A3 1.9TDi Fuel economy

[AndrewJM70]

Hello everyone, first post.

I have had an 08 plate A3 1.9Tdi Sport 3dr since last July. 13k on the clock when I bought it, 20k now. I have had several BMW 3-series before switiching to Audi because I wanted a hatchback and FWD car.

I am absolutely delighted with the car in every respect - probably my favourite of any car I have owned.

However I am a bit disappointed with the fuel economy and would like to canvass opinion as to whether the numbers I am getting are reasonable.

Around town it's great; 38-40 mpg but on the motorway I really struggle to get above 50mpg unless I really slow down below the speed limit. Usually I am getting around 48mpg at 70-75mph. For my driving which includes a lot of town and short journeys I average about 45mpg.

Whilst not a disaster gut feel says I should be getting more than my old 3 series (320d coupe) which got me 55mpg when driven carefully on the motorway. I would have expected high 50s which is in between the official extra-urban (67) and combined (55) figures by Audi.

I would be very grateful if any other 1.9 owners could share their experiences.

[bondwithme]

Hi,

Sounds about right I used to only get 50mpg from my 1.9 toledo similar engine but only 110bhp. I get 41mpg from my A4 1.9 130 quattro manual

[Brian Lloyd]

On short journeys when the engine does not get up to working temperature I get 41mpg. 47mpg on a long run. (Calculated from mileage covered and fuel added. Not the highly inaccurate computer
read out!).

[AndrewJM70]

I have just returned from the Lake District - 400 miles r/t. Before I set off I pumped my tyres up to 35psi on the advice of a friend. MPG shot up as a result!

Driving the car steadily (averaging just over 70 mph) I managed 55 mpg on the way up and 57 mpg this morning coming home. That's a bit more like it!

[alankru]

but on the motorway I really struggle to get above 50mpg unless I really slow down below the speed limit. Usually I am getting around 48mpg at 70-75mph.

I have a 55 reg A3 1.9TDI. I mostly drive on dual carriageways with short journeys in-between. I don't have a trip computer, so I have also calculated myself that I too get 48mpg (at 70-75mph). I occasionally get closer to 50mpg for some strange reason, so this may be due to traffic conditions (I'll be able to confirm this when I fill up next week as traffic has been great recently). So it seems that we are getting about the same and I would be interested in getting it higher because I have already tried my best.

I have just returned from the Lake District - 400 miles r/t. Before I set off I pumped my tyres up to 35psi on the advice of a friend. MPG shot up as a result!

Driving the car steadily (averaging just over 70 mph) I managed 55 mpg on the way up and 57 mpg this morning coming home. That's a bit more like it!

Interesting, do you know where the 35psi figure has come from? Because, if I remember right, the unladen pressures listed on the fuel filler cap are 29psi back and 32psi front. Are these the pressures that you were previously using, before you put them at 35psi?

Thank you.

[AndrewJM70]

A friend of mine who is a VW/Audi enthusiast suggested 35psi as the maximum recommended figure as a trade off of maximising economy and keeping good road-holding.

Before I pumped the tyres up they were a little below the figures you quote - around 26psi on all four tyres.

[Brian Lloyd]

Tried the increased tyre pressure 'thingy' 12 months ago - result - hard ride!
Since my previous posting (9/01/11) I have driven a further
500 miles (all short trips) and recorded 44mpg - 3mpg more than usual. How? Switched off air-con and used only heater. Well worth a try!

[alankru]

Interesting, thanks for your comments. I have climate control and I did an experiment of frequently turning it onto "eco" mode (I didn't leave it on eco mode permanently, but I normally just leave it on normal mode) but it didn't appear to make a difference.

I filled up yesterday and I got 49.8mpg...which is much more like it. So the reason for my 48mpg must be due to crawling in traffic for 10+ minutes each day (as neither my route or driving style ever changes and I drive to work on A roads/dual carriageways).

It just goes to show how hear and there it all is...