Fuel Economy

[Waynerm002]

I am curious to the listed 30 MPG on highway trips. Now I do drive more than the posted speed but so does everyone else in this area. So far I have not been able to break the 350 miles per tank barrier yet. I do mixed driving but mostly highway. and have been keeping it under 4K as recommended. Now that I have passed the 1K miles mark, I am giving it some work out by trying close to full throttle accelleration to get it used to different speeds. Does the mpg get better after the initial oil change? I remember this happening with the A4 I traded and just wanted to get some opinions on this. Also, has anyone tried higher octane to see if it makes any difference? The initial fill up netted me about 375 miles until fill up and I tried mid grade (91 in my area) and the economy did not improve. Last night I went to 93 to see if it will make any difference. I will report on that after I finish that tank to see how it fares. Pleae provide your feedback on this and any changes you have done to inprove the economy, thanks!

[agctr]

Having the old 2.5i engine has been great for me, I do drive it hard even though I do do a lot of HWY mileage. The fuel economy will depend on the grade of fuel you put in and the type of driving you do per tank. The fuel economy will always be better around the time after service. Just keep yr eye on the amount of miles/kms you do for each tank of fuel you put in, sometimes the fancy technology has a way of fudging the results as a lot of you would know. Adam.

[Waynerm002]

[size=2]One other thing to report, I checked the tires and they were all at 28psi. Which tells me that the car was not prepped properly. I have had the car two weeks and even if the pressure were to drop in that time, all the tires should not be at the same pressure if they were correctly inflated. I will keep monitoring the fuel economy to see what difference the 93 octane and the increased pressure will bring.[/size] [font=Arial][size=3][/size][/font] [font=Arial][size=3][/size][/font] [size=1][/size]

[Waynerm002]

I also increased the tire pressure to 35 up front and 33 in the rear to see how it affects the handling. So far the car rides firmer, almost feels like friends 02 audi without the sport package and 15" wheels. I will probably wait until summer to get the 17" wheels.

[Paul G.]

I opted for the 2.5i wagon instead of the GT because I drive 400-500 miles per week, and economy is important. I also like to occasionally have fun, so the good low end torque and very smooth top end is important. I can say that how you drive, and the terrain influences your mileage immensely. Generally I average 24-26 mpg in a mix of say 30-70 (city to highway). On the highway if I wish to drive for economy, very gently with the go pedal and/or Cruise on here's where we're at--50mph, computer indicates 36 or so (the computer is optimistic so I'll say 35) 55mph--34/31 60mph--30/27 70--28/26. Will you get 30mpg driving on the interstate? Nah. Can you? Sure, but it's more trouble than its worth. It is a substantially sized car, with a pretty large (for a 4-cylinder) motor, spinning 3 differentials, 5 driveshafts and CV joints. I'm satisfied with the performance/economy ratio, but that's a personal thing. If you can live without AWD (I'd prefer not to) you can do better, but everything is a compromise. P.

[rm -rf]

Mileage should get better as the car gets broke in. I've had cars that got better mileage after 10,000 miles or so. I would also calculate & write down the actual mileage for each tank, so that you get more accurate numbers. 'Miles per tank' isn't really a good measure.

[Waynerm002]

I have to say that as the miles go up and I am getting more used to this car, I have started to push it a little to see what she can really do. I know in normal driving it gets up to 80 fairly quickly with shifting arount 3k. Yesterday, I ran it up to 5 or so before shifts and it was pretty smooth getting close to 80 in 3rd gear. In the Audi, that is what I got if I was doing a fast merge on the highway, then shift to 5th. Depending on the area, I skip a few gears, 1st to 3rd to 5th in some down hill situations or 1st, 2nd, 4th then 5th. I think the low tire pressure may have a factor as the very first tank was not bad for a new car.

[Waynerm002]

Tonight I filled up with regular at 325 miles about 10 miles after the light came on. Didn't remember to look at how much fuel I put in though. I noticed after fill up (87 octane) that the car registered 430 miles to empty and as I got on my block noticed it was registering 480 miles to empty. On average I would say I drove the same way I usually drive. Had some stretches when we were doing between 80 - 90 for a bit which is normal on my commute at that time of the evening. Normal driving is 75 - 85 and the occaisonal slow downs to 50 or so. Makes me wonder if using regular (87) is going to do better than mid (91) or premium (93) for this engine. One day I am going to take that needle down to the E mark before filling to see what it registers. I miss that little red area that lets you know you are really in need of a fill up. Will post again after this tank is empty with my findings. BTW, anyone ever take the needle to E?

[melayout]

Bad idea, you don't want sediments from the bottom of the gas tank to clog your fuel filter.

[Flo4Legacy]

Don't know how it is with the new model, but wit BE/BH 2.5i Wagon the needle got under E when still 5-7 litres were in the tank. Once I had to fill it up with 62 litres, so there were 2 litres left - the needle was very very deeply under E. With the new model (3.0R engine) the gas warning light comes on with still 10-12 litres.

[Waynerm002]

I am going to put it to the test to see where the needle reads at abot 1 gallon left in the tank. Tosay was not a good day for fuel economy, had heavy traffic and stalled the car a few times. Rain made things worse as the a/c came on a lot to clear up the windows.