Topic: Real-world fuel consumption

[tortoise]

I remember that from a rental Jetta but had chocked it up to undersized winter tires.

[bye]

2016 Audi A3 e-tron... 3,000km going to North Carolina and back. Used "Hybrid" mode the entire time, got mid-6s on premium fuel. Smaller tank means more frequent fills, but of course, it's a PHEV so long distances aren't what it's meant for.

My parents are in the lookout for a new car after 15+ years in their Toyota.  They're firm on Hybrid, or PHEV.

The Volt seems like an obvious choice as their longest regular drive is 80 km round trip a few times per week which fits entirely within the Volt electric only range.

Given the Volt and Audi A3 e-tron are within a few $1K of each other, have you had a chance to drive both?

The Toyota RAV4 Hybrid isn't all that efficient, even though they liked the looks. 

Thoughts?

[EV Dan]

2016 Audi A3 e-tron... 3,000km going to North Carolina and back. Used "Hybrid" mode the entire time, got mid-6s on premium fuel. Smaller tank means more frequent fills, but of course, it's a PHEV so long distances aren't what it's meant for.

My parents are in the lookout for a new car after 15+ years in their Toyota.  They're firm on Hybrid, or PHEV.

The Volt seems like an obvious choice as their longest regular drive is 80 km round trip a few times per week which fits entirely within the Volt electric only range.

Given the Volt and Audi A3 e-tron are within a few $1K of each other, have you had a chance to drive both?

The Toyota RAV4 Hybrid isn't all that efficient, even though they liked the looks. 

Thoughts?

Another thing similar to Rav4h is PriusV, in terms of cargo capacity and access mainly. But it is slow. Are they buying new?

[Ex-airbalancer]

2016 Audi A3 e-tron... 3,000km going to North Carolina and back. Used "Hybrid" mode the entire time, got mid-6s on premium fuel. Smaller tank means more frequent fills, but of course, it's a PHEV so long distances aren't what it's meant for.

My parents are in the lookout for a new car after 15+ years in their Toyota.  They're firm on Hybrid, or PHEV.

The Volt seems like an obvious choice as their longest regular drive is 80 km round trip a few times per week which fits entirely within the Volt electric only range.

Given the Volt and Audi A3 e-tron are within a few $1K of each other, have you had a chance to drive both?

The Toyota RAV4 Hybrid isn't all that efficient, even though they liked the looks. 

Thoughts?

Wait for the new Prius plug in

[valuator]

Driving a 1.4 tsi Jetta this week average 6.9

Not bad.   But the speedo was off 10km/h.  Was wondering why everyone was passing me while cruising at 120.

So I would have got worse had I traveled the actual speed I thought I was traveling

I find the Prius and BMW are off by 8 km/hr at 120 , the truck is only off by 1or 2 km/hr

Yep, I found that out a few months ago as well...I'm cruising at "126-128 km/h" now. 

My previous 128i was pretty accurate, but my current 328i is slow by about 7-8 km/hr.  Took me a while to notice.

[safristi]

I don't live in the REAL WORLD...i'm COLD FUSION (Ford subsidiary) co_Pacetic....Y'all could get in on the GROUND FLOOR  for $3,99 a DAY.....................pedals optional

[bye]

similar to Rav4h is PriusV, in terms of cargo capacity and access mainly. But it is slow. Are they buying new?

Slow works for them, they currently drive a car with ~100HP.
Their intention is to buy new, and drive it "forever".

Wait for the new Prius plug in

Might be similar to the Audi A3 e-tron, in that the next gen Prius Plugin has a smaller-than-Volt ~9kWh battery.
http://insideevs.com/2017-toyota-prius-phv-debuts/

The Volt would be 99% electric driving for them, equivalent to 2L/100km for the trips they take, so tough to beat that efficiency with any other car that is not a pure EV.

[mlin32]

Fiat 500X was terrible against a moderate headwind on the way home. On the really open stretches where I held 130-140km/h with the climatisation on, temperature outside 28°.......9,2 l/100km.

The 9-speed really works against it in the real world. Constantly changing between 7-8-9.......and this is on the coastal plains of Eastern NC.

[TheHire]

2016 Audi A3 e-tron... 3,000km going to North Carolina and back. Used "Hybrid" mode the entire time, got mid-6s on premium fuel. Smaller tank means more frequent fills, but of course, it's a PHEV so long distances aren't what it's meant for.

My parents are in the lookout for a new car after 15+ years in their Toyota.  They're firm on Hybrid, or PHEV.

The Volt seems like an obvious choice as their longest regular drive is 80 km round trip a few times per week which fits entirely within the Volt electric only range.

Given the Volt and Audi A3 e-tron are within a few $1K of each other, have you had a chance to drive both?

The Toyota RAV4 Hybrid isn't all that efficient, even though they liked the looks. 

Thoughts?

Another thing similar to Rav4h is PriusV, in terms of cargo capacity and access mainly. But it is slow. Are they buying new?

The new Volt is just as upscale-feeling as the A3 e-tron, and is a bit cheaper with current incentives. Also, there is no way they're getting an all-EV 80km commute out of an A3. In ideal conditions, like 30-40km. After that, it works like a regular hybrid and will get 6.5-6.9L/100km.

Honestly, I LOVE the way the A3 behaves, but if fun-to-drive isn't really a huge priority, and you don't need things like the Bang & Olufsen stereo or an excellent chassis (MQB), the Volt is a good buy.

[bye]

The new Volt is just as upscale-feeling as the A3 e-tron, and is a bit cheaper with current incentives. Also, there is no way they're getting an all-EV 80km commute out of an A3. In ideal conditions, like 30-40km. After that, it works like a regular hybrid and will get 6.5-6.9L/100km.
Honestly, I LOVE the way the A3 behaves, but if fun-to-drive isn't really a huge priority, and you don't need things like the Bang & Olufsen stereo or an excellent chassis (MQB), the Volt is a good buy.

Wonderful, thanks for replying!   Been watching reviews and researching the heck out of this, very good to see some of the feedback from reviewers reflected in your reply post.

[Solstice2006]

2016 Audi A3 e-tron... 3,000km going to North Carolina and back. Used "Hybrid" mode the entire time, got mid-6s on premium fuel. Smaller tank means more frequent fills, but of course, it's a PHEV so long distances aren't what it's meant for.

My parents are in the lookout for a new car after 15+ years in their Toyota.  They're firm on Hybrid, or PHEV.

The Volt seems like an obvious choice as their longest regular drive is 80 km round trip a few times per week which fits entirely within the Volt electric only range.

Given the Volt and Audi A3 e-tron are within a few $1K of each other, have you had a chance to drive both?

The Toyota RAV4 Hybrid isn't all that efficient, even though they liked the looks. 

Thoughts?

Another thing similar to Rav4h is PriusV, in terms of cargo capacity and access mainly. But it is slow. Are they buying new?

The new Volt is just as upscale-feeling as the A3 e-tron, and is a bit cheaper with current incentives. Also, there is no way they're getting an all-EV 80km commute out of an A3. In ideal conditions, like 30-40km. After that, it works like a regular hybrid and will get 6.5-6.9L/100km.

Honestly, I LOVE the way the A3 behaves, but if fun-to-drive isn't really a huge priority, and you don't need things like the Bang & Olufsen stereo or an excellent chassis (MQB), the Volt is a good buy.

Geez, now I have to go to your website (doubleclutch) to read about it!

[TheHire]

2016 Audi A3 e-tron... 3,000km going to North Carolina and back. Used "Hybrid" mode the entire time, got mid-6s on premium fuel. Smaller tank means more frequent fills, but of course, it's a PHEV so long distances aren't what it's meant for.

My parents are in the lookout for a new car after 15+ years in their Toyota.  They're firm on Hybrid, or PHEV.

The Volt seems like an obvious choice as their longest regular drive is 80 km round trip a few times per week which fits entirely within the Volt electric only range.

Given the Volt and Audi A3 e-tron are within a few $1K of each other, have you had a chance to drive both?

The Toyota RAV4 Hybrid isn't all that efficient, even though they liked the looks. 

Thoughts?

Another thing similar to Rav4h is PriusV, in terms of cargo capacity and access mainly. But it is slow. Are they buying new?

The new Volt is just as upscale-feeling as the A3 e-tron, and is a bit cheaper with current incentives. Also, there is no way they're getting an all-EV 80km commute out of an A3. In ideal conditions, like 30-40km. After that, it works like a regular hybrid and will get 6.5-6.9L/100km.

Honestly, I LOVE the way the A3 behaves, but if fun-to-drive isn't really a huge priority, and you don't need things like the Bang & Olufsen stereo or an excellent chassis (MQB), the Volt is a good buy.

Geez, now I have to go to your website (doubleclutch) to read about it!

Yes, yes you do 

[Trainman]

'16 Forester XT: first real fill got me 9.1 calculated; 300 kms with around 40 of those in urban (less than 60 kph) settings and the rest over 80.  A good stretch at 120 (and a push to 125 for a bit too, much easier to go fast in this than the '09  ) on the Inland Island Highway.

[johngenx]

'16 Forester XT: first real fill got me 9.1 calculated; 300 kms with around 40 of those in urban (less than 60 kph) settings and the rest over 80.  A good stretch at 120 (and a push to 125 for a bit too, much easier to go fast in this than the '09  ) on the Inland Island Highway.

Not bad for the XT!

[Trainman]

'16 Forester XT: first real fill got me 9.1 calculated; 300 kms with around 40 of those in urban (less than 60 kph) settings and the rest over 80.  A good stretch at 120 (and a push to 125 for a bit too, much easier to go fast in this than the '09  ) on the Inland Island Highway.

Not bad for the XT!

And not even 700 kms on the odo yet either.  Will only get better as it breaks in, although if it is anything like the '09 that won't be till 100,000 kms    Oh, should mention hit 17.1 on the boost gauge going up the Alberni Summit in Sport, first time I have used it.  Was fun, but speed builds pretty quick in this thing.

[johngenx]

speed builds pretty quick in this thing.

My HL has a slightly worse power:weight than the XT, and it can surge up any mountain pass I've been on yet with ease regardless of number of people and gear on board.  Much different from the old Forester I was used to.  The old Scoob could hold  a decent speed, but not accelerate up a steep grade.  15.6lbs/hp vs 19.4 is significant.

I'm willing to bet long term your new XT gives the same or perhaps better fuel economy as your old 2.5L aspro model despite the much better performance.

[Trainman]

Update on the XT: now has 4,348 kms, and the computer says the lifetime fuel consumption is at 8.7.  I use the GasKeeper Pro app on my BB and it is within 5% of what the computer says, so I am OK with using the computer numbers given the variables with different fuel pumps, temperature, etc.

Max boost so far has been 19.0   

Single trips have been as low as 6.6 while 44.7 has been the high (twice, the first reading at the dealer before I drove off and then while doing a short hop between grocery stores on a cold engine).  Did a 435 km trip to Victoria and back this week and got 8.0; took 4 mounted snow tires on the trip down for some extra weight.  Around town, on very short trips it is in the 11-13 neighborhood.  Some have posted on the Forester forum that they get better mileage in Sport mode, so I tried that but it did not work for me.  S mode raises the RPM's at 110kph from 1,900 to 2,400, so getting worse is no surprise; I had done the same stretch of road a couple of times (Campbell River to Port McNeill) and it was in the low 8's in I mode while S gave me 9.2.

This combination of engine and transmission seems to really suite my driving style as far as fuel usage goes; I am pretty pleased so far.

[bye]

Just checked the trip meter on the Tesla S today, we did 20000 kilometres since purchase in June 2015, most of the driving distance covered was through the past winter.

Averaging 230 Wh/km over the past 20000 km = 4600 kWh of energy used
~3000 of those km were on free superchargers provided by Tesla.

The remaining 17000 km * .15 / kWh (overnight electricity) = $590 in "fuel" (fed at 24Amps/245V charging every night for an hour or two on average)

Mid grade gas (what we put in our Mercedes SUV) averaged $1.16/L in 2015, ref:
http://www.energy.gov.on.ca/en/fuel-prices/?fuel=MID&yr=2015

Our 2010 Mercedes best efficiency was 10L/100km in (left lane) highway conditions, and 13L/100 city year round.
Our old Ford sedans averaged just a bit better than that, about 10L/100 year round. 
$590 / 1.16 $/L = 510 L of gas which would have been good for around 5000 km
20000 km would have been $2000 in gas in any of our previous cars.

Savings of ~$1500 in fuel in 8 months of driving compared to the gas car the Tesla replaced. 
Not bad!

[Triple Bob]

Just checked the trip meter on the Tesla S today, we did 20000 kilometres since purchase in June 2015, most of the driving distance covered was through the past winter.

Averaging 230 Wh/km over the past 20000 km = 4600 kWh of energy used
~3000 of those km were on free superchargers provided by Tesla.

The remaining 17000 km * .15 / kWh (overnight electricity) = $590 in "fuel" (fed at 24Amps/245V charging every night for an hour or two on average)

Mid grade gas (what we put in our Mercedes SUV) averaged $1.16/L in 2015, ref:
http://www.energy.gov.on.ca/en/fuel-prices/?fuel=MID&yr=2015

Our 2010 Mercedes best efficiency was 10L/100km in (left lane) highway conditions, and 13L/100 city year round.
Our old Ford sedans averaged just a bit better than that, about 10L/100 year round. 
$590 / 1.16 $/L = 510 L of gas which would have been good for around 5000 km
20000 km would have been $2000 in gas in any of our previous cars.

Savings of ~$1500 in fuel in 8 months of driving compared to the gas car the Tesla replaced. 
Not bad!

  Booooooooooooooooooooorrrrrrrrring.....

[Fobroader]

Boy....that sounds like a fun hobby...."look at me mom, I only used 1.2 gigawatts for the last year, wooohooo".......