New Audi A4 1.8t (surprising fuel economy, may be like a new falcon 4t)

EDManual · 30-04-2010, 12:54 PM

Hired a nice A4, great car it must be said! Loved it!

It was really nice, handles great, new A4 1.8 turbo, 8 speed (that was in fact a cvt, but hard to know)

Looking at reviews after I had it I read this:
All up, the A4 is a better performer, using under 7 litres/100km around town, which blew to 8.5 litres/100km when the little four-cylinder was worked hard.

Government combined city/hwy average is 7.4.

hmm, I got 20 litres per hundred on my first day, that was 61 litres for 305km!, and 18.5l/hundred on my second day.. thats near 300% worse!

That leads me on to say, when the falcon gets its 2.0 turbo, sure it maybe economical idling around slow, but get it on a bit of boost, and it is guaranteed to be the worst performer as far as economy in the whole range.

Seriously, can you even get 20 litres per hundred in a GT or XR8?!!

Gaz · 30-04-2010, 01:04 PM

I know my 3v can have 20L/100km for breakfast if I'm being happy.

burnz · 30-04-2010, 01:19 PM

wow...it's very easy to get a V8 under 20ltr around town.
normaly 13~14 in peak hour, something not right with the A4.

Wretched · 30-04-2010, 01:43 PM

What'd you do? Glue your foot to the pedal?

Brazen · 30-04-2010, 01:46 PM

I hired the exact same type of car including colour last year, mine was done through Europcar. I requested a Commodore or Falcon but they ran out of those.

Overall driving from Sydney to Coomba Park (near Forster) and back, some city and suburban driving I averaged 7.8 lires/100km which is outstanding. This thing felt rock-solid on the highway too - felt I could do 160kmh all day easy if I had the chance.

I actually didnt really like it though, it was very cramped, the HVAC controls and radio controls were way too convoluted to use - scrolling through menus and other rubbish.

I also didnt like the dash design, it was very upright and overpowering for such a small car. The back-seat was miniscule, think Corolla or smaller.

For me the front wheel drive - low boost turbo combo killed it for me. Torque off the line meant that the front wheels were always scrabbling or jittering around putting the power down whilst fighting with the traction control. Other NA 4 cylinder/FWD are fine, but this just didnt gel. I would hate to see how mega-torque diesel front-wheel-drives go like.

dannyhilton · 30-04-2010, 01:50 PM

Far out, what were you doing? Did you manage to get the CVT stuck on a low gear haha. I hired an Audi a few weeks back (Virgin Blue customers got 10% off so though heck why not, sort of like a quarter life crisis) and I have to say it sipped fuel. I got an A4 convertible because my little cousins wanted to cruise around the Sunshine Coast and show off to their friends, we had a blast. Great car. Not exactly sure what the fuel figure was, but the tank was only half gone after a whole weekend spent driving around. It was a 1.8T too IIRC. Not sure why your car guzzled?

The Falcon should be fine with the 2.0 ECOBoost, push any car and it'll guzzle, drive it reasonably and it'll return a good figure. Same goes for the I6 though, drive it without gunning it and the fuel figures are amazing from such a powerful engine.

Brazen · 30-04-2010, 01:55 PM

Yeah for me hiring the A4, made me realise how good the EcoBoost could be in the Falcon.

My poor XF · 30-04-2010, 02:16 PM

Lead shoes?

sgt_doofey · 30-04-2010, 02:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by My poor XF

Lead shoes?

No, looks like just driving up through the Adelaide Hills. Can lead to a lead foot if one is looking for fun up there.

My poor XF · 30-04-2010, 02:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sgt_doofey

No, looks like just driving up through the Adelaide Hills. Can lead to a lead foot if one is looking for fun up there.

ha so true. I have a feeling the xr6 I'm hiring in Melbourne for a squirt along the GOR will return worse figures.

EDManual · 30-04-2010, 06:15 PM

yes, it was in the adelaide hills, and er, yes I was wearing big heavy steel capped boots ;-)

It was on boost near the whole time :-)

Funny thing, when its in sport mode, and you have been pushing, slowing down for a corner, it holds perhaps 4000 revs, and so boost so when you get to speeding up again its at full boost!

I found the dash design and everything about it really well designed, done, and well made too. Lots of buttons etc though!

My poor XF · 30-04-2010, 07:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EDManual

yes, it was in the adelaide hills, and er, yes I was wearing big heavy steel capped boots ;-)

It was on boost near the whole time :-)

Funny thing, when its in sport mode, and you have been pushing, slowing down for a corner, it holds perhaps 4000 revs, and so boost so when you get to speeding up again its at full boost.

I found the dash design and everything about it really well designed, done, and well made too. Lots of buttons etc though!

Sounds like you enjoyed the drive. Some great roads in them there hills.

On the EB4 falcon I think that this will be a successful move for ford. It looks like it will deliver significant fuel savings without detracting to much from the falcon driving experience. Win win in my book.

barra265t · 30-04-2010, 07:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EDManual

yes, it was in the adelaide hills, and er, yes I was wearing big heavy steel capped boots ;-)

It was on boost near the whole time :-)

Funny thing, when its in sport mode, and you have been pushing, slowing down for a corner, it holds perhaps 4000 revs, and so boost so when you get to speeding up again its at full boost!

I found the dash design and everything about it really well designed, done, and well made too. Lots of buttons etc though!

How'd you get your car airborne in your display pic or is that camera tricks. Did you get the Audi rental airborne as well

flappist · 30-04-2010, 08:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by barra265t

How'd you get your car airborne in your display pic or is that camera tricks. Did you get the Audi rental airborne as well

It is an E-Series.....even the road does not want to be seen with it.......

Smoke Pursuit · 30-04-2010, 08:14 PM

E series are easy to get airborn, specially after 300,000 kms and no visits to pedders.

xls3v · 30-04-2010, 08:18 PM

hire cars=stolen cars with lots of highway driving my 3v has 14L combined but will easily chew 20L/100km

MexicanBatman · 30-04-2010, 08:42 PM

I had a smart car 1l turbo and 10l city 7 highway

Best I ever got was 6.5 highway driving like an old person

thing was supposed to be 4.9 combined! ha sure bloody thing used as much fuel if not more than any little 1.5 but it was quicker though. Yes really. It flew for what it was. It did have almost 70rwkw lol

MITCHAY · 30-04-2010, 10:32 PM

My 2T does 13-15lt, with AWD and I spank the crap out it but it is Jap not German. Was it a quatro model?

Stoney! · 30-04-2010, 10:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by My poor XF

Sounds like you enjoyed the drive. Some great roads in them there hills.

On the EB4 falcon I think that this will be a successful move for ford. It looks like it will deliver significant fuel savings without detracting to much from the falcon driving experience. Win win in my book.

Don't forget VWAG engines are very well designed and made and have been doing it for years, not to mention the EB4 is a bigger engine an the falcon is a class above the A4, so don't expect to be anywhere near that.

Stoney!

**Elks** · 30-04-2010, 11:24 PM

Very easy equasion.

If you want horses you have to feed them. HP comes from burning fuel, yes there are ways to do it more efficiently at the margins, but in general the rule holds. It doesnt matter if you have a big motor and meter the fuel down off throttle or a little motor and boost it up. To achieve 20l/100km youmust have been spanking the poor thing.

The concept is spreading Mercedes C250 petrol. 1.8l turbo(CGI) 150kw and 310+nm from 2000 rpm. and an advertised consumption of 7.4 jeez the TS can suck donw 7.4 parked LOL

Mick K. · 01-05-2010, 12:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EDManual

Hired a nice A4, great car it must be said! Loved it!

It was really nice, handles great, new A4 1.8 turbo, 8 speed (that was in fact a cvt, but hard to know)

Looking at reviews after I had it I read this:
All up, the A4 is a better performer, using under 7 litres/100km around town, which blew to 8.5 litres/100km when the little four-cylinder was worked hard.

Government combined city/hwy average is 7.4.

hmm, I got 20 litres per hundred on my first day, that was 61 litres for 305km!, and 18.5l/hundred on my second day.. thats near 300% worse!

That leads me on to say, when the falcon gets its 2.0 turbo, sure it maybe economical idling around slow, but get it on a bit of boost, and it is guaranteed to be the worst performer as far as economy in the whole range.

Seriously, can you even get 20 litres per hundred in a GT or XR8?!!

The new 1.8T is a FSI engine which gets its fuel economy and power figures on 98RON petrol. Maybe yours had a tankful of 91? I have an A3 with the same engine and fuel economy is about 10% worse on 95 than it is on 98.

I'm averaging 8.9 in 4500 kms of mainly commuting, average speed of 36km/h.

MK

EDManual · 01-05-2010, 01:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by barra265t

How'd you get your car airborne in your display pic or is that camera tricks. Did you get the Audi rental airborne as well

I didnt try to do any jumps... but at one point I took a short video of myself driving past, and a wheel did raise :-)

(No camera tricks with the ED, jumped 20 metres :-) )

Nice and low

Front up

Quite high (wheel was in the air, cant pause it in the right spot..)

Nice and low

High again