PASSAT 130TDI Estate Fuel consumtion

[rozabikes]

Had my Passat now for nearly a year and think it is generally a brilliant car for my needs. However always felt a bit dissapointed with fuel consumption. What should I expect?

Recently did a return run to Poole from our home in Derbyshire (mainly motorways / dual carriageways). Drove pretty carefully averaging 65 - 75 mph. Trip computer said 51mpg, but measured brim to brim on tank this worked out at 46mpg. My previous 406 Peugeot (HDI 110bhp) would nearly average this in general mixed driving and easily exceed 50mpg on a similar run to above. People talk of 50+ on this forum for similar Passat.

Don't know if it is relevant but when we got the car trip computer mpg value was pretty accurate aginst measured values.

Am I expecting too much. Engine seems to run fine, temp sender was faulty but replaced.

Appreciate any comments / advise.

Tim

[passat 130 tdi]

i own a 2001 saloon 130 tdi and average 45 to 49 mpg all week , going to work at 60 to 70 mph . never anymore.

oh , and its a 5 speed box.

[Robbus]

Auto or manual? I've not had my Passat very long but have been racking up the miles, I've been getting consistently 46-47mpg brim to brim. Thats 25% B roads/75% motorway, 130 Auto saloon. Maybe not earth shattering for a diesel but about 1.5 times better than my Beemer 528 ;)

Cheers,
Rob

[rozabikes]

Manual - 6 speed.

[ChillOut]

My fuel computer is optimistic by 7% - all the time.

On that sort of run (and I have done the same run as I live in Poole), taking it easy (which I say you were), I would get 53-55 indicated, meaning around 49-51 real (on my car).

Cruise control if you have it can may economy worse - trying maintaing throttle position rather than speed (slower up the hills, faster down).

Tyre pressures, even tyre make.

Mine is the same model, 54 plate - if yours is older they did re-tune the engines.

Did the B5 ever have 6-speed? Or is yours a B6?

[boidy]

did a 421 round trip to london and got 53.6 to the gallon door to door , mosly motorway. did the same trip 1 week later got 57.1 didn't go above 80 though.


passat tdi sport 130 6 speed manual.

[philnewman2002]

Sounds abut fair, I have a 2003 TDI Sport, 6 Speed manual, and get around 50mpg, doing gently motorway runs, 60-80 or so, and down to around 35-40 if driving around town all day, have to be pushing fairly hard to get it under 40 on the open road though.

[martin1810]

Seen it mentioned alot on here but I've never got 50 mpg out of any diesel, vw, citroen, peugeot, mazda. Tried 'em all and seem to get about 45 ish from them all. I must have lead feet.

[bakili]

A good service will improve mpg,
i have 2002 tdi sport 130bhp, did 680 miles on full tank. Motorway driving, 65-80 mph, freezing condition -9, heating on, lights on, trip computer was showing avarage 51-55 mpg.

[ChillOut]

Seen it mentioned alot on here but I've never got 50 mpg out of any diesel, vw, citroen, peugeot, mazda. Tried 'em all and seem to get about 45 ish from them all. I must have lead feet.

Depends if you are taking tank to tank, including some short distance stuff, or a specific trip average. A lot of people here will be talking about what they acheived on a single long trip.

Over 60 miles in constant but slow traffic 50-60 mph I have obtained 60 on the gauge, which means 56mpg in reality (on my car). But that's the exception.

But all of this relies on a particular driving style - which you can get used to and does not mean going really slow, but you do tend to drive like you have an egg under your thottle foot.

My wife gets 35mpg average on the same car, but I was always doing 200 mile runs and she does <10 miles each time. I am the faster driver overall, but she does not change gear optimally, but oddly has a heavy foot and of course is driving much shorter journeys.

The 130 TDi has quite a lot of poke and its quite easy to make it drink fuel like its going out of fashion.

[snapdragon]

When you brim the tank, do you pull out the black plastic vent in the left side of the fill tube with the nozzle? If not it may not be 100% full, and on another occasion, it may be, giving a false reading.

[ChillOut]

When you brim the tank, do you pull out the black plastic vent in the left side of the fill tube with the nozzle? If not it may not be 100% full, and on another occasion, it may be, giving a false reading.

I do, but it should be noted that the reason for this is to leave air space in the tank. And the reason for that is so if you leave your car in teh sun after you've just filled it when the fuel warms and expands it has somewhere to go. Otherwise it could overflow.

[grhdylan]

Did a trip to chester zoo from Derbyshire last week (71 miles each way), A roads all the way, got 58 MPG going & 53 MPG on the return journey. I was being very gentle with the right pedal !!! ;)
P.S. I have allways found the fuel computer very accurate when compared with the brim to brim method of calculating ! ( within 2% anyway )

[rozabikes]

I use that egg / throttle theory which is why I find fuel consumption not brilliant when compared to previous peugeot 406 per original thread.

[rozabikes]

Can't say I do. Check.

Cheers

[SteveC123]

Am I expecting too much. Engine seems to run fine, temp sender was faulty but replaced.

I've had the temp sender go on two TDIs now, one of which was my current 130 Sport.

This was replaced under warranty last year. A few months down the line, I invested in VAG-COM and did a fault code scan of the car... and amongst other things, it returned a fault code relating to said sensor.

Wiped it, and I don't know, maybe it's me... but it seemed to run a little better once warmed up than before I did this, so it might be worth doing the same on yours.

[SteveC123]

The 130 TDi has quite a lot of poke and its quite easy to make it drink fuel like its going out of fashion.

Try taking a mapped one on a trackday... realigns your idea of 'heavy on fuel', I can tell you. ;)

[rozabikes]

Brilliant - like it. BUT got a CBR600 track bike for those thrills. Don't mind wasting fuel for a good cause!!!

[SteveC123]

Brilliant - like it. BUT got a CBR600 track bike for those thrills. Don't mind wasting fuel for a good cause!!!

Oh, but it was a good cause. ;)

I wanted to know once and for all how it matched up to hot hatches and the like, and I'm pleased to say I was getting it round quicker than all the Saxos etc, that were out on the same sessions as I was.

Not bad really given it was a tight circuit as well - I'm tempted to take it to somewhere like Snetterton at some stage, where it'll have even more of an advantage given the long straights etc. :D

[passat938]

My temp sender went, got it replaced and fitted for £20 and fuel consumption improved by 5mpg. Get around 47 a tank using brim method, computer reckons 50mpg (this is with a lot of motorway miles) and a heavy right foot.

[rozabikes]

This is exactly the type of thread that makes me think something is not right with my car. temp sender done recently and made little difference. Maf sensor would seem to be next step but seems to be a case of fitting this and seeing what difference it makes. I am not aware of any test you can do to check it??

[MilnrowLad]

I have a 130bhp Passat Trendline Diesel Estate (5 speed) and have logged every litre put into the car. I have had it from new, now just over 4 years old, with 70k on the clock. The average over this period is 45mpg. Fuel mostly from supermarkets.

This consists of 75% motorway (never over 80 mph) and the remainder town / city driving. Air con and radio player /cd always on, lights on as required and often a full load of passengers and their belongings! :D

I find that the computer is a little optimistic compared with brimming the tank.

I have now ordered a new Passat 140bhp diesel estate 6 speed, will see if I get better or worse figures with that.

MilnrowLad

[minty0_10]

6 speed tdi sport not impressed with my mpg never have been 150 miles to £20 of diesel.
computer tells me a average of 38 mpg

my older 97 tdi passat that's done 300k still does 50mpg on the same runs

i find the power delivery is also more usable on the older afn engines.

i,l be looking to change my car towards the end of the year sadly after many years of owning passats my next car is not going to be one.
rant over :(

[grhdylan]

6 speed tdi sport not impressed with my mpg never have been 150 miles to £20 of diesel.
computer tells me a average of 38 mpg

my older 97 tdi passat that's done 300k still does 50mpg on the same runs

i find the power delivery is also more usable on the older afn engines.

i,l be looking to change my car towards the end of the year sadly after many years of owning passats my next car is not going to be one.
rant over :(

I think there is something not quite right with your engine, i have just been on holiday, 2 long journeys ( 2x 240 miles ) on mororway & stop start all week , fully loaded & with 3 bikes strapped to the back ....... I got 720 miles with £59 ( one full tank ) . not sure what that works out at ( MPG ) but i'm well happy with it ! :biglaugh:

[minty0_10]

cheers that makes me feel even better :aargh4: most ive had to a tank is 480 local driving

[David Horn]

I'd get it checked out. Nearly all my driving is down steep, twisty Devon lanes and I never get less than 600 miles to a tank.

[Sheepdog]

Seen it mentioned alot on here but I've never got 50 mpg out of any diesel, vw, citroen, peugeot, mazda. Tried 'em all and seem to get about 45 ish from them all. I must have lead feet.


I use to have that problem.

Up and down hills, over the moors etc, mpg about 36
'A' roads motor ways etc, upto about 55
Normal seems about 48

I have air con on cold all the time

Passat estate 1.9 tdi 4 motion 6 speed box Back is full of spares and equipment, so heavy.

[sdevine]

what do people get from their automatics? i think i get 480- 500 miles per tank

[David Carkett]

HI there, I have a 05 130tdi 5sp manual,
If I drive it hard, motorway and loaded I get 47mpg, however Like an undertaker, I have made 57mpg. I too have found that the cruse control sucks the juice, better off using your foot. ( but realy usefull in thores average speed camera sections)

[snapdragon]

what do people get from their automatics? i think i get 480- 500 miles per tank

29-30mpg average over many thousands of miles. :aargh4:
40 mpg on a long journey if I drive like an old lady.:zx11:
35 mpg average on a long journey :confused:
25mpg to and from work.:mad:
19mpg in traffic jams in winter.:aargh4:

[OSB]

I'm managing about 630-650 miles from a tank full
130 Tdi SE Estate 5-speed on an 03 plate @ 120,000 miles