Jim De Arras

After the thread below, I decided to check my gas mileage to be sure my "assumptions" were correct. While gas mileage was not a deciding factor in my purchase, I had assumed fundemential physics applied, and since the displacement was close to my '88 80q, and the weight was about the same, that the S4 would get similiar gas mileage, especially given it's better, more efficent, design. I like the idea of turbos for power "boost" when needed, without the overhead of larger displacement to reduce overall MPG. The EPA rating turned out to be identical to my '88 80q.

Anyway, I had a 400 mile trip yesterday, which I decided to drive as much like the '88 80q as possible, i.e., assume no more power where possible. I stayed out of the turbos for the most part, but did use them when needed! :-) Mostly highway, but some 2 lane and local driving, I went from Richmond, Va to Duck, NC on the Outer Banks, to deliver my son to a friends house for a new year's "vacation", then drove back. You run out of interstate in Virginia, and the NC section varies from 55 to 25 mph with stoplights from time to time.

I filled the tank as usual, allowing the nozzle to stop on it's own. After 365 miles, I filled it again, "packing" it to be sure it was fuller than when I started so the numbers would be between honest and pessimistic. It took 15.3 gallons, which works out to 23.9 MPG, pretty much in line with the '88 80q.

So, I consider the car as efficent as my 12 year old car, at the least!

MikeP

I've a little program for my PalmPilot called Vehicle Log. I've logged every gallon I've put in this car since I bought it. The app as a function for calculating various gas mileage measurements; from tank to tank, last 1000 miles, life of vehicle, etc.

For the life of the vehicle I've got 21.6mpg. I did the same thing for my 99 1.8T Tip and I got 22.7mpg

I've never run it so dry as to have to put in more than 13.8 gallons. Even then the trip computer said I had zero miles left!

I did a road trip to Buffalo and got somewhere around 23-24mpg. And this was running at 80+ and getting into the turbos 'all the time'.

BTW, it's fun to set the cruise and watch the instantaneous gas mileage fluctuate when hitting grades and going down hill! Pretty amazing what a little incline will do.

-mike

daphne

Just drove from Boston to Philly...26 MPG @ 71 MPH..he...he...he...

AvramD

But I can't bring myself to go 70 in this car. 75 is about the best I can do, usualy more like 83.

I generally get 21-22 mpg on highway trips.

Daphne

Um, that's 71 average. Boston to Philly.