Q5 TDI

So I took the TDI to St. Louis this week for work. 530 miles round trip, No stops for gas. Car computer says 39.8 MPG, calculated it comes out to 37.1 MPG. Best tank I've gotten thus far, and likely my best period. The conditions were excellent, no wind, no rain, flat terrain.

I should note it was a two day trip and I got the same mileage both ways.

30 minutes into the 4 hour drive I was at 39.8mpg on the MMI, but I could not bump it to 40+ for the rest of the trip. Now I didn't do any semi drafting, or coasting downhills like Prius owners do.

Just set the cruise at 72 and let er rip. I think considering the aerodynamics, gearing, and weight of the Q, I doubt I'll ever see 40+ for any extended drive. Mine at least, seems to top out at 39.8mpg on the MMI (37.1 in reality).

This thing is pretty damn amazing. Put it on the highway and it's just an amazing vehicle to eat miles comfortably, with a minimum of stops, and great passing power.

9240 total miles so far and I'm averaging 32.2MPG, and it's fast enough to have fun with.

David&Niki

I was totally SHOCKED...the best shot you said for that round trip as i calculated is 6.3L/100km...this is Corolla fuel consumption...
overall,you are getting 7.3L/100km i believe it's city/highway combine~ pretty good numbers...

idale

Getting the same both way's always a good sanity check, and being able to average the two helps in the case of uphill vs. downhill or the differences between auto-shutoff points at different pumps (I've had that happen before, by ~1 gallon, which really threw those two fillup numbers off).

37mpg's an awesome result. Pretty sure I've seen someone higher at some point, but I think that's near the top of what we can expect from such a vehicle without employing hypermiling techniques (life's too short, just enjoy it and take the small mpg hit ).

I've seen the same 39.8 on the computer before while going across town, and couldn't get it to tick over to 40.5 either. Though that's pretty rare to even have it that high anyway for me, given traffic. Usually that trip will be more around ~36 indicated.

One thing you could do to improve mileage would be to go slower than 72, as wind resistance still plays a role. Probably around 60's the sweet spot, but would you really want to go only 60 (and would that be appropriate for the roads you're on, to not be an impediment)? Probably not. You certainly want to avoid going too much over 70 if possible, as at least in my experience you really start tanking the fuel economy around that point, and the faster you go the less speed increase it takes (so 75->80 is worse than 70->75).

And even in the city it's great for getting around quickly and with consumption closer to a smaller petrol vehicle. I don't get much highway travel in usually, but I'm averaging ~26mpg for mostly-city travel. We've got too many hills and elevation changes around here anyway, so even on the highway I'm not getting close to 37mpg. Especially the trips out to West Texas.

Q5 TDI

Thanks guys - I just realized, my post should have read "MY" best tank so far - didn't mean to imply it was the best ever

Totally agree that a slightly slower speed - like maybe 60 or 65 just might return something north of 40. In my case the speed limit was 70, so I just bumped it over and set the cruise.

Comparatively speaking my wife owns an A3 TDI which will return low to mid 40's on the highway. The Q does pretty well considering the additional size, weight, and power…

I should say as well, I'm not calculating mileage to compare fuel savings to the extra cost of the TDI option. I got the TDI because I really liked it better than either the 4 or the 6 petrol engines. I'm just amazed at what this thing can do...

indyrich

This engine is flat amazing and is the thing we love most about this vehicle. We just finished our 2nd 19 hr blast from IN to FL, cruise set at 75 mph all the way and got a best of 36.3 on one tank (silly MMI said 39.8). That's amazing mileage for a car so heavy, with so much frontal area. We never did get lower than 32+ in the mountains. It's 1185 miles point to point and we only stopped for diesel once, getting 600+ miles on a tankful! Its a true joy to drive, very quiet and comfortable and the gobs of torque available at useable speeds is addictive. My bladder will never be the same.

idale

"The new TDIs: your bladder will need to empty before your tank is. See your local dealer for more details."

And there's that 39.8 again. Now I want to find someone who's gotten 40.5+ on the computer.

alatsacto

Love it!!! This is definitely true. LOL.

sarcasdeac

Got it this AM on my commute in...20m drive, avg 60-65, no traffic. Usually only get 37 but was behind a semi.

bpp

I did a PA to FL round trip (2,100+ mi) in June. MMI continually showed 39+ mpg. I calculated the data afterward and it was 36.4 mpg for the round trip. My driving style was not conservative to be sure and an amazing result for an "SUV". It's a long distance cruiser with comfort, convenience and safety as a bonus.

idale

Cool, so drafting's the secret to breaking 40 (indicated)!