Audi A6 Avant - MPG - PETROL

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Mon 9 Apr 2012 22:00
Audi A6 Avant - MPG - PETROL - Lord Laughton

Hello folks. I have recently sold my 320d e91 as it was too small for the wife, myself and two small children ( both below 2 years old......). I got hold of an Audi A6 Avant on a 57 plate 2.0 tfsi petrol instead. I had read about the assorted issues with the 2.0 tdi engine and so decided to avoid it. Now I would have liked the 2.7 tdi however this was 2k more than the car I got and I didn't think given our annual milage I could justify the extra initial outlay. So far so good, bags of space, lovely to drive ( so much smoother and refined than the bone shakingly hard BMW with its notchy gearbox and turbo lag ) then only thing is MPG.....Now I know its a petrol and maybe I have been spoilt with diesel mpg previously but I seem to average around 35 mpg. 28 -30 mpg around town if driven like a saint and 38 -40 mpg just driven at asteady 65-70 mph on an open road. Is this the norm.....BMW was getting 40 around town and 50+ on open road. I know Audi is a bigger heavier car.

Apart from tyre pressures, unloading it, switching off air con, driving habits,forcing wife and kids to walk ect ect is there anything I can do to improve MPG ie: will a re map do anything apart from improve performance?

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Mon 9 Apr 2012 22:08
Audi A6 Avant - MPG - PETROL - Avant

"28 -30 mpg around town if driven like a saint and 38 -40 mpg just driven at asteady 65-70 mph on an open road."

That's about what I get from a newer version of this engine in an Octavia vRS. Sounds reasonable to me, and good for a high-performance 2-litre petrol engine. Comfort yourself that this engine should be less liable to expensive repairs than the equiuvalent diesel available in 2007-08 - the 2.0 PD.

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Mon 9 Apr 2012 22:26
Audi A6 Avant - MPG - PETROL - Lord Laughton

Thats good to know. The reliability was a key factor in my choice, had more than my fair share of expensive failed diesel engine componants in the past.

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Mon 9 Apr 2012 23:10
Audi A6 Avant - MPG - PETROL - unthrottled

is there anything I can do to improve MPG?

Yes, modify the way you drive! (No, there's no lecture about slow driving) The good news is that mimsing isn't going to work for a 2.0l petrol.

Petrols are rubbish at low load-which is why most people get terrible economy out of them. Government advice to feather the throttle ensures that the engine is always in its least efficient band.

The trick is to accelerate briskly (go up to 4000-4500 if you need to) then when you hit your target speed drop straight into top-or the highest gear the engine will take. At 30 mph, 1200-1300 RPM is plenty, 1500 RPM is sufficient for 40 etc. Low engine speeds do make you feel that you're travelling slower than you are, but you'll get used to it and it will make a difference to your consumption.

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Tue 10 Apr 2012 20:10
Audi A6 Avant - MPG - PETROL - Lord Laughton

So, brisk acceleration to target speed then highest gear possible and steady drive? I will give it a go.

Today driving sensibly I managed 30 mpg at 30 mph urban and 42 extra urrban at 55 mph, at least thats what the on board computer says......

Now any advice regarding remaps........ is it possible to up it from 170 bhp to 200 bhp AND get better MPG. Hmmmmm awaiting responses........

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Tue 10 Apr 2012 20:26
Audi A6 Avant - MPG - PETROL - unthrottled

is it possible to up it from 170 bhp to 200 bhp AND get better MPG. Hmmmmm awaiting responses........

The answer to 1 is "yes". The answer to two is "no".

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Tue 10 Apr 2012 21:06
Audi A6 Avant - MPG - PETROL - Lord Laughton

Will it decrease the MPG or will it stay the same?

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Tue 10 Apr 2012 23:46
Audi A6 Avant - MPG - PETROL - Avant

You would remap to 200 bhp to make it go faster. If you want MPG to stay the same, you'd have to drive no faster than now - in whuch cas there's no point in a remap.

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Tue 10 Apr 2012 23:23
Audi A6 Avant - MPG - PETROL - balleballe

Interesting

I normally change to 5th gear at 40-50mph

40mph in 5th gear gives around 2k revs. Based on this - would you change to 5th gear earlier?

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Wed 11 Apr 2012 00:14
Audi A6 Avant - MPG - PETROL - unthrottled

Depends on the car or the car and the engine. My 1600 runs about 21 MPH in top gear and I feel it is too short.

A constant 40 mph on the flat only needs 10-15 hp. At 2000 RPM, that equates to 26-40 lbf. ft of torque. How much torque have I got at my disposal at 2000 RPM? Probably about 90 lb ft. The 2.0 Tsi will have over 200 lb ft. available...

Avant has a DSG on this engine. My bet is that it'll be sitting around 1500 RPM at 40, unless you ask it to kick down...

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Wed 11 Apr 2012 00:59
Audi A6 Avant - MPG - PETROL - Avant

Correct, Unthrottled. At a constant 30 mph it's in D5 at about 1500 rpm, and at 40 it's in D6 (highest) at the same rpm. Useful for economising in areas limited to 30 or 40, but where needed kickdown is on tap and rapid.

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Wed 11 Apr 2012 18:13
Audi A6 Avant - MPG - PETROL - Lord Laughton

so I aught to be putting it in 5th at 30 mph? This is very different from the "system" of driving I was taught. I will certainly give it a go. Unthrottled, I tried the "brisk" acceleration bit and I can see it's merits, still getting used to petrol after years of diesel.

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Wed 11 Apr 2012 23:39
Audi A6 Avant - MPG - PETROL - Avant

If yours is a manual it may not have the same gear ratios as the DSG. With most manual cars I've driven (both petrol and diesel), 4th is better at 30 mph.

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Thu 12 Apr 2012 23:00
Audi A6 Avant - MPG - PETROL - Bobbin Threadbare

Yep - 4th at 30mph, 5th at 40mph, 6th for playing out on the motorway :-))

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Sat 14 Apr 2012 13:22
Audi A6 Avant - MPG - PETROL - Roly93

The trick is to accelerate briskly (go up to 4000-4500 if you need to) then when you hit your target speed drop straight into top-or the highest gear the engine will take. At 30 mph, 1200-1300 RPM is plenty, 1500 RPM is sufficient for 40 etc. Low engine speeds do make you feel that you're travelling slower than you are, but you'll get used to it and it will make a difference to your consumption.

I wish my wife knew this, she associates revs only with speed and cant get her head around my car pulling at 1600 revs and doing 80 at 2100 revs in top gear !

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Fri 13 Apr 2012 00:22
Audi A6 Avant - MPG - PETROL - Smileyman

Choose your tyres with care ...

My summer tyres are Michelin HP Primacy, winters are Nokian WR-G2. the Michelins are grippier, the Nokains always achieve better MPG.

This is a good place to look up tyres ...

http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/

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If you cover no more than 100 miles per day and have easy access to a charging point at home or work, then an EV is ideal for you.

Is an electric car right for me?