A7 Fuel economy

[bingodingo]

I know that you do not buy an A7 expecting it to be the most economic car in the world and indeed in many respects for a large car with a 3 litre engine it is amazing how far things have advanced.

I also know that the EU test for mpg figures appears to be woefully inadequate to give a real world figure for the average driver doing average driving and can only really be used as a like for like comparison but you would at least hope for something not too far away from the official data.

I have a new facelift non-quattro ultra with 20 inch wheels and have had it for about 3 months now and covered @ 3000 miles in mixed conditions and the stated combined economy is 60mpg but thus far my average is no better than 40mpg which whilst not too bad is well short of 60.

I know that many things factor into this equation but I guess I was looking for some feedback from other A7 owners how they have faired in the mpg roulette.

My average journey to work is 30 miles each way on mostly flat A roads with the last 7 being more in urban areas. My overall average speed so far is 34mph. Over Christmas I also did 700 mile round trip to Scotland mostly on motorway at decent speed.

I was wondering if other owners have found a sweet spot for optimising mpg

The economy gear box and engine setting do not appear to make a big difference to the mpg returned other than to dull the throttle response considerably.

Did anyone find that after X amount of miles their mpg improved?

Even if I drive as carefully as I can I cannot get near to replicating the official mpg figures. Anyone else tried this?

The on board computer indicates an overall mpg return of about 45 mpg, some 5 mpg less than the actual figure. IS this about normal for other owners?

Do you find any significant difference between winter and summer mpg figures?


On the whole I am very happy with the car and this is not a dig at Audi for the actual figures being way off the real figures. I have owned many other VAG vehicles and previously been able to get much closer to the official mpg figures with my normal driving.

[M1tchy]

Day to day I get around 32-34 mpg at the moment. That's with heaters, heated seats, lights etc all on (as its winter). It's slightly higher in the summer.

On a regular 302 mile trip I do I average 46mpg and that's all motorway or fast A roads apart from the last 5 miles. I've found the using Eco mode helps add 2 mpg in urban environments but doesn't help on the motorway. I've also found that if the spoiler is deployed then I loose 2 mpg.

I've got the 3.0l BiTDI quattro on 20's so different to yours but that's what I'm getting 16000 miles in.


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[Scott K]

I'm getting just over 42 on the car long term. Reset it after an oil change about 3000 miles ago. Was expecting it to drop as I have my winter tyres and it's a bit colder but it is holding up well. I am running 18" wheels and the real time figure is probably closer to high 30s but I am very happy with that for a biturbo. My commute is very similar to yours - 25 miles with the last 6 urban. On longer motorway runs I am getting high 40s with cruise set at 78. I have noticed the economy drops like a stone if I am stuck in traffic.

[sportq]

I also know that the EU test for mpg figures appears to be woefully inadequate to give a real world figure for the average driver doing average driving and can only really be used as a like for like comparison but you would at least hope for something not too far away from the official data.

There was an article in The Economist last month that was critical of what European manufacturers are allowed to get away with when they prepare vehicles for emissions and fuel consumption tests.

Here's some quotes from the article: "Analysis by the International Council on Clean Transportation, a consultancy, of data reported by car owners in Europe shows that in 2013 fuel-economy figures “on the road” were on average 38% worse than those advertised"

"Europe’s procedure is out of date and open to abuse. Carmakers send prototypes for testing. They are engineered to be as frugal as possible. Weighty extras such as the sound system and even wing mirrors are routinely jettisoned. Special lubricants make the engines run more smoothly. Tape on the cracks around panels and doors reduces drag. Low-resistance tyres filled with special gas add to the miles covered."

"The cars are driven to a preset routine of gentle accelerations and low speeds, run at the highest permitted temperature of 29ºC (engines are more efficient in the heat). Modern electronics can even detect the pattern of the start of the test and switch into a special “economy mode” that makes for even lower emissions."

Here is the original article in full: Car emissions: Fuels paradise | The Economist

With these tricks it's no surprise we can't get anywhere near the official figures.

Pete

[MarkTM]

OK I don't have an A7 but bought my A6 C6 3.0 quattro 2.5 years ago with 80k on the clock

School run (2 miles) 28-30 MPG

Work run (12 miles) 40-45 MPG

M'way (20 miles+) 45-48 MPG

Best I've had from a tank (albeit it's 80l) is 920 miles on a brim test which is 51 MPG and comprised of 2 x 400 mile non-stop trips...and 11% over the manufacturers claim for extra urban.

As you can tell I've an extremely light right foot, but didn't buy the car for economy, just safety in all conditions, so am pleasantly surprised. Don't tend to brake that much either as typically a set of pads last me 40k miles

I've never driven a car that I've not been able to match or exceed manufacturers figures (even in a Prius!), but tend to do my driving at silly-o'clock in t'morning!

[Wippa]

I've done 16k in mine and have an average of 40.1mpg. I regularly get 45 on run to work (50m return) and get 50 on a steady run.

[bingodingo]

Thanks for the replies.

Can I ask whether the figures you are quoting are from the on board computer or using actually mileage and brimming it at the fuel pump.

I'd like to think that if I really drove the car as carefully as I could that I could get somewhere close to the manufacturers figures just as a test but seems almost impossible.

The runs they do to get the EU figures are very short being only a few miles on each cycle?


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[M1tchy]

Yes my figures from the computer and not using a calculator or anything like that.


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[Scott K]

Thanks for the replies.

Can I ask whether the figures you are quoting are from the on board computer or using actually mileage and brimming it at the fuel pump.

I'd like to think that if I really drove the car as carefully as I could that I could get somewhere close to the manufacturers figures just as a test but seems almost impossible.


The runs they do to get the EU figures are very short being only a few miles on each cycle?


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Mine is also from the computer. I would also add that my fuel economy got better as the mileage went up. Reset your long term average and see what you get for the next month or two. Bear in mind it is getting colder and fuel economy will be better in the summer. My cars have dropped about 2-3 mpg in the winter months.

[bingodingo]

I do expect the economy to pick up in the warmer weather. On my car the computer reads about 5mpg too high. Not sure why it is not more accurate. Like other drivers I have managed to high manufacturers figures with other cars with fine tuning my driving style.


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