A4 2.0 TDI MPG ?

[Roley130]

What experiences has everyone had with their A3/A4 2.0 TDI fuel consumption ? My car has done 2K miles now, and I am still struggling to get 41-42 mpg on a run at motorway speeds (say 75-80 ish). My old TDi 130 would have done 50+ on the same sort of driving.
Will this improve or is this engine inherrently less economical than the 1.9 TDI ?

[Fort Jefferson]

I've only had one as a loan car when the S4 has been in, but on the display, they have allways shown high 40's. ie:- 48 or 49

[Roley130]

Do you remember roughly what the mileage was ?

[TopBear]

The 1.9 gives better MPG than the 2.0 (140/170 bhp), this is stated across the full VAG range of cars.

[JeffC]

I find the 2.0 tdis worse round the streets than a 130, on a long steady run in a sportback Ive seen mid 50"s in a 2.0 tdi 6 manual , swmbo got 37 average doing local runs in the same car over 5 months .. most my cars have 50-80k so well run in.. got a 2.0 tdi outside (a4 avant) done 88k thats showing 47 average on the obc and doesnt look like its been set for a long time...

autos on them all are much worse on fuel round the town driving..

[drybeer]

Roley130 said:

What experiences has everyone had with their A3/A4 2.0 TDI fuel consumption ? My car has done 2K miles now, and I am still struggling to get 41-42 mpg on a run at motorway speeds (say 75-80 ish). My old TDi 130 would have done 50+ on the same sort of driving.
Will this improve or is this engine inherrently less economical than the 1.9 TDI ?

Is this a manual or DSG, as DSG is worse on fuel no matter what the brochure says?

[jwo]

my 2003 1.9tdi sport 130bhp has averaged 40.3mpg over the last 50k miles - recorded accurately with notepad and pen, not dodgy audi drastically overestimating dis. The audi mpgs, especially for diesels, are vastly inaccurate when compared to real world driving. To really average 50mpg in the audi, range between fill ups for a 63litre tank is approx 625-650miles and for 70litre tank 800ish miles.

[Roley130]

The car is a 6 spd manual.
When I had my 1.9 dti SE 130 I used to get an average fuel consumption of around 48.
I used the computer and also manual means to check this and always found the Audi computer to be within .5 MPG of the 'real' figure.

[jwo]

mine is 6 speed too! Certainly this issue is raised regularly on another forum (cough tyresmoke - sorry ted) and low 40s is the real world figure that most people achieve. For the 2litre lump high 30s low 40s mpg

[drybeer]

I find it odd that they vary so much.

I sell these and usually have one as a company car.

I have to say I've noticed the most difference between cars with the same engine and gearbox combination when you compare the ones used on cruise control and those used with "manual" throttle control.

A few years ago I've had an A4 Avant 1.9TDi 130 quattro Sports doing 45mpg and no cruise. This was not bad considering the extra load of quattro I thought.

Then an A4 Avant 1.9TDi 130 SE (2wd) with cruise doing 48 - 50.

But most recently A4 Avant 2.0TDi 170 S-line doing 38mpg with cruise, so allowing for more power I can see more fuel should be used...

Then within the last few months I've had an A4 saloon 2.0TDi 140 S-line with no cruise doing 730 miles to a tank, ie over 50mpg, and all driven in the same way!

I can't belive that the weight of the Avant over the saloon and the 170 v. 140 should make so much difference as that, can you?

Do you think cruise is the answer or something else?

[jeffc]

would agree on the mpg/computer debate, my old a6 130 tdi 5 speed was always around 550-570 on a tank.

I also find cruise kills mpg, If you watch the mpg on the computer drop right down when you hit a hill as the car maintains its speed. If you were using your foot you would allow the car to reduce its speed and use less fuel..

Ive mentioned this before on another thread... Ive noticed over the last few years when you remap a 130 tdi in a4/A6 passat the 6 speeds respond no where near as well as the 5 speeds do..
side by side a 5 speed pulls a good distance on a 6 speed.

yet the golf/bora/a3 with the engine the other way round go very well..

[ukross]

jeffc said:

Ive mentioned this before on another thread... Ive noticed over the last few years when you remap a 130 tdi in a4/A6 passat the 6 speeds respond no where near as well as the 5 speeds do..
side by side a 5 speed pulls a good distance on a 6 speed.

Is that in terms of performance or economy? - or both?

[Roley130]

Do you think cruise is the answer or something else?[/quote]

I think cruise is part of the problem. If you drive carefully non-cruise you do get better MPG. Although for making staedy progress on those long empty continental roads I would still prfer to use the CC.

[leosayer]

drybeer said:

I find it odd that they vary so much....

There are a lot of factors, I agree that a sensitive right foot can get better mpg than cruise, but also:
Winter diesel vs summer diesel
Avant is heavier
Avant has roof rails and longer roof so more drag
The width and type of tyres makes a difference
The outside temp makes a difference

But probably the biggest difference is simply the traffic conditions and the way the car is driven, keeping between 50 and 70 on M-ways improves mpg no end as well as avoiding traffic.

[drybeer]

leosayer said:

drybeer said:

I find it odd that they vary so much....

There are a lot of factors, I agree that a sensitive right foot can get better mpg than cruise, but also:
Winter diesel vs summer diesel
Avant is heavier
Avant has roof rails and longer roof so more drag
The width and type of tyres makes a difference
The outside temp makes a difference

But probably the biggest difference is simply the traffic conditions and the way the car is driven, keeping between 50 and 70 on M-ways improves mpg no end as well as avoiding traffic.

I read somewhere that when Volvo entered Touring Cars with the 850 Estate it was because the estate had a lower drag CD than the saloon.

Would that not be the same for the A4?

Roof rails, yeah maybe some wind resistance, but does the aerodynamic property of bodywork on a reasonably low CD car not only make a difference above approx. 80mph, meaning our econ figure should rule it out?

[Dilligaf10]

IIRC VAG engines loosen up a bit after 10k and mileage and performance increases. My A6 3.0
TDi gets more than this on a run.

[Wolfsbait]

I've got a new A4 TDI 170 S-Line without cruise and I'm getting about 45 on a decent run...on the same run in my old tdi 130 I was getting close to 50 and that was an Avant, so I think it's asimple case of more power = less MPG.