VW Passat 1.9TDI 100 (PD) - MPG seems too low?

Honest John Back Room » Technical matters
What is life like with your car? Let us know and win £500 in John Lewis vouchers | No thanks
View Threaded
Fri 27 Jan 2012 11:57
VW Passat 1.9TDI 100 (PD) - MPG seems too low? - cws

I've been running a Passat Estate 1.9TDI 100bhp engine (PD), for just over 2 weeks now, and the mpg seems a bit lower than I expected. Mainly I've been doing work runs (25mile journey each way, on back roads so not being able to cruise at high speed and speed is up and down etc). At first I was getting mid to low 30's mpg. The engine wasn't running at normal temp (true reading from the cliamtic control panel showed the temp wasn't going above mid 60's). I've since replaced the coolant temp sender/thermostat and coolant (50/50mix) and the car now runs at the normal 90degC and warms up much faster. That was last night, and on my journey in today, I got an average of around 39mpg.

The car has also had a full service (all new filters and oil).

So given the nature of my journey to/from work, is high 30's mpg normal?

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Fri 27 Jan 2012 12:50
VW Passat 1.9TDI 100 (PD) - MPG seems too low? - Peter D

Manual or automatic. It's a tad low for a manual but it depends on the roads and how you drive. Regards Peter

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Fri 27 Jan 2012 14:17
VW Passat 1.9TDI 100 (PD) - MPG seems too low? - cws

It's a manual. Evrything feels fine on the car - has normal power,acceleration etc.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Fri 27 Jan 2012 14:18
VW Passat 1.9TDI 100 (PD) - MPG seems too low? - Peter.N.

I would agree with peter. Have you driven a diesel before. The reason I ask is because if you drive it like a petrol engine it will use a lot of fuel, max torque comes up at around 2000 rpm so you need to keep the revs at that or below for optimun fuel consumption. If its an auto you don't have much choice so it will use more fuel.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sat 28 Jan 2012 12:00
VW Passat 1.9TDI 100 (PD) - MPG seems too low? - Big John

I have a Skoda Superb 1.9tdi 100bhp 5 speed which I think has exactly the same engine and gearbox as yours - and I do a 32mile each way commute on a mixture of back roads , A roads (only 2 miles of dual carriageway) and some town traffic -I usually get between 47 and 50 mpg depending on traffic conditions and the weather.

If I just drive it around town(Xmas!) this drops to about 39mpg.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sat 28 Jan 2012 12:07
VW Passat 1.9TDI 100 (PD) - MPG seems too low? - Big John

Double check the mpg by calculating mileage between fill ups. The on-board computer can be inaccurate - pessimistic or optimistic.

Edited by Big John on 28/01/2012 at 12:11

Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Looking for a garage you can trust? Honest John's Good Garage Guide has thousands of reader recommended garages, plus how-to guides and tips on servicing.

The Good Garage Guide