Dropping the car off tomorrow...

[Live2Ski]

Taking it to the dealer. I'm getting horrible fuel mileage. One a tank that I actually babies it (shifts at 3k) or earlier, I got 200 miles. Any advance ideas on what this might be? Tore pressures are fine. Car is a CPO. I'm a new owner, but as far as I can tell the car operates and sounds normal.

[pdqgp]

Likely welcome to winter temps and crappy winter gasoline

[UberBrute]

sounds kinda normal to me... I get about 200 to 250 a tank during my normal commuting (philly traffic or just lots of stopping at stop signs). I shift around 3-4k normally and will typically rev out to about 6.5k at least once per drive (assuming i get the car warmed up properly). However if I highway cruise a lot (ie, driving up to ct to visit my parents and back) i can get almost 400 miles per tank.

[sangaroo]

sounds kinda normal to me... I get about 200 to 250 a tank during my normal commuting (philly traffic or just lots of stopping at stop signs). I shift around 3-4k normally and will typically rev out to about 6.5k at least once per drive (assuming i get the car warmed up properly). However if I highway cruise a lot (ie, driving up to ct to visit my parents and back) i can get almost 400 miles per tank.

Same here.

I get about 400 miles on highway driving and half of it on local if I baby the car.

[mmm def]

If you are doing city driving that's probably normal. Where are you?

[pdqgp]

sounds kinda normal to me... I get about 200 to 250 a tank during my normal commuting (philly traffic or just lots of stopping at stop signs). I shift around 3-4k normally and will typically rev out to about 6.5k at least once per drive (assuming i get the car warmed up properly). However if I highway cruise a lot (ie, driving up to ct to visit my parents and back) i can get almost 400 miles per tank.

I don't baby mine but I don't abuse it either. I'm in S-Mode most of the time and do about 50/50 city/highway driving. I use cruise about 50% of the time too. Summer I got 320-350 per tank. Now I'm in the 200-300 per tank. Again, I think the cold temps really impact us and with winter gas blends that really suck it's also impacting things. I see this on all cars / vans I've had and it's only amplified on my Forced Induction rides.

[Live2Ski]

That tank was a fair amount of highway/ back road driving. Not too much city driving. But it wasn't pure highway miles. If you guys are also seeing this kind of miles per tank, should I cancel the appointment or keep it?

I'm near Allentown PA. My wife ran down to Doylestown and I drove back and forth to Blue Mountain on that tank.

[jokingjimmy]

What's the actual mileage you're getting? I.e. set trip meter, top of tank, run down to 1/4 tank or so, top off again, then divide miles by gallons. Curious what your actual mpg is.

[Live2Ski]

That was a fresh tank. Zeroed the tripometer and ran it until the low fuel warning came on. 208 miles.

[pdqgp]

That tank was a fair amount of highway/ back road driving. Not too much city driving. But it wasn't pure highway miles. If you guys are also seeing this kind of miles per tank, should I cancel the appointment or keep it?

I'm near Allentown PA. My wife ran down to Doylestown and I drove back and forth to Blue Mountain on that tank.

How many miles on the car? What year?

[Live2Ski]

2013 32,5xx miles

[Dakkath]

That was a fresh tank. Zeroed the tripometer and ran it until the low fuel warning came on. 208 miles.

Pretty dang normal for Winter gas formula.

I had a '13 before I upgraded to my '16. Both cars are averaging around ~20.5 to 21 MPG's on normal daily driving which includes some city and freeway driving. 200-250 per tank generally.

[levigarrett]

That was a fresh tank. Zeroed the tripometer and ran it until the low fuel warning came on. 208 miles.

I'm about 50/50 and I'd say I drive the car fairly stoutly but nothing crazy. I'm always in Dynamic and I get around 250-280 and that's been consistent since day 1. I don't think we have "winter" fuel here in the Bay Area.

[Ernie1060]

WTF!!! 400 on a single tank?? Are you in neutral, going downhill, with the wind at your back while being towed by another car and while refueling your car like a fighter jet!?!?!?!?!

I "baby" my car and have NEVER, NEVER gone over 300 miles out of a tank...doing some city and some highway...

[Senseless]

You probably went through 12-13 gallons of gas before the warning light came on. Just a guess. These are fairly small tanks. So that's between 16 and 17 mpg.

[Live2Ski]

I believe I remember my wife telling me she put about 14 gallons in to fill it back up on that tank. 208 miles/ 14 gallons = 14.8 mpg. No where close to what should be acceptable.

[vwblackb5]

OP, what kind of tires are you running and what PSI? Do you usually drive with your seat warmers on, AC, climate control set to auto, rear defrosters all the time? Usually the DIS should tell you on the ECO consumption screen how much those things factor into your consumption mileage. If you have access to VCDS or know someone with one, have them scan your car just to double check for any stored DTC's before going to the dealer.

FWIW, as another data point... I logged all my fill ups via Gas Tracker+ app and my lifetime fill ups total of 11 times in my first 3 months of ownership (2016 B8.5) I avg 16.3mpg lifetime, with my current best at 19.6mpg. The breakdown of my travel consists of 84% City and 16% highway. Car just crossed 1900 miles on the odometer. I fill up the S4 almost every week compared to every 2-3 weeks on my K04'd B5.

TL;DR I stopped caring about mileage on the S4 because the supercharger whine gives me so much feels.

[Senseless]

You're probably right about the 14 gallons to fill from warning light. I looked at my 2012 manual and the tank capacity is 16.9 gallons with 2.1 gallons reserve. My gas warning light is probably premature.

[Brother Owl]

OP sounds normal, I'm sure car is fine

TL;DR I stopped caring about mileage on the S4 because the supercharger whine gives me so much feels.

This

[nickskeeta]

sounds kinda normal to me... I get about 200 to 250 a tank during my normal commuting (philly traffic or just lots of stopping at stop signs). I shift around 3-4k normally and will typically rev out to about 6.5k at least once per drive (assuming i get the car warmed up properly). However if I highway cruise a lot (ie, driving up to ct to visit my parents and back) i can get almost 400 miles per tank.

+1

[Live2Ski]

Alright guys thanks for the input. I think I'm going to cancel the appointment. I knew I was probably just going to pay them money for them to tell me the car is fine.

[Scumbucket]

IDK, I get about 15 mpg sporting around town, but I usually average at least 20-22 combined with 25-27 hiway

[14S4GWM]

Sport mode all of the time no highway driving Sunoco 93

[LINDW4LL]

Alright guys thanks for the input. I think I'm going to cancel the appointment. I knew I was probably just going to pay them money for them to tell me the car is fine.

Saying you got 200 miles "to a tank" is quite ambiguous.

As mentioned the fuel light comes on with several gallons remaining. Calculate your MPG manually, as that will give us a better idea of whether something is possibly wrong with your car. I don't think anything is, though. 15-16mpg is not out of the ordinary given the cold temperatures, winter gas blend, and city driving. If those numbers were from highway driving I'd have a different opinion.

WTF!!! 400 on a single tank?? Are you in neutral, going downhill, with the wind at your back while being towed by another car and while refueling your car like a fighter jet!?!?!?!?!

I "baby" my car and have NEVER, NEVER gone over 300 miles out of a tank...doing some city and some highway...

400 is not uncommon for a full highway tank. Also... You only have to be getting ~18.75mpg to get 300 miles from a tank. It's not difficult. Obviously if you're doing mostly city driving and/or have a heavy foot, you won't get that and shouldn't be surprised that you don't.

[shoe3k]

The S4 can get great MPG on the highway but throw in one stop sign or street light and it's over.

[GoNavy]

i get about 20mpg... so ~320mi/tank... worst i've seen on my car was 16mpg (~256mi/tank) but i have to admit, i laugh when i see these posts. you realize you got a V6 supercharged sports car and not a hybrid toyota, right? lol its like the other group of people who complain about the costs associated with an imported luxury sports car! you pay to play! if you don't like it, there are cheaper options! enjoy the car - its not the most cost efficient but its a lot of fun to have/drive!

[Pilfer]

I was getting 140 mi/tank on all city driving. Constant stop and go and high revs for AWE and Roc Euro sounds though lol

[yungcotter]

I average 17.5 mpg not bad it would probably be closer to 20 mpg if there weren't a few 9-13 mpg tanks when I decide to redline it from every stop light.




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[S4inBC]

Theo, what app is that that you are using to track your mileage?

[vwblackb5]

Theo, what app is that that you are using to track your mileage?

^ Gas Tracker+ App available for both iOS and Android. Highly recommend it

[Gkit19986]

Beat fill up I ever got was 180 miles . But I will admit, I drive it like I stole it all the time.

[jsh139]

I think alot of people are probably less concerned about the actual gas mileage of our cars and just want to be sure that nothing is "wrong". I see quite a few of these threads that start and end in the same pattern.

<OP> My car is getting horrible gas mileage! What's wrong with it?
<AZ> It's normal given your circumstances.
<OP> OK, lol.

[SouthernBoy]

I wrote this the other day on a different thread and since it is relevant here, thought I would copy and post it. The car is a 2016 S4 6MT which I ordered in June and picked up last September 25. It currently has 3831 miles on it. I did a rather hard break in (didn't drive it like I stole it) for the first 600 miles. The car is always driven in Dynamic Mode for engine and sound.

---------

"I have also noticed that the car seems to be a little stronger with more throttle response. And the mileage has increased as well. I am averaging over 22 MPG around my area, (small city and suburban area with lots of traffic and fairly high population density). Two days ago, I managed 25.76 MPG with 30% of my driving in the area and 70% on a trip to Fredericksburg, VA. Now mileage is not high on my list, otherwise I would have bought something else. I tend to view something like this as a plus... a nice little gift, if you will."

"My around town driving has been running around 22.2 MPG (last two checks were 22.25 and 22.18 respectively). I don't live in a city but rather a, once, semi rural area which has since been "discovered". Lots of new homes and businesses along with the expected traffic and added highway systems. Northern Virginia has a population of 2.8 million and we are on the outer fringes of it, which means traffic and people."

[littleredwagen]

Mixed backroads and local driving 200-250 add some highway in that tank goes up to 250-280. All highway per tank is 400 easy @75-80 mph as well

[MrFunk]

OP
You should use an app to track your mileage or calculate it manually. It's a good way to keep an eye on the health of the car.
I use fuelly. Over 4 years I'm averaging 18.2 with mostly city driving. The best I've ever gotten is 24.3 all highway.
The worst I've gotten is 12.1 which was a 1/4 tank top off... but I've gotten several 15's and 16's, especially in the winter.

Parking outside in the cold will give you a big fuel burn on cold starts which will reduce mileage. Or if your garage is not heated...
Winter blend fuel will also reduce mileage.

Start tracking it properly and see what you're actually getting...

[BoostEasy]

Winter fuel blends have next to zero impact on fuel economy. It's all about temperature. Engines, like batteries in elec cars are less efficient when cold/warming up as are the rest of the rotating components like the diffs and transmission. The net effect is you'll get substantially worse fuel economy when the car is cold, especially if you make relatively short trips and as it gets around freezing temp.

My work commute is only about 11-12 miles with it evenly split between city StopnGo/Highway/backroads cruising. On the same tank of gas I can see as low as 15.5mpg and as high as 18.5 or so driving the same everything, all based on the temp outside. Saw it already the last week or so as it went from 50s to teens in my am commute.

Sport also murders fuel economy, esp city driving. A lot depends on the driver but I often see it chopping down my mpg about 25% or more vs D mode.

[MrFunk]

^^ you're right. Winter blend fuel supposedly only yields 1.7% less energy vs summer blend.
Cold is the biggest external culprit.

[fillyo]

OP, I was and am in the same boat as you. I bought mine last year with 39k miles (2011) with a bit of warranty left. I was getting 225 miles per tank (bought in February). I brought it in under CPO to have it checked out and was told it was normal. I do all suburb driving and get 200- 225 in the winter and 260 - 280 in the summer. Sucks, but it is what it is.

[GrkA4]

WTF!!! 400 on a single tank?? Are you in neutral, going downhill, with the wind at your back while being towed by another car and while refueling your car like a fighter jet!?!?!?!?!

I "baby" my car and have NEVER, NEVER gone over 300 miles out of a tank...doing some city and some highway...

This - how are you guys getting 400 miles on a single tank? I drive 95% highway and I'm at around 300.

[mmm def]

Where do you get gas? I used to run shell in my old Honda and would get 28mpg. Had to fill up at a no-name brand place and got 18 that tank. Maybe coincidence but are you using good gas?