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View Full Version : MPG just doesn't make sense!



travelkids
11-18-2007, 11:17 AM
I like the look of the new XC70. Can't wait to pick up a new Volvo in Sweden in the dead of winter, but I refuse to buy any new car, this includes a Volvo till they improve MPG for the US. No diesels here!!!!!!

I just don't know what Volvo is thinking. It would at least be some what palatable if they made the normally aspirated engine a "Normal Unleaded" car and not a "Premium Unleaded" car?!?!?!?

Below is the MPG comparison. I included my 02 XC70 and my other car that I am surprised to say is not as much as a gas hog as the new xc70.

note: I couldn't fit in the enviro impact score of the 3 cars. XC70, 2008 is best with the XC70, 2002 being worst!

vtie
11-19-2007, 01:22 AM
This is the major reason I'm disappointed with the new MY08 XC70. Volvo is totally missing the boat when it comes to fuel efficiency. Other premium brands have achieved a substantial improvement, volvo: nada. Even Volvo's diesel offering is falling behind what others can offer. This is simply unacceptable these days.

John@CdnRockies
11-19-2007, 09:13 AM
Agree with you folks and really do not understand why Volvo fails to improve their mileage with the release of every new engine. Mileage is quickly becoming a differentiator (as compared to basic safety which most manufacturers offer) in sales. Surely Volvo can do better!

Our Avalon gets an honest 40 MP Imperial Gallon (32 MPG for the smaller US gallon) on the highway from a 3.5 litre engine. Volvo will ned to address this issue given the current environmental environment and high gas prices.

John

travelkids
11-19-2007, 09:35 AM
I definitely think it is a different state of mind outside the US.

Looks like the Mpg movement is alot further along in Europe/UK. Might have to do with the cost of Gas/Diesel!

People still drive big SUVs at 80mph down the interstate. The hybrid push is just a trinket of an attempt to satisfy those that want to do good. Most articles I read when reviewing Hybrids is that it would take about 5-10 years to offset the additional cost of a hybrid with the cost of gas. When trying to find a car that gets over 40mpg you will find not GAS car that is listed by the Goverment website. In 1986 my Honda CRX SI would get 40mpg!!!!

With the technology advances today we certainly should be getting double the combined MPG.

I saw a review of the C30 vs Mini cooper S. Absolutely got killed when it came to MPG.

Any people from the US want to chime in on this topic?!?!?

tgwillard
11-19-2007, 07:23 PM
Beware of comparing 2008 MPG figures with older ones. The method of determining actual milage has been changed so direct comparisons can be misleading. 2008 MPG figures are lower than before, but supposedly reflect more accurately real life conditions. But I agree that Volvo does need to refocus on mileage to better compete with the other premium brands.

One thing I pay an MPG penalty for is my AWD. The wife's FWD S80 gets about 4 MPG better than my XC70 in the same driving conditions.

travelkids
11-19-2007, 07:57 PM
Beware of comparing 2008 MPG figures with older ones. The method of determining actual milage has been changed so direct comparisons can be misleading. 2008 MPG figures are lower than before, but supposedly reflect more accurately real life conditions. But I agree that Volvo does need to refocus on mileage to better compete with the other premium brands.

One thing I pay an MPG penalty for is my AWD. The wife's FWD S80 gets about 4 MPG better than my XC70 in the same driving conditions.

Very good point, however the post above is a 2002 xc with 08 standards applied. So the direct comparison is accurate.

I hope the "Efficient" line that they are working on is quickly implemented!

I do like the fact that the XC 70 diesel gets close to 40 mpg!!!

Can I have a diesel please?!?!?!?

budrichard
11-23-2007, 10:20 AM
Volvo is simply saving the cost of a Turbo and passing the increased cost from lower gas mileage to the consumer. Volvo could care less about what you want. no more volvo's for me until either a diesel or improved mpg. There are MANY other vehicles available. -Dick

dcawd
11-27-2007, 01:31 PM
As they say, your mileage might vary. Just returned from a 500m RT DC-NYC-DC. Our real world mileage was 19.8mpg. This was all highway at 65-80, plus just the ins and outs of NYC (which was not for too long). 4 people, incl 2 kids, light baggage in a 2007 XC 70 with 3 months, 5000 miles on clock, nothing on the roof. No a/c use. Traffic was by and large flowing freely in both directions.

In DC's cut and thrust and stop-every-block-or-so commuting we get 13-15 mpg. with the Volvo, which really stinks. This is slightly below the 15-17mpg we got over many years on the same route with our 95 Passat GLX Wagon, and our '03 Volvo V70 (with AWD, so close to the weight of the XC70, though perhaps marginally more aerodynamic).

I now use a Prius to try and help offset the XC70'x carbon footprint. I get 37-41mpg on the same route where the Volvo gets the 13-15, so our fleet average is a bearable 25-28mpg. But truly sad in this day and age...

Even sadder to note that Volvo has chosen to not make an evolutionary leap on this front with the MY08s.

XCelerate
11-28-2007, 01:42 PM
http://www.volvoxc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=10324&page=2

A lot about the (lack) of efficiency has already been said in the thread above.

Let's add some real life data here. I've been driving my new MY08 for about 2,500km and the car is using 14.9 litres/100km on average (98 RON; highest octane fuel). This is not really what I call efficient. The kms have been in busy traffic mostly, but the consumption is about 3.5 litres/100km higher than my MY05 2.5T (Rica tuned) averaged. This is rather shocking, since Volvo is claiming that the 3.2 is just a wee bit more efficient than the 2.5T. Quod non. The dealer says consumption will approve after 10k/kms. Let's see.

Other items:
- interior heater remote control not functioning;
- irritating whistling sound from about 80km/hr;
- power steering not working OK; when I stop the car after a longer drive and restart the engine after a short break, the power steering seems not to work or to work at a lower level (heavy steering); when you stop and restart the engine the power steering is back online so to say.

Other experiences. It takes some time to get used to the different engine. It has a completely different characteristic from the 2.5T. You have to drive it differently. When you know how to make the more aggressive cam profile kick in, the car is really quite quick. Don't see why anyone would actually need a T6 (to want to have a T6 is something else, btw that car (V70) consumes even more!!). Especially in the USA where everyone seems to drive the Sarbanes-Oxley way. A T6 would be nice, but really you don't need it.

I have never had so many compliments about the look of a new car. Everybody likes it. I do too, the interior is so much nicer and the exterior too. The car is quieter, love the Dynaudio, ventilated seats are great, Bluetooth works fine, etc, etc..

tgwillard
11-28-2007, 06:02 PM
dcawd:

The mileage on your 2007 XC70 seems very low for mostly highway driving. In a similar type trip from Scranton to Boston and back this past August I got just under 30 mpg going and a little less coming back. This is with five adults and luggage (a full load). Speed was about 60-65 on highway. Around town in the summer I get 27 and in the winter about 23. My wife's S80 FWD gets consistantly about 4 mpg better than my XC70 with both using mid grade gasoline. When I hear of other Volvos getting lower mileage I wonder if perhaps the computer is running the engine richer than necessary?

dcawd
11-28-2007, 10:00 PM
TGW--thanks--It does seem very low--my 03 V70 AWD used to get around 26 on highway trips. Even allowing for 4 years of 'evolution', a higher ride height, different tires, the sub-20 highway mileage seems below what it should be. I'm planning to have the car looked at soon so let's see if anything turns up.

vtie
11-29-2007, 01:43 AM
I've been driving my new MY08 for about 2,500km and the car is using 14.9 litres/100km on average

14.9L/100km ? OMG! That is almost exactly double of what my D5 XC70 consumes. I mostly around 7.5-7.7L/100km.

griso4r
11-30-2007, 08:38 AM
since someone was asking for, i attach a file with a comparison between allroad, bmw and the xc. audi and volvo are very close in fuel consumption, bmw outstanding (a small advantage due to the manual transm.).
volvo is anyway too far from the bavarian but with an extremely better price.
ciao

barrysharp
11-30-2007, 08:56 PM
Hmmmm - my '03 XC70 running on regular gets a solid 28 mpg (US gallon) on a run. It drops to around 22 mpg for local trips around town. Using 92 octane will increase the 28 mpg to just under 30 mpg. My '03 XC70 has 60K miles.

The mpg numbers for the '08 Crossover are disappointing. :(

budrichard
12-03-2007, 07:17 AM
Barry your numbers match my 03XC almost exactly.
Fuel mileage, the percieved influence of Ford and the lack of a Diesel in the US will force me to look elsewhere for a new AWD vehicle with the ground clearance of the XC. Sad!-Dick

dcawd
12-03-2007, 02:05 PM
And I've been using premium. This is looking worse and worse!

Any thoughts on what else I can ask the dealer to look at? (someone suggested rich mixture). Early conversation elicited the--'this is normal, depends on driver style/traffic/speed etc' response...

Possible that the 07s are running/set up differently? Or am I just grasping at straws?

Tyrant11429
12-17-2007, 09:22 PM
Wow sorry to hear about that gas milage problems guys, and I pan on buying a 07 v70r lol... Srry to kinda throw this off topic, but the R gives 18/24-25 ish, so the cross country milage should be much better ?? But than again they get those results from 55 mph test and driving like a old lady lol.. I have a new altima 4cly and Im complaining about only getting 300 miles on a whole tank(regular) I think diesel volvo should be brought to the us

MGC
12-18-2007, 09:58 PM
Hmmmm - my '03 XC70 running on regular gets a solid 28 mpg (US gallon) on a run. It drops to around 22 mpg for local trips around town. Using 92 octane will increase the 28 mpg to just under 30 mpg. My '03 XC70 has 60K miles.

The mpg numbers for the '08 Crossover are disappointing. :(

Barry's car and mine are the same age we picked them up on the same day. My mileage is just about the same as what Barry mentions but my car has 137,000 + miles on it.

I'm really disappointed with the 08 mileage and feel Volvo is going backwards when other companies are progressing forwards. If these mileage figures are correct many SUV's get mileage this good if not better. I like the car but with the mileage at this level I will have to comparison shop.

MGC

vtie
12-19-2007, 01:58 AM
If these mileage figures are correct many SUV's get mileage this good if not better.

An XC70 3.2 (238hp) uses 11.4L/100km combined cycle
A BMW X5 3.0si (272hp) uses 10.2L/100km combined cycle

The BMW is considerably heavier, bulkier and yet gets better mileage and is more performant (both top speed and 0-100km/ accelerations).

If only we could get that XC70 with a BMW engine... :mad:

HeadXC
12-23-2007, 07:08 PM
I also have experienced the Power steering Phenomenon both on ny 04 and just the other day on my 08. On the 08 it was after driving for over an hour shuting down then starting the car again and the steering felt very very hard to turn (like it was set to the stiff setting) Mileage is not great, but again my dealer also told me wait until 10K, let's see.

colin
01-14-2008, 11:19 AM
The mileage on your 2007 XC70 seems very low for mostly highway driving. In a similar type trip from Scranton to Boston and backThe similar type trip did not include the 65-80 Mph figures. Anyone wanting to travel at 80 Mph and expecting good gas mileage is living in a dream world.

dlmielke
01-15-2008, 11:42 AM
After getting a disappointing 16 mpg locally, I was interested to see what my new XC70 '08 would do on the highway. Over the holidays I drove about 1500 miles with 5 people in the car (4 adult size), a full cargo load, a large Thule roof box packed full, at a speed of 70-75 mph. With all that, I averaged 22-23 mpg, which was better than I had expected. Not great, but I was actually preparing myself for worse. A lighter load and a lighter foot on the accelerator might yield some almost respectable results. BTW, I'm now a bit over 3000 miles.

tgwillard
01-15-2008, 07:46 PM
Considering the speed, the load, and the roof rack, your 22-23 mpg is not that bad. I suspect with two people, 60-65 mph, and no roof rack you would get about 28 mpg.

SKIQUATTRO
01-17-2008, 03:02 PM
Just did our first long trip (6+ hrs) from Long Island to Smugglers Notch VT for a ski vacation. Car was fully loaded (2 adults/2 children) and an Thule Ascent 1600 Cargo box...avg 17.3mph....this better get better...just cracked 1000miles on the odometer on the way back

vtie
01-18-2008, 02:44 AM
The similar type trip did not include the 65-80 Mph figures. Anyone wanting to travel at 80 Mph and expecting good gas mileage is living in a dream world.

No. Just living in the 21st century. There are plenty of cars that do this these days. Several car makers have drastically reduced their fuel consumption over the last years. Volvo hasn't.

colin
01-18-2008, 02:40 PM
There are plenty of cars that do this these days.Sure, and with my motorcycle I get 60mph driving that speed but it doesn't weigh 1900Kg empty.

The fuel consumption figures any manufacturer publishes shure as hell don't assume you are driving 80 mph. Even with a fuel efficient car that sort of speed is going to knock your fuel consumption figures askew.

vtie
01-19-2008, 04:52 AM
Sure, and with my motorcycle I get 60mph driving that speed but it doesn't weigh 1900Kg empty.
The fuel consumption figures any manufacturer publishes shure as hell don't assume you are driving 80 mph. Even with a fuel efficient car that sort of speed is going to knock your fuel consumption figures askew.

If you drive 80 mph (~130km/h) on the highway in my country, you are in the slower half.
Personally, I get over 30 mpg with my (D5) XC70 at this speed. And that is very bad. My brother's (D5) V70 gets around 43 mpg at that speed. But he lives in Germany, and usually drives between 100 and 120 mph on the long stretches to Berlin, floating around 34 mpg at those speeds.
In fact, even that really isn't impressive. A 5 series diesel BMW with the new EfficientDynamics technology that is trained for long stretches on highways easily gives you more than 50 mpg at speeds of 80 mph.

And these cars are big. If you look for smaller cars, you can do even better.

JAGMAN
01-19-2008, 07:36 PM
That is bad! I just drove a 2400 trip in our '04 V70R with 4 people in the car, and a ton of cargo. We also had the Thule roof rack on, with ski's and snowboards on the roof (which I would expect to be less aerodynamic than the cargo box). We averaged 22.8 mpg according to the computer. I've done the same trip, without the roof rack and we average 26.8mpg. Average speed was 60 MPH at the end of it all.

Again, all highway, wintertime.

dlmielke
01-19-2008, 10:45 PM
That's pretty much my experience, as well. See entry #22. And I'm notorious for being heavy on the accelerator, with quick starts and stops. A more conservative driver should be able to do better than my 16mpg city/23 mpg highway (with BIG load and high speed).