Satisfied with fuel economy.

[Willy]

Hello ArtSmart,
I wouldn't worry too much about the torque figures, although a (still) higher torque is nice, it is power that makes you move (torque times revs), so the petrol engine still beats the diesel in "pure" performance (accelaration) since the diesel engine can't make the high revs the petrol engine can. Of course the diesel engine is more economic to drive (diesel fuel has a higher caloric content as compared to petrol).
Willy

[griso4r]

with the D5 185 hp and only 1.600 miles on the clock, currently having an average around 40 mpg with 40% motorway, 40% extra urban, 20% city.
only driving without exceeding the 2500 rpm i got 43, having fun 35.5.

[AGR]

hmmm...seems like everyone is getting better mileage than I am. Granted, I do most of my driving around town (generally 30-40 mph), and I am a little heavy on the gas at times, but I'm only getting an average of around 17 mpg.

[rhauptschein]

hmmm...seems like everyone is getting better mileage than I am. Granted, I do most of my driving around town (generally 30-40 mph), and I am a little heavy on the gas at times, but I'm only getting an average of around 17 mpg.

I have found that the outdoor temperature can make a significant difference of ~10 mpg. I was surprised to see such a dramatic difference. See data points below:

12-14 mpg <20 deg Farenheit city
16 mpg 20 deg city+highway
17 mpg ~35 deg city
23 mpg ~45 deg highway
26 mpg 70s highway

[Jack]

I don't doubt that ambient temperature can affect mileage, but I wonder if low temps correspond with mandated reformulated gas in your area? We see a pretty consistent drop in mileage when we change to oxygenated gas in the winter here in Colorado.

[bluexc70]

I envy Gibbons. His mileage figures are indeed impressive. I use premium gas (Shell V-power) and don't use synthetic oil. My odometer currently reads 10K miles and I still have the Pirelli STR tires. In town my mileage is about 17 mpg and on the freeway 26mpg. On average (50% freeway/50% in town) I usually get around 21 mpg. All these values taken from the on board computer. Acutally I've always relied on them. Usually I have to fill up around 300 miles.

[littlewaywelt]

if I put it on instantaneous MPG and watch it on the freeway, it floats in the 33mpg range.

wow.

mine has never gotten that. If I keep it at 65 with very light throttle use and no roof box I get 26 mpg on the highway. If I travel at 75 or have to pass a lot I get 20 highway. Adding the roof/ski box typically knocks off 3-4 mpg for us.

our city mileage is 16-17 mpg.

I use mobil 1 10w30, and until gas went through the roof recently, I have used premium (now mid-grade).

[Art]

My mileage numbers don’t stack up as well against Gibbon’s but, are what I typically expected at this point in time. That said, I think speed (among other factors) is the operative word here as LWW briefly touched on in his post. I achieve anywhere between 9.2-8.5L/100km (25.6-27.7 mpg) while travelling on the highway at a speed of 125-135 kph. I also use Mobil 1 and try to employ the cruise control on the highway as much as possible.

In town driving fetches me anywhere from 17-19 mpg depending on my behaviour on any given day.

EPA’s fuel economy figures of 20/27 mpg for MY 2001XCs are somewhat consistent with my own experience.

On a not-so-related matter, the posted speed limit (with the exception of National Parks) on major Alberta highways is 110 kph but it’s not often you see anyone driving slower than 130 kph here, particularly on the QE 2.

[gibbons]

Hey, you guys jinxed me! I filled up tonight and was was down to 25.4mpg combined. But the weather is a bit cooler.

The freeway portion on this tank was 125 miles out of 433. It took 16.99 gallons, which calculates to 25.48 mpg. So, the computer was off was off .08 mpg, which is an error of .05 gallons, or about 6.4 ounces of gas. Mine is pretty accurate. At least in this instance.

[bluexc70]

Gibbons, I'm still puzzled by your mileage figures. They are so different from what I get on my 04 XC. Is it the elavation difference, is it the driving style, is it the Californian weather or are the Nokians improving the mileage.
Another thing that could cause the difference is the odometer reading. Did you ever calibrate your odometer? I know the different Nokian tire size should not really affect this since the diameter is only 3mm different, but it would be nice to know if you ever really checked how accurate it is by means of a GPS or any other way.