3.0 tdi fuel consumption

[pechius]

Hey guys.

It would be very interesting to hear some real world fuel consumption values. Audi states:

for 3.0tdi 150kW quattro Avant 41.5 / 55.4 / 48.7 mpg (urban/extra-urban/comb)

for 3.0 tdi 180kW quattro Avant 38.7 / 55.4 / 47.9 mpg (urban/extra-urban/comb)

Sound pretty unbelievable to me!

Please include your engine power in kW and where do you drive mostly (city/mitorway) not to cause confusion, thank you!

[Rsheen]

Firstly let's all agree to talk real mpg and let's forget the over optimistic computer
mine is 180kw 3.0 l tdi stronic avant mileage now just over 3,000 miles on clock.
The figures in the glossy brochure are pure fiction compared to actual
Most of my mileage is motorway (90%) and average about 40 mpg and that's driving at 65 to 75 ish
the car is really great and very lively. It will pass everything........ Except a filling station!
to be honest the poor mpg is the only bad part. Some say 40 mpg is great for a 3.0 l but my expectation was much higher as i foolishly believed the test figures in the sales brochure. I have also noticed that the car is a little more thirsty now the temperature has dropped

[johnsimcox]

Firstly let's all agree to talk real mpg and let's forget the over optimistic computer
mine is 180kw 3.0 l tdi stronic avant mileage now just over 3,000 miles on clock.
The figures in the glossy brochure are pure fiction compared to actual
Most of my mileage is motorway (90%) and average about 40 mpg and that's driving at 65 to 75 ish
the car is really great and very lively. It will pass everything........ Except a filling station!
to be honest the poor mpg is the only bad part. Some say 40 mpg is great for a 3.0 l but my expectation was much higher as i foolishly believed the test figures in the sales brochure. I have also noticed that the car is a little more thirsty now the temperature has dropped

As is common with many diesel cars Audi fits an auxiliary heater to help warm the cooling system (an oxymoron if ever there was one!) so that the interior of the car can warm up quickly on cold days. Diesel engines are far more thermally efficient than petrol engines so without the auxiliary heater it would take ages for the cars heater to work. The downside is that the auxiliary burns diesel to operate and this clearly impacts the fuel consumption of the car, especially if you are doing short journeys

[mikenott]

So are you saying there is a diesel powered heater sitting alongside the main engine which heats the cabin quickly? I must admit I did not realise that, but it makes sense. Do you know what form the auxiliary heater takes? Is it directly driven by diesel or by electricity from the main engine? Just interested in the technology...

My (ancient) practical experience of car heating systems (1965-1975) did not include auxiliary heaters. Mind you, you could climb into the engine compartment and fix anything yourself. The most computerised part of the car was the rotor arm or teh indicator switch! I feel old.

Michael.

[johnsimcox]

So are you saying there is a diesel powered heater sitting alongside the main engine which heats the cabin quickly? I must admit I did not realise that, but it makes sense. Do you know what form the auxiliary heater takes? Is it directly driven by diesel or by electricity from the main engine? Just interested in the technology...

My (ancient) practical experience of car heating systems (1965-1975) did not include auxiliary heaters. Mind you, you could climb into the engine compartment and fix anything yourself. The most computerised part of the car was the rotor arm or teh indicator switch! I feel old.

Michael.

It is diesel powered and can be switched off or set to Auto via MMI, part of the AC settings if I recall (too cold to go out and look in the car!!)

[thehorse]

I've got the 3.0TDI 2WD Avant with around 2500miles - best ever mpg on a 120 mile trip mostly motorway trying to be economical was 54.2mpg. The colder it is outside the lower the mpg - also in winter they put additives in the diesel which further reduces economy.

For general mixed shorter journeys not worrying about driving economically it averages around 40mpg at the moment. I expect this to improve in the summer when it is run in and it is a bit warmer. Still some way to go to beat my record in an E250 Eclass of 65.9mpg!

[adamss24]

You guys believe all that tosh they tell you in the glossy broschures ! How on earth you expecting a 2 tone machine with a v6 engine and all the toys do better economy than that ? The displacement and weight is what kills the fuel economy, add the extra load on the alternator to keep the battery charged and you get the idea. What you need to realize is there are many variables in the equation, tyre size, unsprung weight, and fuel quality just to name a few. Also the DPF is a burden on the engine, imagine running the marathon breathing trough one nostril !

[pechius]

As is common with many diesel cars Audi fits an auxiliary heater to help warm the cooling system (an oxymoron if ever there was one!) so that the interior of the car can warm up quickly on cold days. Diesel engines are far more thermally efficient than petrol engines so without the auxiliary heater it would take ages for the cars heater to work. The downside is that the auxiliary burns diesel to operate and this clearly impacts the fuel consumption of the car, especially if you are doing short journeys

I would guess that auxiliary system heats engine coolant and does not act like an auxiliary heater. And I think it only runs until the engine coolant reaches operating temperature.

[pechius]

You guys believe all that tosh they tell you in the glossy broschures ! How on earth you expecting a 2 tone machine with a v6 engine and all the toys do better economy than that ? The displacement and weight is what kills the fuel economy, add the extra load on the alternator to keep the battery charged and you get the idea. What you need to realize is there are many variables in the equation, tyre size, unsprung weight, and fuel quality just to name a few. Also the DPF is a burden on the engine, imagine running the marathon breathing trough one nostril !

Yeah, that's true, and looking at figures, I thought that Audi made miracle come true, if you compare C6 with C7

[pechius]

I've got the 3.0TDI 2WD Avant with around 2500miles - best ever mpg on a 120 mile trip mostly motorway trying to be economical was 54.2mpg. The colder it is outside the lower the mpg - also in winter they put additives in the diesel which further reduces economy.

For general mixed shorter journeys not worrying about driving economically it averages around 40mpg at the moment. I expect this to improve in the summer when it is run in and it is a bit warmer. Still some way to go to beat my record in an E250 Eclass of 65.9mpg!

Do you have 150kW engine?