Poor fuel consumption

[eagle6]

Just bought our third Altea after a few years with other brands. This one is a 2011 1.6 TDi 105 CR DSG.
It's the first DSG and I'm impressed with both engine (smooth and quiet) and gearchange.

What I'm not impressed with is the fuel consumption on "extra urban" drives. We've just done a 370 mile round trip to Carlisle, with probably 95% on motorway and using cruise set around 70-75mph. The car struggled to stay over 40mpg average for the trip. Local runs in our rural area return about 47mpg.
Having just downsized from a Vauxhall Insignia Tourer with 160bhp 6sp autobox that would sit at 130kph/80mph down to Benidorm loaded to the gunnels and return 48-51mpg I'm gutted!!

As a comparison, a friend has a Skoda Octavia with the same 1.6 diesel and 7sp DSG and he knocks out 50mpg nearly every trip, long or short, without trying.

Is there something adrift or is this what we should expect from this engine?

 

[Cupra Ross]

We have a 2014 Altea XL 1.6 CR TDi DSG. Ours will return over 50mpg if driven quite gently and it has less than 3000 miles on the clock. This should get better with more miles as the engine loosens up a bit.

Is yours an XL or the smaller Altea? What's your mileage and service history like? Tyre Pressures correct? DSG oil changed at 40k maximum? Brakes not binding etc?

 

[eagle6]

We have a 2014 Altea XL 1.6 CR TDi DSG. Ours will return over 50mpg if driven quite gently and it has less than 3000 miles on the clock. This should get better with more miles as the engine loosens up a bit.

Is yours an XL or the smaller Altea? What's your mileage and service history like? Tyre Pressures correct? DSG oil changed at 40k maximum? Brakes not binding etc?

It's a 2011 standard Altea with 16,000 miles and full service history. I think the acceptable fuel consumption around town would suggest there is not a problem with brakes etc.
I don't think you can drive more gently on a long run than when the engine is on cruise control.

Sent from my Nexus 9 using Tapatalk

 

[skard]

The body shape of the Altea creates a lot of drag, and that is most likely why it has a few MPG less than other VAG cars using the same engine.

 

[robint]

If not done in one day was the wind against you both ways - it has been a bit variable of late. Will have effect of doing 90mph if you were unlucky with the weather!! On our regular trip to Essex along the A14 I usually get far worse fuel economy going west...... (about 52-53 with 2.0TDi going east, 43-44 going west). I know its uphill as well, but only by about 300ft in 120 miles....

 

[eagle6]

The body shape of the Altea creates a lot of drag, and that is most likely why it has a few MPG less than other VAG cars using the same engine.

Our 54 plate Altea 2.0 TDI manual would easily achieve 50mpg on a run so don't think body shape is an issue.

Sent from my Nexus 9 using Tapatalk

 

[skard]

Only posting from actual experience of comparing the same engines between other VAG's.
My 2.0 BKD Golf was way more economicial than my 1.9 BXE Altea.

Someone on here dropped their suspension and got 3-4MPG more, so I do believe the Altea has more wind resistance.

Try a DSG reset in VCDS.

 

[Cupra Ross]

I think you definitely have a small issue of some description. Our XL would return around 55mpg on the same drive and it's a bigger and heavier car. FSH on a 16000 mile Altea is nothing more than 1 oil and filter change. Have a look at your air filter and check the tyre pressures. Something isn't right. Our DSG 7 speed is very keen to change up a gear, does yours behave the same way?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[eagle6]

I think you definitely have a small issue of some description. Our XL would return around 55mpg on the same drive and it's a bigger and heavier car. FSH on a 16000 mile Altea is nothing more than 1 oil and filter change. Have a look at your air filter and check the tyre pressures. Something isn't right. Our DSG 7 speed is very keen to change up a gear, does yours behave the same way?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yes it changes up very quickly. Gets into 5th at just under 30. Sometimes it feels as if it's struggling to pull such a high gear at such low revs.

Sent from my Nexus 9 using Tapatalk

 

[Cupra Ross]

Yes it changes up very quickly. Gets into 5th at just under 30. Sometimes it feels as if it's struggling to pull such a high gear at such low revs.

Sent from my Nexus 9 using Tapatalk

Had a 200 mile run yesterday and returned 54 mpg. Tyres are Michelin Energy and inflated to 34psi front and rear. Cruise control set around 70-75 with the usual slowing down and speeding up due to traffic.

Try some Forte Diesel fuel treatment, many swear by it and it's undoubtedly better than millers etc at rapidly removing carbon from the fuel system: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ADVANCED-FORTE-DIESEL-TREATMENT-400ML-/261725817200

It's possible that the car has been run-in too gently by the first owner. I'm a firm believer that a new engine needs the occasional ragging to seat the piston rings properly. All this mamby pamby taking it easy during the first 1000 miles just glazes the bores and means that the engine will never run as powerfully or efficiently as it should. Stick the forte in and take it for an extended italian tune-up.

 

[eagle6]

Try a DSG reset in VCDS.

Can you expand on this as I'm unfamiliar with VCDS.