Drive select and MPG

[Nick Phillips]

Hi guys,

New to this forum.

I have just got an A6 Avant Quattro 2L diesel which I have to say is incredible to drive and amazing build quality.

I do though seem to be struggling with the MPG and am wondering about the drive select options settings etc.

I generally have been using it in 'auto' mode but have dabbled with 'comfort' mode,if I cruise along being very careful and almost wafting along I'm getting about 42 mpg which is way off road test results etc.

Which is the best mode to get the economy from  ?

[Steve Q]

Welcome to the forum Nick :) 

youll find members on here are a friendly and helpful bunch :) 

the a6 is a lovely car :) 

id say the best mpg you'd get is around 50mpg personally. 

Cheers

steve 

[Nick Phillips]

Hi Steve,

Thanks for the reply.

If I could get 50 out of the Audi I would be very pleased,I could get 50 out of my previous Subaru Outbacks...

Obviously the four wheel drive system and engine are very tight as the cars only 3 weeks old so hopefully it will improve,I will keep putting up updates for those that may be interested.

I admin a very large forum so am used to forums..........this one looks fantastic.

 

Nick

[Steve Q]

2 hours ago, Nick Phillips said:

Hi Steve,

Thanks for the reply.

If I could get 50 out of the Audi I would be very pleased,I could get 50 out of my previous Subaru Outbacks...

Obviously the four wheel drive system and engine are very tight as the cars only 3 weeks old so hopefully it will improve,I will keep putting up updates for those that may be interested.

I admin a very large forum so am used to forums..........this one looks fantastic.

 

Nick

Your welcome :) 

I think your right. As the car loosens up a little, then the mpg should improve :) 

thank you :) we try and managed a friendly and easy to use forum but again it wouldn't be the same without the members input :) 

what forum are you an admin of? 

I see your in the midlands. I'm assuming the East Midlands? 

I ask as we are attending vag Tuner Live at donington park on Sunday 16th July and your more than welcome to join us and have your a6 on the club stand :) 

Cheers

steve 

[Nick Phillips]

1 hour ago, Steve Q said:

Your welcome :) 

I think your right. As the car loosens up a little, then the mpg should improve :) 

thank you :) we try and managed a friendly and easy to use forum but again it wouldn't be the same without the members input :) 

what forum are you an admin of? 

I see your in the midlands. I'm assuming the East Midlands? 

I ask as we are attending vag Tuner Live at donington park on Sunday 16th July and your more than welcome to join us and have your a6 on the club stand :) 

Cheers

steve 

It's an angling forum, we have over 7 million posts and 100k members, one of our threads has 260k replies lolWill be away fishing in July week but will remember for the future. 

[Steve Q]

Wow! That's a big forum! 

To be fair fishing is popular. 

Thats fine, just thought I'd offer :) 

[Envy]

Hi Nick, 

I have the same spec car and have also dabbled with the settings. Mine has done just over 16k miles.

TBH I have left it in dynamic now as that is how I like it. Economy just meant I was flooring it more to get progress and I have seen no real change in MPG figures across the options. 

I am getting around 42 mpg long term average and have seen near 50mpg for motorway journeys, 45 for a mix of M-way and A road.

I have found AC has not impacted  much on economy either and have the AC set to moderate. 

During early ownership I found regens happened more often, this impacted on mpg a lot. 

In summary I am certain that I could maintain a good 50 mpg average but am always in too much of a hurry  and the car goes so sweet its a pleasure to make good progress. 

[Nick Phillips]

36 minutes ago, Envy said:

Hi Nick, 

I have the same spec car and have also dabbled with the settings. Mine has done just over 16k miles.

TBH I have left it in dynamic now as that is how I like it. Economy just meant I was flooring it more to get progress and I have seen no real change in MPG figures across the options. 

I am getting around 42 mpg long term average and have seen near 50mpg for motorway journeys, 45 for a mix of M-way and A road.

I have found AC has not impacted  much on economy either and have the AC set to moderate. 

During early ownership I found regens happened more often, this impacted on mpg a lot. 

In summary I am certain that I could maintain a good 50 mpg average but am always in too much of a hurry  and the car goes so sweet its a pleasure to make good progress. 

Regens ? 

[Envy]

Diesel Particulate Filter Regeneration. The process of burning off build up of particulates on the filter by injecting additional fuel to increase heat. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diesel_particulate_filter

[Nick Phillips]

I have now done 2000 miles in the car and have checked the fuel computer for mpg average. It's returned 35 and I have to say that I glide along in it and never rev the engine. Use it in either comfort or auto mode and never use the gas pedal, these days I drive for smoothness and economy. All the road tests I have seen report their tests at around 45+ and in some cases 50+.

[Envy]

35 is a tad low if you are driving Miss Daisy. My "mates" will average 35 MPG doing a constant 90 up the "autobahn" between west and east. 

2000 miles is still young and barely run in.

Question: Do you see the idle revs up around 1000 a lot? (Normal tickover revs 800). When you stop are the engine fans still running with the engine stopped? 

My inkling is that the car is doing Regens to cause such low MPG. 

Note that DPF fitted diesels do not like short runs and low revs. One comment on another manufacturer's forum said they need a good thrashing every now and then. 

My Avant was second hand with 9K on the clock and was doing regens weekly. I was seeing poor MPG. That has settled out now and I have not noticed a regen for over 2 months now.(Just tempted fate) 

If in doubt get it checked out - Audi support is good but you have to badger them. Not sure if Regens are logged in the ECU history on Audis but 

http://www.ceramex.com/images/Ceramex DPF Technical & Diagnostical Information .pdf

Last question - Are you looking at long term or short term MPG on the car's display and have you done a real MPG check... miles clocked to refuel amount? 

http://www.mpg-calculator.co.uk/

[Nick Phillips]

Thanks for the info  :) When II turn off the engine the fan continues for quite a few minutes, but not every time. The air con is mainly off which should help the economy. 

[Envy]

Sounds to me like you are experiencing frequent regens Nick. 

Do you notice the tickover speed of the engine before shutting down? Are you looking at long term or short term MPG display? 

+/- 1000 RPM and fans running when engine stopped are a sign that the car was in regen phase. Even on the hottest days of last week and after a 35 mile commute I did not have the engine fans running on stop at home but back in Feb when I had the car for less than a month I would get them running on the drive at least once a week. 

 

[Nick Phillips]

Hi,

I am getting the fan on at any time,after a 100 mile journey at 70 on the motorway it could be on or if I have just popped up the road etc.

The mpg figure comes from the function where you can check efficiency and also scroll through phone contacts.

If I use the little wheel on the steering wheel left I think it just shows mpg from present journey and also driving time  ?

I have tried super diesel that I have always used in other cars and also the normal branded (esso,bp,shell) but mpg is the same.

I did do one 35 mile journey that was cross country and that particular journey showed 51mpg which surprised me because it was all B roads etc.

[daycartes]

Hi Nick, I've been driving A6s for a number of years now and am presently driving a 2.l Ultra manual, non quattro with 14k on the clock. I've regularly followed mpg threads on various forums and am also conscious when I drive, of mpg. In fact I usually have the DIS on mpg when driving so that I can monitor it. I have also passed the advanced driving test and on non motorway roads always keep to the speed limit as today speed limits, in general, have been adjusted to suit relevant conditions. However I am not fixated by consumption figures in that I don't drive purely to see what the best mpg is.
I would like to make the following points:
On the new C7 Audis the DIS reading is much more accurate than on the C6 models.
My long term driving of these models would suggest that the idea of increased mpg after it has been run in is a load of bunkum. Now I know that many, many people would argue against that. My reasons for this are: 1) why would Audi sell you a car with 35 mpg when it could sell you one with a run in engine that does 40 mpg? especially in today's world of maximising economy. 2) The whole idea of a man made machine being more efficient after use really defies all sensible logic and physics. There is an argument that says that when an engine is new there are gaps between the piston rings and the chamber which, after use, get blocked up making it more efficient. Well in the 1970s Cortina that may well be true but in today's nanometrically designed engines? Doubtful, otherwise we'd still be running-in engines. This leads me to the conclusion that this may well have been true years ago but very unlikely nowadays. Unconvinced? then read this:

http://www.vwaudiforum.co.uk/forum/showthread.php/159200-So-cars-get-better-MPG-with-age-not-according-to-my-data

This was not my thread and not my car but it did support the above. I hope that the moderators on this forum don't mind me linking to a rival forum.

What I have found to affect the mileage most is the weather. In the winter months my mpg reduces, not massively but noticeably. And this is logical since wipers, heaters auxiliary heaters are in operation sometimes continually. Another thing, I notice that you turn your air con off to save fuel. I read a very interesting article by someone who had spent his whole life in Air Conditioning engineering and his conclusion was that you only save fuel up to the time that the Air Con and Engine are running at their normal operating temperatures and from then on there was no difference. What is important here is that if you turn off your Air Conditioning then the pressure in the pipes and joints is lessened to a considerable degree and wear is exacerbated leading to potential leaks later down the line - most importantly, repairing those leaks can be very expensive. I'll try and find that article. I ignore anything written by the Daily Mail or media of such ilk.

My mileage? The present A6 I have had since March so no cold weather yet. Varies between 55-60mpg on a 70 mile run on a busy A road. 50-55 on motorways. My drive select, which i regard as a gadget rather than a serious aid is always set to dynamic. It's a gadget because if you set the steering  to comfort, after driving a few miles you get accustomed to the setting and then find that there is not much difference. The throttle response does work in a better manner and does mean that you have to press quite a lot harder on the throttle if you are in efficiency setting and hence works against itself!

 

Oh and regeneration. Well comes as a shock when it first happens as you think your car is overheating. It's fine when you get used to it. DPF problems? Not had one yet thank heaven but I bought my car with long journeys in mind.