MK5 Golf GTI

All Things Mk5 => Mk5 General Area => Topic started by: suave on December 30, 2011, 08:10:05 am

Title: MPG - any help?
Post by: suave on December 30, 2011, 08:10:05 am
Folks - I run my 05 GTI very smoothly and often drive like a funeral director. However, my average MPG never goes above 35 even when i'm on the motorway.

Is 35 MPG typical on our GTIs?

Is there anything realatively cheap that i could do to maybe improve my MPG a bit? Plugs or whatever??

Cheers

Title: Re: MPG - any help?
Post by: stealthwolf on December 30, 2011, 08:20:01 am
Buy a diesel?

Seriously, the GTI isn't horrendously economical. 35mpg is about right. I've hit 40mpg but that's sticking to 60mph strictly. Other than the usual (make sure you're not carrying extra weight, tyres correctly inflated, making sure it's had a service, etc), there's not a huge amount you can do. If you want better mpg, you'd need to look elsewhere.
Title: Re: MPG - any help?
Post by: suave on December 30, 2011, 08:26:47 am
Cheers

I'm not that bothered (not enough to buy diesel anyway) but have recentlt seen posts on here with pics showing MPG in the mid 40s!

It's too good a driving car to worry too much about the MPG.

HNY!
Title: Re: MPG - any help?
Post by: Gene Hunt on December 30, 2011, 08:49:44 am
Folks - I run my 05 GTI very smoothly and often drive like a funeral director. However, my average MPG never goes above 35 even when i'm on the motorway.

Is 35 MPG typical on our GTIs?

Is there anything realatively cheap that i could do to maybe improve my MPG a bit? Plugs or whatever??

Cheers


............about the same from my ED 30.  :smiley:  :happy2:
Title: Re: MPG - any help?
Post by: Tinytim on December 30, 2011, 09:43:38 am
I've noticed more and more of these MPG threads popping up.
I don't understand why. If you're asking the question it tells me this is the wrong car for you and a oil burner is the ideal car.

The GTI or any other performance petrol is never going to be economical.
I say enjoy the car and forget about MPG.

Do you think this is a topic discussed by M5 and M3 owners? I doubt it.
I've had an R32 before and the amount of times I saw threads from potential buyers asking what the MPG was like became tiring. I mean who in their right mind thinks about buying a 3.2 litre V6 and expects or hopes it will be cheap to run.
Title: Re: MPG - any help?
Post by: gti yorks on December 30, 2011, 10:58:51 am
Wow, your complaining about 35 mpg, I have never seen near 35 mpg in mine, 32.5mpg is the highest I have had, and that was on a 200 mile motorway trip cruising at 80mph.  As has been said they are not the most economical of cars, best to just enjoy it while you have got itm :driver: :driver: :signLOL:
Title: Re: MPG - any help?
Post by: GrayMK5GTI on December 30, 2011, 12:03:12 pm

Do you think this is a topic discussed by M5 and M3 owners? I doubt it.
I've had an R32 before and the amount of times I saw threads from potential buyers asking what the MPG was like became tiring. I mean who in their right mind thinks about buying a 3.2 litre V6 and expects or hopes it will be cheap to run.

Believe it or not the M3 owners forum is just as bad  :laugh:
Title: Re: MPG - any help?
Post by: WhiteGTI on December 30, 2011, 12:14:42 pm

Do you think this is a topic discussed by M5 and M3 owners? I doubt it.
I've had an R32 before and the amount of times I saw threads from potential buyers asking what the MPG was like became tiring. I mean who in their right mind thinks about buying a 3.2 litre V6 and expects or hopes it will be cheap to run.

Believe it or not the M3 owners forum is just as bad  :laugh:

+1 !!!  Too many threads to count on my M3 forum about fuel economy!
Title: Re: MPG - any help?
Post by: am1w on December 30, 2011, 12:28:26 pm
The OP is soooooo lucky with his 35mpg.
My 7 mile (each way) daily drive through Central London presents me with a merry maximum of 23mpg. There have been times when I have averaged 11mpg on this journey from HELL!
35mpg? I'd have a joyous manly moment if this ever happened. Not a pretty sight, though!
Title: Re: MPG - any help?
Post by: sanj on December 30, 2011, 12:29:38 pm
30's to mid 30's is about right,i've managed to get 33mpg from my ED30 on a motorway run,and that was with mixed driving! :smiley:
Title: Re: MPG - any help?
Post by: DJM on December 30, 2011, 12:52:20 pm
Consider yourself lucky to get average of 35mpg. I think most me tanks end up average of around 28-30mpg. Weekend goes down to 24 ish lol.
Title: Re: MPG - any help?
Post by: Mk5 GTian on December 31, 2011, 06:06:43 am
I've noticed more and more of these MPG threads popping up.
I don't understand why. If you're asking the question it tells me this is the wrong car for you and a oil burner is the ideal car.

The GTI or any other performance petrol is never going to be economical.
I say enjoy the car and forget about MPG.

Do you think this is a topic discussed by M5 and M3 owners? I doubt it.
I've had an R32 before and the amount of times I saw threads from potential buyers asking what the MPG was like became tiring. I mean who in their right mind thinks about buying a 3.2 litre V6 and expects or hopes it will be cheap to run.

 :congrats: :congrats: :congrats: :congrats: :congrats:


Spot on mate. I tried tget better mpg out of mine like this. I was driving around like Mother Teresa getting overtaken by Hyundai i10's just to see if I could get an extra 5mpg. I thought "What the hell am I doing?" I guess I got sucked into itby these threads.
Title: Re: MPG - any help?
Post by: Black9 on December 31, 2011, 07:48:18 am
35mpg, really? Don't think I've ever seen my mpg that high so count yourself lucky. Seems good for a 2LT car, but a good service helps, good quality oil, filter and plugs would do the job. Also maybe an air filter and fuel filter too
Title: Re: MPG - any help?
Post by: swgti on December 31, 2011, 09:10:07 am
I've never seen higher than 33mpg on mine even on a long journey, at the end of the day exactly what I'd expect from a turbo charged 200bhp hot hatch, sure you can probably do way more but the way id have to drive to achieve it would be an insult to the badge!  :driver:
Title: Re: MPG - any help?
Post by: nathangallo on December 31, 2011, 09:22:11 am
i recently did a run from cardiff to thatcham(just outside newbury) and i was doing 70-80 and some little blasts nothing major though and i hit around 35mpg this includes non motorway driving which i thought was awsome, i have hit 39mpg on a short a road and motorway run .
Title: Re: MPG - any help?
Post by: laserblue999 on December 31, 2011, 10:50:51 am
When I first bought mine I thought it was thirstier than was the norm - but at the end of the day its not R32 bad and you still get great performance. Luckily these threads have reassured me my car is fine. I try not to look at the display any more (how accurate are they anyway) and revell in driving about in something special  :driver: and fill up as and when - besides if I wanted MPG that badly I'd drive the wife's RAV 4 diesel!
Title: Re: MPG - any help?
Post by: nathangallo on December 31, 2011, 05:18:01 pm
When I first bought mine I thought it was thirstier than was the norm - but at the end of the day its not R32 bad and you still get great performance. Luckily these threads have reassured me my car is fine. I try not to look at the display any more (how accurate are they anyway) and revell in driving about in something special  :driver: and fill up as and when - besides if I wanted MPG that badly I'd drive the wife's RAV 4 diesel!


Im the same when i first had my golf I was constantly looking at the MPG and trying to get it as high as possible, but now I just live with it and what ever it is at the end of the day it is, Big difference to me mind as i used to drive a Diesel Msport BMW which used to give me 45+
Title: Re: MPG - any help?
Post by: Mk5 GTian on January 01, 2012, 07:43:19 am
I've never seen higher than 33mpg on mine even on a long journey, at the end of the day exactly what I'd expect from a turbo charged 200bhp hot hatch, sure you can probably do way more but the way id have to drive to achieve it would be an insult to the badge!  :driver:

 :signLOL:

Couldn't agree more! I used to get 18 - 20 out of my V64Motion with similar performance, so I'm quids in anyway. But it really is unimportant. We buy these great cars to drive hard, to enjoy the fantastic handling and revel in the amazing steering feel. Any journey spent worrying about fuel economy is a wasted opportunity.

 :driver:
Title: Re: MPG - any help?
Post by: andrewparker on January 01, 2012, 08:10:34 am
Come on, it's a sportier than average Golf! When you're using a car as a daily driver it's perfectly acceptable to be concerned about MPG. You're talking about it like its the Holy Grail of sports cars. It's not!
Title: Re: MPG - any help?
Post by: Oli on January 01, 2012, 08:20:41 am
Happy New Year all

People are more concerned these day with the mpg down to the high price of fuel!  If you drove a standard car that used normal unleaded, rather than super, then you have to do a fair few miles to make a diesel pay off due to it being 7p per litre more.  Both cars on my drive both love Super Unleaded, but as both do no more than 6000 for the GTI and 4000 for the 911, mpg isnt really a worry.  However, sitting at 80 leptons, the 911 will do near on 30mpg, which is much the same at the ED30, which is perfect, I think considering one is a 3.8 litre 355bhp flat six and the other is running near on 300bhp!  Driving nearer to 60 I'm sure I'd see nearer to 40 from both.

I guess I'm one of the lucky ones, who does such a low mileage that mpg doesn't really factor, and I use my Transporter kombi 180BHP for most of my running around, and that's no slouch.

I have found the real secret of good mpg, is smooth acceleration, and braking, and keeping the revs under 2000rpm - boring :rolleye:

Title: Re: MPG - any help?
Post by: Mk5 GTian on January 01, 2012, 08:54:07 am
Come on, it's a sportier than average Golf! When you're using a car as a daily driver it's perfectly acceptable to be concerned about MPG. You're talking about it like its the Holy Grail of sports cars. It's not!

I think it's a cracking drivers car Andrew. I know there is a lot of stuff out there with more power, more cylinders, more performance, but I think "a sportier than average Golf" may well describe the poor efforts that were the MK3 & Mk4, but not the MK5, which is widely accepted as a great drivers tool, whilst being affordable and useable on a daily basis for mere mortals like me.
Title: Re: MPG - any help?
Post by: andrewparker on January 01, 2012, 10:04:34 am
Don't get me wrong, I think it handles exceptionally well, but I don't think you get exceptional performance given the size of engine and the MPG is returns. However, I do feel it's showing its age a little. A motor similar to that in the new 328i would be amazing.
Title: Re: MPG - any help?
Post by: am1w on January 01, 2012, 11:11:12 am
Imagine the low mpg if you had an R32 or a Mk6 R.
Title: Re: MPG - any help?
Post by: jhtrophy on January 01, 2012, 11:19:47 am
Imagine the low mpg if you had an R32 or a Mk6 R.
Golf r has the 4 cylinder motor mate :happy2:
Title: Re: MPG - any help?
Post by: dmac1969 on January 01, 2012, 11:25:36 am
35 mpg is around my average , ive seen 41mpg on a driving miss daisy run. If you think a GTI is bad , try running a Lancer Evolution , doesnt matter how you drive one of those you (well i never) never see more than 20mpg.
Title: Re: MPG - any help?
Post by: sundance on January 01, 2012, 11:38:57 am
I disagree with all the other posters who say if you buy a GTI you should accept the poor fuel economy and if you don't like it "stick it" (i.e. buy a diease-al)

I bought my GTI as a B-road blaster and it truly excels on country lanes and provides me with a tremendous amount of satisfaction.  However, as mine is also used as a daily driver, it is also used on mundane trips up and down the motorway...

If fuel wasn't so extortionately priced we wouldn't see so many threads on here about it.

Re. the comparison with M3/M5 - I think it depends on what price bracket you are talking about.  Generally speaking an E92 M3 owner is likely going to care less about his fuel bill than an E36 M3 owner (who may have a more conservative budget).  Do cash rich owners of brand new M-cars create threads about fuel consumption?  I would expect they don't...

I bought my 5dr MK5 GTI as it was a total all-rounder, perfect for ferrying my 2 year old daughter around in, great fun on country lanes, stinking performance for a small engine and the stunning looks.  I don't regret it one bit as when the car is in its element its like nothing else!  However, on those boring trips up and down the motorway I do confess to keeping a close eye on the MPG (as I see this as a 'waste' of V-Power!) .... I get around 35-38 MPG on a run where I make an effort to drive sensibly for what its worth.

Of course, I don't pay a blind bit of attention to the MPG when I'm blasting around in country lanes...   :driver:

So in summary if you want to see less threads about MPG, complain to the government and get them to reduce the ludicrous amount of excise duty on fuel!!!  
Title: Re: MPG - any help?
Post by: am1w on January 01, 2012, 11:41:09 am
Imagine the low mpg if you had an R32 or a Mk6 R.
Golf r has the 4 cylinder motor mate :happy2:

I know it does. But it's mpg in the Big Smoke is consistently on average about 5mpg less than the GTI.

My neighbour has an R and runs the same gauntlet every day as myself. We compared our cars' drinking habits for a couple of weeks. His average mpg was always approximately 5mpg worse than mine. But his is a more powerful and heavier car and one should expect this. Oh, we both drive normally like grannies as for nearly 7 miles we endure start/stop bumper to bumper traffic.

I've given up checking my car's drinking habits and am now concentrating on my own. Much more satifying. I far prefer visiting a booze shop rather than a fuel one. And I'm not an alcoholic ..... YET!

Happy New Year!
Title: Re: MPG - any help?
Post by: Mk5 GTian on January 01, 2012, 12:46:26 pm
Don't get me wrong, I think it handles exceptionally well, but I don't think you get exceptional performance given the size of engine and the MPG is returns. However, I do feel it's showing its age a little. A motor similar to that in the new 328i would be amazing.

The only thing I'd change is an extra 20 per cent more power, agreed, and I'm planning on Stage 1 next month. But I drove a MK6 GTi recently, and I can't say I noticed much difference. If anything, the steering felt a little more numb compared to my MK5, so I don't think it feels past it yet! As for the 328i, It already has followed the VW line, with a four pot single turbo-charged unit, with 240 bhp. Apparently a fantastic car to drive.
Title: Re: MPG - any help?
Post by: RSam84 on January 01, 2012, 01:20:43 pm
i dont think my RS get MPG above 20 most of the time lol its fun to drive though so i can forgive it haha
Title: Re: MPG - any help?
Post by: swedishfireball on January 01, 2012, 09:16:06 pm
I have found the real secret of good mpg, is smooth acceleration, and braking, and keeping the revs under 2000rpm - boring :rolleye:

Agreed. I've found that using engine braking and planning ahead for roundabouts/junctions without slamming on the brakes is the key.