Mk6 GTI — Mk7 GTI / GTD mpg

[jam_up]

Hi,

I’m deliberating an upgrade on my current mk6 GTI DSG and was wondering whether to go for a mk7 GTI or GTD.

My annual mileage will be 20k for the next two years, after of which it will drop down to ~10k. Economy is of big importance but and I was wondering if the mk7 GTI is significantly more frugal than the mk6? I currently get 34 mpg (based on trip computer, not actual) which is 80% motorway/A roads and that isn’t driving conservatively. Would 40 mpg be achievable in the mk7? That would mark a saving that I’d be happy to take and stick with a petrol. The official figures are about 6 mpg better off (10 for urban driving) but I was hoping to have feedback from mk7 drivers, particularly ones which have made the switch from a mk6.

I really don’t want a GTD due to the noise and driving experience but perhaps it’s a matter of head over heart. I guess I’d be looking at 50-55 for a similar run...

Cheers,
Jam.

[jam_up]

va1o said:

I would say 40mpg should be easily achievable from a Mk7 GTI. I'm currently driving a Mk3 Audi TT 2.0 TFSI so the same engine and chassis as a GTI. It will always achieve at least mid 30s, and on longer drives you can get well into the late 40s. Managed this last week on a run up to Birmingham without putting any effort in:

I had a Mk7 GTD a couple of cars back when I was doing 25k miles a year. Solid all rounder but the diesel engine definitely isn't as nice as the petrol, and it never felt much faster than the Mk6 2.0 TDI 140 I had before it. I generally saw 50mpg from commuting and don't think it was more than about 5mpg better than my TT manages in the same situations.

That's fantastic, just the sort of comparison I was looking for! Definitely looks promising now.

Not having cruise in my mk6 is really frustrating so ACC in the mk7 will go a long way. My last was also a mk6 2.0 tdi 140 and seem to remember mid 50's from commuting so I can definitely see those figures for the GTD being reasonable. It will probably save me ~£1000 p/a from my current car but the GTI looks like it should get half that - fine by me!

Thanks again

[jam_up]

Spidersleg said:

Long term average over 20k miles in a GTD I had 48 mpg. Mostly short runs of 10 - 15 miles. On a long DC/MWAY drive I would see 50 mpg.
My current cupra 300 is averaging 33mpg, slowly going up with the warmer weather now. 4k miles down.

You're essentially returning a similar mpg to me then, which kinda makes sense as the official figures of the Cupra / R / S3 are similar to my mk6 GTI. Guess it shows how much things have improved within 10 years - similar economy but 90+ bhp more!

Lord said:

Our 2016 Mk7 DSG GTD averages 44 with a mix of town and motorway over the last 20k

That's lower than I expected! I was honestly thinking I could see a 20 mpg increase but obviously not. My projected savings for switching to the GTD are way off

idge said:

I'm getting about 35MPG from my 2016 mk7 GTI PP DSG, that's a commute of 11 miles of motorway and town driving.

Longer journeys where i actually stick to the speed limit are a bit over 40MPG.

Sounds encouraging. I'd probably see 38-40 mpg on my 80 mile round commute which is reasonable.

chrisb92 said:

I owned a mk6 Gti and got roughly 28-30mpg, and now I have an Audi A3 with the Golf GTD engine in DSG and return approx 40-42mpg long term average.

Unfortunately not a great comparison as I was doing 20k a year mileage when I had the GTi and that included a 60 mile round commute. Since owning the A3 I do a 20 mile round commute, so my engine doesn't get warm for most of my journey.

I drive my cars quite hard, so my MPG is probably a worst case scenario! When cruising sensibly it can achieve 50mpg.

Yeah I err on the side of economy but I have brief "blitz" on a daily basis; no point driving a hot hatch like a granny!

PWeston said:

Don't even consider the GTD, seriously. The GTI is plenty frugal enough if you're not using the performance all the time. My brother has a Mk7 GTI and has averaged a calculated 40mpg over 18k miles. On a long gentle run at 60mph he can get as high as 50mpg...he had the car stage 1 mapped a couple of months back and can still achieve the same economy.

That's impressive and what I was hoping for. I'd probably go for the regular 220 ps GTI too. Couple that with ACC then 40 mpg looks very achievable now.

Adrian E said:

About the same for us with the same model - about 32-34 with reasonable runs and occasional full beans. The trip computer is surprisingly accurate for average mpg, I've found.

That looks fair. Thanks for the figures.

It appears the GTI will offer ~10mpg lower than the GTD in similar scenarios and save me £40 p/m. But I'm happy to trade that for driving pleasure.

Thanks everyone for your input.

[jam_up]

Official figures for the manual suggest higher economy for urban driving which is interesting. My mk6 GTI DSG likes to shift very early when driven around town and certainly more than I’d ever do with a manual so being less economical seems odd, but I guess this is do with weight perhaps

Anyway I’ve decided against the GTD now. Going to bide my time for a well priced and kitted mk7 as something I regret with my mk6!

Cheers.