Cupra Leon VZ1 245 - Fuel Consumption & DSG shifting/other opinions?

[hughesy81]

Hey everyone,

I've got a Cupra VZ1 2.0 (245PS) - fuel consumption doesn't seem to match the quoted 39mpg combined figure apart from 45mph constant speed runs. My two previous cars were a Volvo S60 T4 (190bhp, 50mpg combined) and a Seat Leon 1.5 TSI (130bhp, 51mpg combined). I'd easily get 50/55mpg (manually calculated) in the Volvo and 55/60 in the Leon (even got 72mpg on a 40/50mph road for 15 miles!).

The delivery guy somehow got 39mpg on a 2hr delivery drive on A roads. I get, maybe 33 if I'm lucky, and 28-30 on Tesco trips which is a 15 min drive.

I was totally expecting a much lower MPG in this car than my previous cars, and I absolutely LOVE it, but just wondered if anyone else had noticed similar MPG? I've had it since July and to be honest I've not been in it that much (still <800 miles) - so could just need settling in.

The DSG - fantastic, absolutely sold. I've noticed though recently, when cold, it shifts up much later, sometimes 2,500/3,000 rpm. It just holds onto 1st and 2nd longer. I'm sure when I first got it, cold shift ups were at a lower RPM...?

Anyway, apart from that (and the missing engine cover, and self rebooting infotainment) - I absolutely love the car. Mine came with an unrequested space saver rather than an inflation kit too.

Pics of previous Leon

Dave

 

[Fergoo]

Whilst I can't comment on the Mk4, my previous car was a MK3.5 290 which is a very similar engine.

I did 22k in it over 3 years and throughout that time it averaged around the 34mpg mark. I rarely drove it aggressively and it spent most of its life in 'Comfort' (hence why I went for the PHEV in the Mk4), so whilst your MPG is on the lower side it's probably thereabouts.

Do you start stop when in traffic? How often do you drive it in Sport/Cupra?

I did average low 40s on a long motorway run, but those big stretches of 50mph really helped with that.

Your engine will still be bedding in too, so you might see some MPG improvement in time, however if you get to mid 30s combined that's probably about right for the engine.

Can't comment on your DSG query, hopefully somebody else will be able to help.

That's amazing MPG on your old Leon though! I only got 80mpg in a 70 mile trip in the PHEV today and that was draining the full battery too!

 

[SamuelDonuts]

Never seen less than 28MPG, and on those occasions I was pressing on pretty swiftly. By standard mine returns 35-40, on a longer run I've had 48. It's a cracking engine.

 

[hughesy81]

Just come to Anglesey, 1hr of dual carriageway and 30 mins of single carriageway

Watching the mpg on the trip it does look like it'll do more if I wasn't so heavy with my right foot

 

[Splosho]

Hi @hughesy81, I have the same engine in my VZ1 245 Formentor. I have had it now for 18 months and have done 18K miles. I would say around town I get between mid 20s to low 30s. On my commute which is 25 miles each way I tend to get anywhere from high 40s to low 40s depending on traffic. I have even gotten over 50mpg a few times but I was driving and trying to use the freewheeling on all the downhill sections .

I tend to pretty much beat the combined WLTP of 37.2mpg most of the time. I tend to get mostly high 30s to low 40s per tank, but I mostly do motorway driving. If the engine is still new it will still be running in. I started to notice an improvement around 1600 miles.

With the DSG shifting, I do notice when it's cold first thing it does tend to hold on the 2nd gear a lot longer than usual the first time it shifts between 2nd and 3rd and doesn't change till 2.2/3k rpm. Most of the time it does shift up at 2K rpm. But if you're getting up to speed a lot quicker than usual, e.g. on slip roads, quick get aways from junctions/lights etc.... it does hold on to the gear a bit longer even when not in Sport/Cupra mode.

I'm generally impressed with the overall economy and overall performance of the engine

 

[hughesy81]

Thanks for the replies guys. I've had 44mpg on a mix of motorway/a-road driving, so it's definitely achievable and there's more in it too I think, although as I write this it's still only done 1200 miles. It definitely suffers more on shorter journies I think - need to stop going to the shop for biscuits!

Overall, I have to say, it's an absolute peach of an engine and the DSG seems to suit it well, although I fear it's slipping a lot between 1st/2nd at 5/10mph speeds which is disconcerting for someone who's used to driving a manual and trying not to slip to preserve the clutch. Could be talking out my backside here though to be fair... DSG is very new to me.

I'm absolutely over the moon with it though, and I think I've had a relatively cheap lease deal too, so I'm over the moon in general.

The inertia mode (freewheel?) is quite impressive too - I'd not even heard of it until the car did it, and then I read the manual (again)!