointed with torque and mpg.

I also fitted a tuning box and both torque and mpg are transformed. The Skoda used to average a genuine 48mpg on mixed driving and 60+ on the motorway. I still can't match that but it is now much better.

I fail to see why Toyota owners think that diesels getting in the 30s is acceptable. If VAG diesels can achieve or better the advertised figures how are Toyota allowed to get away with always being overly optimitic?

And by the way, don't like the soft brakes, overly sensitive ABS that won't slow the car down from speed on grippy slightly bumpy bits of roads near roundabouts, traffic lights, etc, (heart attack narrowly averted), don't like the overly soft damping which gives the car too much roll and lets it get blown around in high winds, sat nav that costs a fortune but doesn't match a £100 Tom Tom and can't be updated for less than the cost of a new Tom Tom, etc. etc.

Would I buy another one? Don't be silly. Will I change this one? Too much invested in it, unfortunately.

[PhilGee]

We see a few complaints about fuel consumption but what alot of people dont know is how much different factors can play havoc on the MPG's. Weight, aircon, outside air temp, tyre pressures, driving style, fuel quality etc etc, the list goes on. Also alot of customers seem to take what the on-board computer says as gospel. Its there as a rough guide. Best way is to do it the old fashioned way. Fill up, have a drive, fill up again and work out whats been used. We do this with customers cars and it always comes back well within the manufacturers guide MPG's.

[caveman_si]

Just thought I would add some more to this thread after having driven a few more miles in my T180.

After about 2.2k of miles I am getting a long term MPG of 41 as calculated from fill up to fill up. From the in car read out ive had as high as 57mpg average on a steady motor way stint.

Hand calcualted over a single tank Ive had it as high as 48mpg with mixed motorway/urban driving and as low as 27mpg but that was 50/50 stop start town driving and spirited driving around the hills of wales. Where i dont care that it was so low it was a great weekend of driving :) lots of smiles per mile.

So over all not a bad mpg could be a bit better but getting better as the engine is losening up and it should be better once its had the service it needs.

[Bry]

I just want to try and find out a bit more about the problems that everybody seems to be having with poor mpg figures from the Verso T180.

My issues are the same as everybody else and i have tried without success to get the problem resolved.

The only respones that i receive from the dealership and customer services, is "we can not find any fault with the car, it must be your drving style" I know it's not my drving style because i also own a Honda Civic Type r GT and i can almost get it to give me better mpg than i am getting from the Verso!!!

I have also been driving diesel engines for many years (VW,BMW etc)and they have all given me excellent mpg and in some cases exceeded the published figures.

My question to the forum is:-

Has anybody actually had the poor mpg problem resloved by a dealership?

[t180 minnnt]

I have had the ecu update, and MPG has slightly improved. I must say i was shocked by the MPG when i first got the car when other people i know with diesels are averaging way more than me. I can get around 35 when knocking around town etc, but on the motorway it is usually high 40's. It goes right down to 24-25 though when towing which is no better than a 4x4 and is no where near as stable as one. On the upside, i paid £7,500 for it with 56k on it on a 56 plate.... It is also extremely comfortable and has a lot of goodies, so it is a case of swings and roundabouts. For the equipment level of the T180, a beemer or merc would be a hell of alot more money with a smaller engine and higher insurance and tax. I think the Avensis (especially the T180) looks classy and all my friends and neighbours have commented on how nice it looks.

I also have to say that the Toyota dealers are definately the best i have had dealings with also, which goes along way in my opinion.

[bigchristye]

This mpg debate rages on... I am one of the happy campers as it were.

I do a lot of motorway miles and A roads. I have had my T180 (estate) for 2yrs & its done about 55Kmiles.

Heres the thing for me:

USE THE RIGHT GEAR!!!

For example: 6th gear at 70 is way below peak torque & will not be as efficient in burning fuel. 5th in 70 is better. 6th works fine over 80.. (not that I should be saying that but...)

I am also sure it helps every now and then (honest) red lining in 3rd for a bit to clear the various bits and bobs out.

I certainly dont drive like a saint but I CAN get 500miles from 52 litre fill.... I think I have a rare car in that sense if everyone here was to be believed.

I think its a top car - no one gives a shoot about an avensis and you can boot about all day with nay bother from anyone & have a bit of laugh with it. and then 2 or 3hrs later I get out, go and do my job and find that I DONT feel like I have been in the car for 2 or 3hrs.

but like I said, my benchmark these days is 500miles off a tank. . . Gauntlet down folks!!