RE: PH Fleet update: Golf GTI Edition 35
Discussion
I have a MK 5 Golf GT TDI 170 DSG. Just knocking about locally (in a fairly "hilly" area) I usually return about 40 - 45 mpg but can easily return over 50 mpg on longer journeys.
There is another dimension to this though.
The petrol lump in the GTI and the 170 bhp diesel in the derv car have completely different characteristics.
Personally I just love the huge wave of torque that the diesel car delivers which makes driving at mid range speeds really entertaining - particularly in combination with the DSG box.
I doubt whether there are many cars around with better 40 - 70 mph acceleration figures.
OK ... it won't handle ultimately as sharply as the Edition 35 .... but specced with the optional 18" alloys wnd 225 rubber (probably standard on the MK 6?) its still a sweet handling car.
I love mine. Occasionally I'll think what I might replace it with ..... and to be honest it does everything I want for a daily smoker. Can't think what I'd prefer at sensible money.
Then again ... I do have an Elise for the weekend.
There is another dimension to this though.
The petrol lump in the GTI and the 170 bhp diesel in the derv car have completely different characteristics.
Personally I just love the huge wave of torque that the diesel car delivers which makes driving at mid range speeds really entertaining - particularly in combination with the DSG box.
I doubt whether there are many cars around with better 40 - 70 mph acceleration figures.
OK ... it won't handle ultimately as sharply as the Edition 35 .... but specced with the optional 18" alloys wnd 225 rubber (probably standard on the MK 6?) its still a sweet handling car.
I love mine. Occasionally I'll think what I might replace it with ..... and to be honest it does everything I want for a daily smoker. Can't think what I'd prefer at sensible money.
Then again ... I do have an Elise for the weekend.
pSyCoSiS said:
A mixture of M1, M25, M4 and town driving with a few roundabouts... Speeds between 50 and 70mph.
Ok, admittedly, I'm not hammering it, but come on: 50+ mpg for a big, heavy 3.0 litre straight six with over 220k miles on the clock is good in anyone's book!
Truly excellent real world mpg. At that rate it brings into question why buy a diesel 3 Series?, if buying used.Ok, admittedly, I'm not hammering it, but come on: 50+ mpg for a big, heavy 3.0 litre straight six with over 220k miles on the clock is good in anyone's book!
Edited by Johnboy Mac on Monday 26th March 17:44
pSyCoSiS said:
Another example of newer diesel engines (specifically VAG) not mounting up to the claimed MPG figures.
Whereas, my car (E39 530d) is now averaging me 52.3 mpg!
my wife has a golf GT Tdi 2.0Whereas, my car (E39 530d) is now averaging me 52.3 mpg!
2 years old manual gearbox, and she averages about 51/52 mpg a week
she does approx 24k miles a year, half on motorway, and shes more often in the outside lane, the rest is trafic in small towns etc
so im very pleased with the mpg we get out of it
got rid of my focus ST2 as it averaged 21mpg, to be fair it avergaed 21mpg regardless of how fast i went.
20TSI said:
Strange...
I ran a MK5 GTi for 5 years/60k and easily got 40MPG average on my route to work, I once got an amazing 47MPG average on run from the North East to Oldham (to trade it in for my current 2.0Tsi Scirocco so it was running on fumes!) I also only ran it on normal Unleaded I found SUL made little difference.
The Rocco has the devoplment of the MK5 GTi engine the Tsi, it is DSG rather than manual but again mangage an average of 40mpg+ most days to and from work (38mile round trip)
One of the reasons I love the modern 2.0 Turbo VAG lump is the fact you CAN get very good economy when you want it and you can go quiet quick when you want too !! power from 1600RPM to 6000RPM.
This is similar to my experience of running a Mk6 GTI with DSG. 20,000 kms so far with an average of 7.8 l/100kms, or just over 36mpg. Most of my driving is a 50km daily round trip commuting (50% highway, 50% hilly minor roads). I drove back from my local ski hill yesterday (studded tires, compact snow conditions) and got 5.9 l/100kms (47mpg) over the 65km journey. I ran a MK5 GTi for 5 years/60k and easily got 40MPG average on my route to work, I once got an amazing 47MPG average on run from the North East to Oldham (to trade it in for my current 2.0Tsi Scirocco so it was running on fumes!) I also only ran it on normal Unleaded I found SUL made little difference.
The Rocco has the devoplment of the MK5 GTi engine the Tsi, it is DSG rather than manual but again mangage an average of 40mpg+ most days to and from work (38mile round trip)
One of the reasons I love the modern 2.0 Turbo VAG lump is the fact you CAN get very good economy when you want it and you can go quiet quick when you want too !! power from 1600RPM to 6000RPM.
Longer trips to somewhere like Vancouver (4 hours +highway driving, including over a mountain range) returns mid 30's mpg. If you drive everywhere with the gearbox in sport, economy suffers, but for daily driving I think the consumption's perfectly acceptable. Gas is only $1.20 per litre (76 pence) for high octane, so fuel economy's not exactly at the forefront of my mind.
The cost of purchase in Canada's far more reasonable than the UK. I paid £20,250 for my fully equipped 5dr, which was within a few hundred quid of the WRXS I had the previous year.
Edited by R I C H on Monday 26th March 19:38
I've had my GTD for 2 months (today it is exactly 2 months old) and done just under 6k miles.
If I try really hard I can get the MPG down to the low 30's, however even a short part of the journey in slowish traffic and it rockets up to more sensible figures.
On average I seem to be getting around 55mpg with a mix of driving long distance fairly gently and on the twisties (less gently).
I did decide to see how good I could get the MPG on a trip that was nearly all motorway (less than 0.5 mile off the motorway at each end) and over 27 miles achieved quite an astonishing figure as the average!
I was trying really hard though
If I try really hard I can get the MPG down to the low 30's, however even a short part of the journey in slowish traffic and it rockets up to more sensible figures.
On average I seem to be getting around 55mpg with a mix of driving long distance fairly gently and on the twisties (less gently).
I did decide to see how good I could get the MPG on a trip that was nearly all motorway (less than 0.5 mile off the motorway at each end) and over 27 miles achieved quite an astonishing figure as the average!
I was trying really hard though
Triumph Coupe said:
I've had my GTD for 2 months (today it is exactly 2 months old) and done just under 6k miles.
If I try really hard I can get the MPG down to the low 30's, however even a short part of the journey in slowish traffic and it rockets up to more sensible figures.
On average I seem to be getting around 55mpg with a mix of driving long distance fairly gently and on the twisties (less gently).
I did decide to see how good I could get the MPG on a trip that was nearly all motorway (less than 0.5 mile off the motorway at each end) and over 27 miles achieved quite an astonishing figure as the average!
I was trying really hard though
Great post If I try really hard I can get the MPG down to the low 30's, however even a short part of the journey in slowish traffic and it rockets up to more sensible figures.
On average I seem to be getting around 55mpg with a mix of driving long distance fairly gently and on the twisties (less gently).
I did decide to see how good I could get the MPG on a trip that was nearly all motorway (less than 0.5 mile off the motorway at each end) and over 27 miles achieved quite an astonishing figure as the average!
I was trying really hard though
I love the posts that claim to regularly mid to high 30's at least with average combined diving in 3L+ performance cars 
Maybe it's possible - it's just that I've never managed it!
I can get 30 mpg out of the R32 on a run, but in traffic and when not on open roads - hmm, well that's a different tale and closer to mid 20's! I just don't see the point in getting a high performance petrol and then spending all your time watching the mpg counter and not using the performance available because you can't justify the expenditure on petrol - get a diesel or a smaller engine! I also have a 123d and although not as good as the claimed combined figure, it's averaged 47mpg and for a commuter car with cheap everyday running costs it's not bad at all.
I'd be interested to see the combined mpg's i.e. 'real world' figures for all PH'ers cars if not reset for 10k/6 months
Maybe it's possible - it's just that I've never managed it!I can get 30 mpg out of the R32 on a run, but in traffic and when not on open roads - hmm, well that's a different tale and closer to mid 20's! I just don't see the point in getting a high performance petrol and then spending all your time watching the mpg counter and not using the performance available because you can't justify the expenditure on petrol - get a diesel or a smaller engine! I also have a 123d and although not as good as the claimed combined figure, it's averaged 47mpg and for a commuter car with cheap everyday running costs it's not bad at all.
I'd be interested to see the combined mpg's i.e. 'real world' figures for all PH'ers cars if not reset for 10k/6 months
Riggers said:
Softer suspension and smaller wheels do give it a better ride, sure, but they also make it less incisive, less keen to turn in.
The Ed 35 doesn't ride brilliantly, but it's hardly harsh, and you do find yourself less keen to hoon about in the GTD.
And for those who wanted a concrete MPG figure on the Golf - 55.4mpg combined. Reason I didn't include it originally is because AFAIC that's entirely par for the course for a moderately powerful turbodiesel, while the GTI's economy feels under par.
As a driver of the Edition 30 GTI I'd agree with that. The car feels like it rides too low and too harsh with wheels that are too big for it. As for the MPG, it's very easy to get it under 20mpg on a serious hoon and that's running on a standard map.The Ed 35 doesn't ride brilliantly, but it's hardly harsh, and you do find yourself less keen to hoon about in the GTD.
And for those who wanted a concrete MPG figure on the Golf - 55.4mpg combined. Reason I didn't include it originally is because AFAIC that's entirely par for the course for a moderately powerful turbodiesel, while the GTI's economy feels under par.
Don't get me started on the level of traction either. I'm not best pleased with the car, it gave a very good test drive, but it's very easy to reach it's limits of performance and fun. I have no idea how it handles the 300(ish)bhp it will get from a remap...
Good thread! I've got a 140hp rococo, as a company car and do vast mileage in it ( just ticked over 85,000 in 14 months) average about 50 mpg on motorway drives, had it down to mid 20's on the A9 from Inverness to Wick! Would love a petrol, but mileage dictates otherwise. Main differences apart from the engine characteristics previously mentioned is the weight over the front in the diesel. Still a brilliant place to spend most of my working week though.
Flying machine said:
I'd be interested to see the combined mpg's i.e. 'real world' figures for all PH'ers cars if not reset for 10k/6 months
Mine's not been reset since I purchased the car last June - 20,000 kms @ 7.8l/100kmsI think road congestion plays a huge part in making comparisons. My 25km commute only involves one stop light - I can average over 100kph for the entire journey, which is an economical cruise. Same goes for a 450km drive to Vancouver, easy to average 120kph over a 4hr period. Hard to do that consistently on the M6 or M25, or if you commute through the 'burbs.
In all fairness people can have a shouting match over which out of the GTI or GTD is best all day long, but honestly I have driven both many times and it comes entirely down to personal preference.
If you don't travel far to work, not overly fussed about fuel without being silly, and you want a seriously quick car that fits the family but not feel like you are always on a race track, the GTI is one of the best hot-hatches out there (notice how many people will use it as the benchmark against competitors).
The GTD is a great adaptation, taking into consideration those who do more miles than the GTI owners but still want to benefit from the looks and a suprising amount of power. People are always suprised at how quick the GTD is and also how it just doesn't sound like a diesel!
You have to try it to understand.
It looks like both the GTI and the GTD have a target market. If you meet the criteria you will not be disappointed.
P.S.
Leather is now standard on all the Golfs from the GT upwards.
If you don't travel far to work, not overly fussed about fuel without being silly, and you want a seriously quick car that fits the family but not feel like you are always on a race track, the GTI is one of the best hot-hatches out there (notice how many people will use it as the benchmark against competitors).
The GTD is a great adaptation, taking into consideration those who do more miles than the GTI owners but still want to benefit from the looks and a suprising amount of power. People are always suprised at how quick the GTD is and also how it just doesn't sound like a diesel!
You have to try it to understand.
It looks like both the GTI and the GTD have a target market. If you meet the criteria you will not be disappointed.
P.S.
Leather is now standard on all the Golfs from the GT upwards.
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