MPG on a 1L VW Polo

meoklmrk91

I noticed that my '00 Polo has been going through petrol like gangbusters lately. According to my math I'm getting around 36.5 miles per Gallon. Any other polo owners know what they are getting, TIA.

Alanstrainor

What kind of driving are you doing? If you hit the motorway at all you're going to see it plummet.

meoklmrk91

Mostly back roads, I live in the country other than that just in and around Limerick city.

si_guru

Have you done the obvious... new oil and filters?

Is there an exhaust leak?

ottostreet

god id love to be getting 36.5 mpg! didnt think 1.0 polos were amazingly good on petrol actually, cos theyre ridiculously underpowered?

meoklmrk91

si_guru wrote: »

Have you done the obvious... new oil and filters?

Is there an exhaust leak?

I have it booked it with a mechanic on Sat, but it's no where near due a service.

ottostreet wrote: »

god id love to be getting 36.5 mpg! didnt think 1.0 polos were amazingly good on petrol actually, cos theyre ridiculously underpowered?

Believe me, once you get the hang of it you can get a hell of a lot out of a 1 litre polo and I don't just mean on the mpg. They are a great little yoke in all fairness.

johndaman66

If your going speeds of much over 60mph on motorways/ backroads in small engined cars on a regular basis your mpg will take a serious hit. I see Micra's/ Polos, Yaris's shooting past me on the motorway and I wouldn't be holding back myself either most of the time. It doesn't make a lot of sense to me really. The shorter gearing makes them more ideal for town/ city driving.

RichyX

In the past I've gotten 50-56MPG in a 1ltr Ibiza.
That was primarily driving on main roads with 15 or so miles of dual carriageway each day.

meoklmrk91

johndaman66 wrote: »

If your going speeds of much over 60mph on motorways/ backroads in small engined cars on a regular basis your mpg will take a serious hit. I see Micra's/ Polos, Yaris's shooting past me on the motorway and I wouldn't be holding back myself either most of the time. It doesn't make a lot of sense to me really. The shorter gearing makes them more ideal for town/ city driving.

Hmm thats interesting, I've been able to get better mpg previously but then again I have been driving more on back roads lately. I'll still take it to the mechanic and see what he says, can't do any harm.

Hal1

My old polo used to average 40mpg. Great little bus.

Driving habits make a huge impact on your mpg, it can't be understated. Simply having a heavy foot away from the lights, stop signs etc can decrease your MPG hugely.

I have a new Astra that has a "range" and "Current consumption" on the dash, I've almost completely changed how I accelerate / decelerate since I've been driving it. I'm far more concious of how heavy my foot is on the accelerator, slow steady acceleration makes a huge difference.

Also, ensure your car tire pressure is correct as this can make a difference of 10% no problem, and also avoid using A/C if you have it, makes a huge difference to the fuel.