# MPG on your Tiguan



## Dizzlez (May 4, 2018)

Hi,

I haven't seen any threads with any posters mentioning their MPG for their MK2 Tiguan.

Let me be the first, I just came back from a 800 mile round trip and my Tiguan averaged at 31MPG (speeding here and there). The lowest was 29MPG because I....(ahem) was speeding 80-95mph (eager to get home) a lot.

I'm very satisfied with this MK2 Tiguan since its over its advertized MPG which is 21\27 (4Motion)


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## D3Audi (Feb 18, 2016)

Yep. On some longer highway trips I've been able to get upwards of 33/34 mpg average on my 4Motion when I was really trying to get good mpgs. But in general I average in the 28-32 mpg range. I haven't calculated the real MPGs at the pump but I believe the computer in this car is fairly accurate. It feels like it takes forever to get the tank to empty. Then only costs around $40 to fill. Love it.









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## JSWTDI09 (Feb 22, 2009)

Dizzlez said:


> I'm very satisfied with this MK2 Tiguan since its over its advertized MPG which is 21\27 (4Motion)


I have to agree on this point. This B-cycle engine is not very impressive except in the mileage department. I do mostly stop-and-go city driving and I have only once had a tank of gas where the tank average was under 27 (it was 26.7). Every other tank of city driving has been between 27 and 29 mpg. My best tank (which was about half highway) was 31.7 mpg. I do not have 4motion.

Without a doubt, this Tiguan is the first non-diesel vehicle I have ever owned that can consistently beat the EPA highway mileage estimate in city driving. I know that my mileage will drop soon as A/C becomes more necessary, but I can live with that.

Have Fun!

Don


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## socialD (Sep 19, 2011)

Yeah we get around 25-26 even with the vast majority of our driving being short trips(only 1.5 miles to the grocery store for instance and it is largely our grocery getter). Add in some highway, even when such highways are crossing over mountains around here and it climbs to 30. I'm sure carbon build up will be an issue with those short trips, but it's a lease.


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## TDeyeguy (Mar 13, 2018)

Ours so far. New baby so we haven't been driving a lot lately, but this will be our primary road trip car now. (Been using my Golf TDI)

Screen Shot 2018-05-29 at 1.55.51 PM by DerekG710, on Flickr


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## davempls (Jan 23, 2018)

Not so here, although it's pretty much all short trips with almost no freeway. I have yet to even see 29 on the freeway, and in general with city driving and short-haul trips it hovers between 18-22 mpg.


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## jjvw (Jan 17, 2002)

200 mile trip PA to MD last February! 90% highway cruising between 65 to 75 in eco mode. 18 SE 4motion.


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## [email protected] (Mar 30, 2015)

Extremely satisfied with consumption. Here is round trip with 90% of highway:


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## 2THEXTRM (Dec 5, 2017)

I run 87 mpg...Bought my Tig in November and got around 28mpg. Only lost 2mpg over the winter now that it has warmed up im back to 28mpg. I will note that I run my Tig hard all day long, pedal to the medal to avoid the hurky jurky throttle at take off. Wish the Neuspeed module I bought today would help the crappy throttle control but I will wait for a full tune to resolve that issue I guess.


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## Dizzlez (May 4, 2018)

jjvw said:


> 200 mile trip PA to MD last February! 90% highway cruising between 65 to 75 in eco mode. 18 SE 4motion.


Next time, I'll try ECO mode and see if I can get more MPGs. I've been on Normal and its working mighteeee fionnee...


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## tdb2 (Mar 20, 2018)

6.8 L/100 over a 400km (@120 km/h regular gas) trip confirmed. What kills economy is short trips with cold engine and city driving. Really depends on the amount of stop-accelerate cycles in city traffic. Mine ranges from 9 to 11 L/100 in the city. The vehicle is HEAVY.


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## B777 (Apr 25, 2018)

I've been averaging 24-26 MPGus with mostly city driving, around 6 miles one way.


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## jpik (Sep 11, 2017)

davempls said:


> Not so here, although it's pretty much all short trips with almost no freeway. I have yet to even see 29 on the freeway, and in general with city driving and short-haul trips it hovers between 18-22 mpg.


Same.

Highway I rarely see even 27. I'm mostly running around town in "normal" and I'm usually at 17-19 mpg! I originally was looking at Atlas, can't imagine what that would be like in that big guy if my mpg's are this low now. Coming from a Subaru, mpg's are my biggest complaint, I knew it was going to be lower just not this low.


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## bobdillon (May 13, 2018)

Those are impressive numbers.

I’m averaging 24 mpg with about 75% / 25% street to highway split. 4K total miles.

Don’t think I’ve ever seen it go over 30 unless I’m driving downhill. Done a couple ~400 mile freeway road trips and averaged 27 mpg.


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## Bill95GL (Sep 5, 2000)

I'm really impressed with the Tiguan 2 fuel economy. My "standard" trip (for comparison) is from Starkville, MS to Houston TX. It's around 530 miles and avoids interstates. Going out to Houston several weeks ago the Tiguan 2 got 34.5 mpg and coming back it got 35.1 mpg. On 87 octane gas. Yes, 100 miles of the trip is on the Natchez trace at 54 mph plus there's plenty of two lane road driving on the route so it's not constant interstate speeds. But there's still plenty of 65-70 mph driving on the trip.

BTW, this is MFD mileage, not paper and pencil mileage. For comparison, our 2012 Tiguan with an APR stage I tune and 93 octane gas never got better than 30.5 mpg on the exact same route. And the APR tune actually got better mpg than the stock tune. Overall, the Tiguan 2 is a major improvement over the Tiguan 1 IMO. But I've gotta admit, when I needed to pass on those two lane roads, the Tig I/APR with its 250 hp and 288 lbs torque could answer the call!


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## [email protected] (May 20, 2018)

We just took our brand new Tiguan on a 1400 mile trip over Memorial Day weekend, and I got 31MPG for the highway runs. That was running 80MPH most of the time. I am very impressed. I was not expecting it to be that good actually.


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## wallygva (Jun 12, 2006)

*30+ routinely*

Drove 500 miles and averaged 32 MPG both down and back (going 70mph most of the way).

I am thus far (4K miles on the car) quite impressed with this new Tiguan SE w/ 4 motion


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## HokieScott (May 12, 2018)

I am averaging about 16-17 MPG. Mostly City though. I didn't think it was going to be this low.


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## sickify (Jan 12, 2018)

Just finished driving from Edmonton to Cranbrook, got 7.57 L/100km from home to Airdrie, then 6.99 L/100km, or 33.65 MPG from Airdrie to Cranbrook.

Speed varied from 120km/h to 90km/h, except when passing.

Definitely looking at the Neuspeed Module for a little more passing power on single lane highways.

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Edit: This is in a highline 4motion, with third row, 3 toddlers and probably 150lbs of luggage/stroller. Drove in sport mode the whole trip, but I don't think that would affect the highway portion much if at all.


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## TDeyeguy (Mar 13, 2018)

^ nice 

We have 4300 miles on ours now and I don't think I've had a full city tank below 23mpg. 

We went home to my parents house for my son's 3rd bithday. I brought back a kayak, go cart, sandbox, and a car full of toys, 2 dogs in cages, 2 kids in car seats and associated luggage. Got 23.6mpg on paper doing 70mpg the whole way back. 

We have a real towing test in a few weeks. It will be ~2500mi with our Scamp 13 in tow and probably my Skybox 16 as well. I'll be sure to report back in this thread or make a trip report thread when we get back. 

Hoping for 20-ish MPG, but we'll see. My Golf TDI gets 28-31mpg towing the Scamp, but it has a lot more TQ. 












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## sickify (Jan 12, 2018)

That's pretty good with the kayak! My last "long distance" trip was about 500km with a roof basket and rooftop bag, I got okay mileage on the way there. On the way back, it was pretty windy and the stuff oh the roof murdered my mileage. I got 9.5L/100km on the way down and 11.5 on the way back.

I wish I could tow with the third row! Nothing crazy, 1000 pounds would be nice.
Just enough for a small teardrop trailer. In that aspect I should have gone for the Atlas, but here in Canada my Highline Tiguan cost the same as a Comfortline Atlas, which is pretty bare bones. And personally I find the Atlas ugly.

If the Tig was about 2" longer and had a tiny towing capacity, it would be perfect, in my opinion.

That trip was about 100 pounds in the back, plus 80 or so on the roof.


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## Serjim (Oct 23, 2017)

HokieScott said:


> I am averaging about 16-17 MPG. Mostly City though. I didn't think it was going to be this low.


I have the same issue, 16mpg per tank at the city. 
My Tiguan have 4500miles I think it’s to thirsty for a 2.0tsi 4 motion dsg and in ECO mode.
Does any one have some recommendations??


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## akhotch (Apr 22, 2013)

Seeing about 23 in city driving, highway is about 28 so far, just hit 7k miles on the vehicle.


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## TDeyeguy (Mar 13, 2018)

@serjim

Use normal mode. I've found that eco mode starts off so slow that I need to add a lot of throttle to get moving so it seems to bog a little until I get the revs up. 

Learn to coast before coming to a stop instead of always being on the gas or brake. Also, be smooth on acceleration and not punch it from a stop.

Drive the speed limit (within reason, don't block traffic)....it's amazing how much better mpg you can achieve driving the speed limit vs. 5-10mph over it. 

I've spent the last 5 years driving my Golf TDI and it really rewards conservative driving with amazing mpg. Those are the "tricks" that I use all the time. 

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## 2THEXTRM (Dec 5, 2017)

Update for me now that it has been summer temps and over 6k on the odometer, still averaging 28 mpg. Running mostly exclusively in sport mode with averaging 75mph on the highway which is 80% of my driving. Also running the Neuspeed module, I am very pleased with the mpg for this sized SUV. My much lighter Chevy Trax only gets about 3-4 mpg more running on a custom tune and the same driving conditions.


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## Bawlti (Apr 22, 2015)

TDeyeguy said:


> @serjim
> 
> Use normal mode. I've found that eco mode starts off so slow that I need to add a lot of throttle to get moving so it seems to bog a little until I get the revs up.
> 
> ...


^^^ This

I'm getting really great MPG on my daily commute (mostly highway) without even trying that hard.


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## Dizzlez (May 4, 2018)

TDeyeguy said:


> ^ nice
> 
> We have 4300 miles on ours now and I don't think I've had a full city tank below 23mpg.
> 
> ...


I'm curious, which hitch are you using?


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## TDeyeguy (Mar 13, 2018)

Dizzlez said:


> I'm curious, which hitch are you using?


Curt

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## porsche911sc (Jan 31, 2018)

Average 25-27


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## smg64ct203 (Jan 26, 2003)

Serjim said:


> I have the same issue, 16mpg per tank at the city.
> My Tiguan have 4500miles I think it’s to thirsty for a 2.0tsi 4 motion dsg and in ECO mode.
> Does any one have some recommendations??


I'm glad I'm not the only one. I think the gas mileage sucks! I traded in a pilot with a nice 6 cylinder thinking I would save money and that didn't happen. I think the pilot was better. Around town I can almost see the gage moving. I do mixed driving 60 percent highway 40 percent around town.


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## zaider (May 30, 2018)

We just completed our first road trip in the new tig, about 1000km round trip through the west coast mountains. 

Averaged about 7.5-8L/100km (29-31mpg). We were taking it pretty easy though. Lots of cops and if you're caught doing more than 30kph over the speed limit, they can impound your car.


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## 14thVW (Jul 13, 2018)

Here's a chart of my first 8 fill ups of my '19 SEL-P. Can we say "engine break in"? I live in rural Virginia (my town has 4 stop lights) so it's about 75-80% rural two lane highway.


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## Sopey15 (Mar 12, 2019)

So far gas mileage has been pretty good on my Tiguan 4motion. I've got just over 5,000 miles and averaged 31mpg on a 70 mile highway trip with 2 bikes on the roof.


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## JSWTDI09 (Feb 22, 2009)

TDeyeguy said:


> Learn to coast before coming to a stop instead of always being on the gas or brake. Also, be smooth on acceleration and not punch it from a stop.


All good info, I would add to this line with:
Learn to pay attention to what is ahead of the guy in front of you. Anticipating what is likely to happen can give you even more time to coast. I have noticed that our engine/transmission combination seems to show relatively little engine braking. You can coast for quite a while before slowing down significantly. I know too many people who only pay attention to what is immediately in front of them when they drive (like my wife!), this hurts both your mileage and your safety.



TDeyeguy said:


> I've spent the last 5 years driving my Golf TDI and it really rewards conservative driving with amazing mpg. Those are the "tricks" that I use all the time.


Nine years for me.

Have Fun!

Don


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## 1054521247 (Jun 17, 2018)

how can you guys get 30-35mpg ??? im here with 21mpg octane 93 was used. I do drive a little fast but shouldnt be that big of difference? i mean texas highway speed limits 80mph so most of time im going 87ish.


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## JSWTDI09 (Feb 22, 2009)

1054521247 said:


> how can you guys get 30-35mpg ??? im here with 21mpg octane 93 was used. I do drive a little fast but shouldnt be that big of difference? i mean texas highway speed limits 80mph so most of time im going 87ish.


Octane rating does nothing for mileage. Unless you have some sort of tune, 87 octane works fine (it is what our engine's tune was designed for). Speed is very important, staying under 80 will definitely improve mileage. However, depending where in Texas you are... this may not be a good option.

Have Fun!

Don


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## buzzindsm (Sep 2, 2017)

JSWTDI09 said:


> Octane rating does nothing for mileage. Unless you have some sort of tune, 87 octane works fine (it is what our engine's tune was designed for). Speed is very important, staying under 80 will definitely improve mileage. However, depending where in Texas you are... this may not be a good option.
> 
> Have Fun!
> 
> Don


True but one thing to consider is ethanol. Where I live, everything except 91 and 93 octane contains at least 10% ethanol. It's not worth it to purchase 91/93 when you run the numbers but you do get worse mileage with the ethanol blends.


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## Turchman (May 16, 2019)

We have seen a high of 35 mpg and a low of about 27. Most frequently, we are in the 29 - 30 range which includes daily commuting and errands/taxi service at night.


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## mlsstl (Nov 28, 2018)

Here are my results for my 2018 SEL-P 4 Motion over the last 7,000 miles:
- a solid 23 mpg average for seriously urban driving (3 1/2 mi one way to work, in the city)
- around 26 to 28 mpg for suburban driving
- 28 to 32 mpg on a 2,000 round trip highway trip, midwest to the east coast and back. Got 30 to 32 on the flatter 
sections at 75 mph, and 28 to 29 mpg through the Smoky Mountains. 

I'm very satisfied.


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## schagaphonic (Aug 24, 2008)

Some current driving date off MFD:
Extended Period Miles: 2550
Extended Period MPG: 32.1
These miles are mostly highway but include Denver traffic, wind, rain and mtn snow, elevations between 4500-10500ft. 
All on regular fuel (85 octane)

Best measured hwy MPG: 35.6 (Just keeping up with traffic, 70-80mph)
Worst measured MPG: 26.3 (lots of WFOs and city driving)

Expectations and EPA numbers exceeded. I'm happy


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## Dizzlez (May 4, 2018)

schagaphonic said:


> Some current driving date off MFD:
> Extended Period Miles: 2550
> Extended Period MPG: 32.1
> These miles are mostly highway but include Denver traffic, wind, rain and mtn snow, elevations between 4500-10500ft.
> ...


The Tig's MPG department has exceeded all expectations for me. 

I've taken it on a few 800 mile trips and its consistent ~31mpg. I was a little bummed because when I first got the Tig I saw 21/27. But it was better than what I was just coming from, a Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk 17/22  I averaged, 18mpg with that thing. On highways I averaged ~23 ONLY IF I'm going 70mph. If anything higher, the mpg will tank. That car was pretty heavy which was over 4500lbs.

But when I first drove the Tig on its first long distance drive and managed 31mpg and saw it was over the advertised Mpg. It was just heaven for me.


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## dragonpalm (May 9, 2016)

My 2019 has averaged 23 MPG combined in 4k miles in about 70% city and 30% highway driving. I can get 29-31 MPG on the highway at 60-70 MPH, which is pretty good. However, city driving in Seattle gets me 20-23 MPG, which is pretty disappointing. Comparing to my GTI, even though the Tiguan takes regular fuel and the GTI premium, my Tiguan's avg price per mile is $0.14 and my GTI is $0.13. Not a huge difference but the GTI is still cheaper to driver per mile...


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## TofuBoyz (Jul 10, 2018)

I’ve been tracking with the myCARFAX app since I got the Tiguan. 

Worst fill up was 21 mpg, best was 33 mpg.

Generally I’m getting lower/mid 20s. My overall average is 26.4 mpg, brought up by a few road trips. 

Keeping it over 80 will definitely bring the mileage down. Generally between 55-70 I don’t notice a big difference. Also general smoothness on the highway makes a bigger difference in the Tiguan, which is pretty heavy for a compact suv. The small engine has to work pretty hard when you keep slowing down and speeding up 4000 lbs.


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## PZ (May 9, 2002)

Just finished a 5800 mile trip and only had 1 tankful under 30mpg. That was the 1st tank (had less than 300 miles to start) and it was uphill from here to Amarillo into the wind. Speeds were 80mph on the interstates, but there were slower sections and I did not run a/c for half the trip. Best tank was 35mpg for 175 miles around Lake Tahoe, no a/c, low speeds (35-60) and lots of stops. I still have to total the fuel to find the overall average, but it was great. Power was great even loaded with 3 people and several hundred pounds of luggage. Lot's of rain and some snow on the trip.


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## 1054521247 (Jun 17, 2018)

PZ said:


> Just finished a 5800 mile trip and only had 1 tankful under 30mpg. That was the 1st tank (had less than 300 miles to start) and it was uphill from here to Amarillo into the wind. Speeds were 80mph on the interstates, but there were slower sections and I did not run a/c for half the trip. Best tank was 35mpg for 175 miles around Lake Tahoe, no a/c, low speeds (35-60) and lots of stops. I still have to total the fuel to find the overall average, but it was great. Power was great even loaded with 3 people and several hundred pounds of luggage. Lot's of rain and some snow on the trip.



wow, your number is impressive. i'm going from San Antonio to Dallas a lot. (mostly trying to go toll road like i820, i35w) my number is around 22mpg. should i take it in to dealership and ask? a/c set auto 72. one person travel with laptop thats it.


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## TDeyeguy (Mar 13, 2018)

Depends on if it was hand calculated or what the dash read. Dash readout overestimates for sure, especially if it's not a full tank avg., but mid 30s are definitely doable in this car under the right conditions. 

90% of the driving in our Tig is with 2 adults and 2 kids in carseats w/accessories and through relatively hilly terrain in NE OK. The most I typically see is 30-33 highway. Lifetime avg is ~27 I think on fuelly over 17k miles and 3-4k miles of that was towing our camper. Hand calculated. 

I'm really happy with the car. Fits our needs really well. Fuel mileage is good enough that I don't even consider what gas prices are doing. Although I still get surprised when I hop in my Golf TDI and bust out 50mpg tanks lol 

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## AutoVonOtto (Sep 29, 2018)

I’ve been popping wheelies and running over zombies- 28mpg average!


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## PZ (May 9, 2002)

1054521247 said:


> wow, your number is impressive. i'm going from San Antonio to Dallas a lot. (mostly trying to go toll road like i820, i35w) my number is around 22mpg. should i take it in to dealership and ask? a/c set auto 72. one person travel with laptop thats it.


 I kept the speeds to 80mph max and a/c on manual. From Amarillo back to DFW, I got 32mpg with a/c and speeds of 78mph between the speed trap towns. I used CC almost all of the time, so a consistent speeds helps. I35 sucks as speed varies so much.

I calculated the mpg with each fill. It usually read .5mpg high, but it did read low on one tank.


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## Crappie man (Nov 22, 2018)

My 19 motion r line had gotten 33.8 at 73 on a regular basis if wind is not.huge. I'm at 17k on mine after 6 months and overall average all miles is 26.1. Most my driving is commute between work daily 80 miles round trip at 65 and 70. I'd say 30% is city 70% hyw. I am very happy


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## brianbgw (Mar 29, 2011)

Best trip according to the MFD is 40.5 MPG. I hand calculate every tank and track it in a spreadsheet, overall average is 29.8 MPG over 17,000 miles. Best tank(hand calc) is 34.4 MPG. I record the difference between the displayed MPG and my hand calculations, has been overestimated by an average of 4% on the display. 


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## noka648 (Sep 3, 2001)

I check each fill up and combined highway/town is right about 28-29mpg (I think what VW estimates) as verified on computer and manual calculation (within about 1 mpg). I wouldn't necessarily trust the car's computer until you verified accuracy by manual calculation.

As mentioned if anyone is trying for better mpg by using higher octane fule, forget it. It will have no effect on mileage. Put in 'regular' (87) as VW recommends, otherwise you are wasting money.


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## _chassis_ (Jun 21, 2019)

Drove 650 miles from Indiana to Washington DC. Averaged 30mpg in default (eco?) mode. 75 mph mostly on US route and interstate highways. Pleased with that result.


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## RASDC (Jul 14, 2012)

This past weekend I drove 800+ miles roundtrip with a a Thule Weekender box on the roof. I averaged 28 mpg with a lot of mixed in town and 75mph interstate driving. I was really interested to see how the crossbars and box would impact the mpg and I was really pleased with how well it performed. 

About a month ago we had gone on a shorter trip with no rooftop add ons and I averaged 30mpg in similar mixed driving. All in all not bad for a vehicle of this size, also I have a 4Motion so that adds to the equation as well.


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## mlsstl (Nov 28, 2018)

Another data point -- St. Louis to Minneapolis in 90 degree summer heat -- 31.5 mpg running 70 to 75 mph.


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## phlegm (Apr 24, 2019)

We did our first long highway trip this past weekend, fully loaded vehicle.

I was impressed that it ran at just about exactly 2000 rpm at well above legal speeds. We got 8L/100km, which equates to 29.4 mpg.

I also found the power absolutely great and appropriate in terms of passing, so a bit unsure about complaints. (Not a road burner, but absolutely great for us IMO.)


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## Tynerion (Dec 24, 2018)

*Didn't do the math, but the display was showing 35.1 on the last trip.*

Hit up the freeways over the 4th, and the there and back was an average speed of 53 and a mpg of 35.1 for about a total of 4 hours of driving.

Tiguan SE 2wd.


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## Reihenmotor5 (Dec 1, 2006)

Ride home from Ocean City in a 2019 4Motion averaged 35.3 for about a 4 hour drive. I was very impressed. Beat the Volvo S60 by .2 mpg and the Tiguan carried majority of the luggage. 


Sent while on the run


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## schagaphonic (Aug 24, 2008)

Drove a lot on some secondary highways the past few days. Avg. speeds were 65-70mph
Measured a little over 35MPG. At these lower speeds, Ive been able to hit these mid-30s a few other times too.


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## schagaphonic (Aug 24, 2008)

I recently hit an all-time low of 25.7mpg! I figured out that I had the mode button in SPORT. Moving back to either NORMAL or ECO definitely helps bump up to high 20's.


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## noka648 (Sep 3, 2001)

Mine has gone from high 20's to mid 20's due to less highway and more around town driving.


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## Rtdave87 (May 14, 2019)

Between 16-22, I do a lot of canyon driving to and from work, also I have a Jb4 on Stage 2 setting 4+ psi boost.

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## schagaphonic (Aug 24, 2008)

Rtdave87 said:


> Between 16-22, I do a lot of canyon driving to and from work, also I have a Jb4 on Stage 2 setting 4+ psi boost.
> 
> Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk


Curious if you get low mpg with the JB4 if you're just tooling down the highway at speed limit?


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## Rtdave87 (May 14, 2019)

schagaphonic said:


> Curious if you get low mpg with the JB4 if you're just tooling down the highway at speed limit?


At speed limit I get between 27-30

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## SnarkyGnome (Jul 15, 2019)

I've been noticing a wide swing in difference for in town driving depending on the outside temperature. In the evenings when the temperature is in the 90s, it's between high 20s and low 90s. During the day, when it's 105+, I'll get low high teens, low 20s. Max A/C can be a huge hit to MPG.


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## JSWTDI09 (Feb 22, 2009)

SnarkyGnome said:


> Max A/C can be a huge hit to MPG.


Yes, max A/C does make a difference, but in my experience (100+ degrees is normal here) the biggest killer of mileage is short trips. Short trips with max A/C is even worse. Without A/C I typically get between 26 and 28 mpg with mostly city driving and well over 30 on the highway. However, in June, July, and August I am lucky to get 24 to 25 mpg (again mostly city). These are calculated tank averages. I try to avoid short trips whenever possible, these kill long term mileage. Once the car is cooled off A/C makes a relatively minor impact on mileage (like highway trips). However, when ambient temperature is 108 and the desert sun has been beating down on your car for hours, the first 15 minutes of driving a lot of fuel in consumed just running the A/C compressor.

Have Fun!

Don


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## Rtdave87 (May 14, 2019)

JSWTDI09 said:


> Yes, max A/C does make a difference, but in my experience (100+ degrees is normal here) the biggest killer of mileage is short trips. Short trips with max A/C is even worse. Without A/C I typically get between 26 and 28 mpg with mostly city driving and well over 30 on the highway. However, in June, July, and August I am lucky to get 24 to 25 mpg (again mostly city). These are calculated tank averages. I try to avoid short trips whenever possible, these kill long term mileage. Once the car is cooled off A/C makes a relatively minor impact on mileage (like highway trips). However, when ambient temperature is 108 and the desert sun has been beating down on your car for hours, the first 15 minutes of driving a lot of fuel in consumed just running the A/C compressor.
> 
> Have Fun!
> 
> Don


I run my A/C 24/7 with the windows cracked open even In the winter 

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## dmg924 (Oct 16, 2005)

I get around 27-28 with my 4motion (I have all terrain tires, OEM roof racks, and a cargo basket). I do roughly 100 miles a day in highway driving with ECO mode on at 75-80 mph. A/C is on both ways and windows are up.


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## PZ (May 9, 2002)

9.8mpg on a 1 mile trip to the grocery (4 stop signs in 4 blocks, then 2 lights). 14.5 on the way home with only 3 stop signs, about 30mph. 

A bit better on a 3-4 mile trip to the hardware store, probably 15/20mpg and only 3 stop signs on the way home. 1 mile of highway, then 25mph between the stops.

31.3 on a 28 mile drive,80% highway at 75mph. Then 30.4 on the return with an added 4 mile test drive for my friend. The test drive was 14.5mpg, speeds 20-30mph. 

Huge difference depending on drive types. Short trips are really hurt by the weight and cold engine, hot interior. Pure hwy mpg is still incredible. 

Will head to Austin (200miles) and report. Usual speeds 65-80 depending on traffic. Traffic causes a lot of slower driving vs the constant speed on our long distance trips.


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## Urano17 (Jul 7, 2018)

I’m currently on road trip . A 450 mile trip @ 30.0 mpg. AC on driving 75-80 mph, looking forward to my return trip. Just turned 6k miles on my Tiguan.


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## Zabes64 (Aug 29, 2018)

Last night 52 miles, 47 highway, 5 City, 36.6mpg


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## PZ (May 9, 2002)

200 miles to Austin a few days ago, CC set at 80, avg speed 69mph, 32.4 mpg. Total for tank at refill was 27mpg, but that was with 180 miles of local driving too.
Return trip was yesterday in heavy traffic, CC set at 80, but avg was 61mph and we got 34.3mpg. Temps 100-104.


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## schagaphonic (Aug 24, 2008)

I've been doing a daily 150 mile commute, Denver to Ft. Collins via i-25

Conditions: Mostly HOT, 90-100F
Traffic: Moderate to heavy with lots of stop and go, especially today.
Speeds: All over the place! 0-60-80mph
Mode: "Eco" 
Auto Start/Stop: "Active"

MFD Data:
Highest recorded one-way average: 41.0mpg (northbound) moderate traffic, lower speeds
Lowest recorded one-way average: 31.5mpg (southbound) heavy traffic, 100F

Actual calculation for first tank refill: 352 miles, 10.9 gallons= *32.3mpg *
For second partial tank: 31.2mpg


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## Urano17 (Jul 7, 2018)

Urano17 said:


> I’m currently on road trip . A 450 mile trip @ 30.0 mpg. AC on driving 75-80 mph, looking forward to my return trip. Just turned 6k miles on my Tiguan.


Update return trip of the 450 miles. Cruising speed 65-70 mph. AC on miles went up to 32.4. Im guessing the sweet spot for the best mpg is under 65 mph. Before driving back i did notice i was half on the hash marks on the dip stick. Of course no local auto store stocks the oil. I had to detour to the nearest dealer which was about an hour off our route. Dealer charged 7.99 plus tax. Currently at 7.5k miles. Time to plan the oil change.


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## Nitr01 (Jan 5, 2019)

I have a 19 SE 4motion with 10k miles. Life avg is 30mpg and best trip is 35 mpg. Super happy with it and my wife only has a 15 min trip but that short trip mileage this summer has been great. 

Sent from my LM-G820 using Tapatalk


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## Diego012 (Aug 14, 2019)

2019 SEL. On a recent trip through the San Gabrial Mts to Burbank I averaged 32.4 round trip.


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## __raj (Apr 28, 2018)

Normally we average 29 MPG.

We loaded our 2018 with 4 bikes(hitch) and luggage for family of 5 and large roof top Thule carrier and only managed 23.5 MPG going 70 on highway hills of VT/NH.


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## Tynerion (Dec 24, 2018)

*Update to before.*

Loaded up Tiggy to take a kid to college. 32 hours of freeway driving. (16 there, and 16 back). Was hitting high 30's and for 1 of the 4 tanks of gas hit 40 mpg. 

Pretty much 70mph the entire way, and fairly flat.


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## PZ (May 9, 2002)

Tynerion said:


> Loaded up Tiggy to take a kid to college. 32 hours of freeway driving. (16 there, and 16 back). Was hitting high 30's and for 1 of the 4 tanks of gas hit 40 mpg.
> 
> Pretty much 70mph the entire way, and fairly flat.


 Lucky, when I drove my youngest to college, it was 27 hours one way and I got 23mpg in my V6 4Mo Passat wagon. Hurricane Katrina hit while we were there and the $2 gas on the way up was $4 on the way back!


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## srivkin78 (Aug 31, 2019)

dragonpalm said:


> My 2019 has averaged 23 MPG combined in 4k miles in about 70% city and 30% highway driving. I can get 29-31 MPG on the highway at 60-70 MPH, which is pretty good. However, city driving in Seattle gets me 20-23 MPG, which is pretty disappointing. Comparing to my GTI, even though the Tiguan takes regular fuel and the GTI premium, my Tiguan's avg price per mile is $0.14 and my GTI is $0.13. Not a huge difference but the GTI is still cheaper to driver per mile...


Im.about there as well with 19 SEL Rline 4motion..22 mile commute each way to work lots of bumper to bump stop and go. Car has about 2200 miles. Not very impressive ...my 19 Rav 4 Adventure is getting 26.5 before i gave it to my wife


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## Chavist (Oct 6, 2019)

I'm getting 21mpg mixture of city and Hwy traffic. SE model we have stop and go traffic in Nashville. 

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## 1054521247 (Jun 17, 2018)

i'm so lost how everyone get 30s? Any special modification done??? Something wrong with my car or because the modifications that i did changed ? i have k&n air filter, removed snow plastic, changed driving to direct ? 

My 2019 SEL-P 4 motion gets around 19-21mpg city only; 24-26mpg highway only; combines 22-24mpg. Shell octane 87 is what i normally use on my new tig.
only one time my tig hits 30mpg is from SA to Dallas. where ac is off air is off and eco mode is selected 95% of the time. (shell octane 93 was used in this trip)
All highway driving is done with automatic ACC. 

then i thought shell octane 93(the magic gasoline) has something to do with it. so i drove with shell octane 93 for the same trip 4 different times none of them hit 30 they all average around 24-26mpg....... :bangheadlost again lol)


i knew octane number has noting to do with 2018-2019 Tiguan cause i have tested using different octane with my 2018 FWD Tiguan.


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## brianbgw (Mar 29, 2011)

I think driving habits are the biggest contributor to fuel economy. How fast are your speeds? How many miles is a typical highway cruise for you? What percentage is highway vs city? Spend any time in stop and go traffic? 
I’ve had trips where I only get 24 but it is because of my aggressive driving, speeding, traffic, and short trips. When I’m paying attention and going (close to) the speed limit on a 30+ mile journey I’m always over 30MPG. 


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## 1054521247 (Jun 17, 2018)

brianbgw said:


> I think driving habits are the biggest contributor to fuel economy. How fast are your speeds? How many miles is a typical highway cruise for you? What percentage is highway vs city? Spend any time in stop and go traffic?
> I’ve had trips where I only get 24 but it is because of my aggressive driving, speeding, traffic, and short trips. When I’m paying attention and going (close to) the speed limit on a 30+ mile journey I’m always over 30MPG.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Normally i drive 500 miles weekly, most of my trip is over 200 miles. speed set 80-79mph. not many cars in country roads. so no traffic at all. For 200 miles that i drove i would say 20-40 cars where driving on the road that i will see(give you an idea of what type of traffic). for additional trips to dallas i need to pass austin very light traffic in early morning back after mid night so speed around 70-75mph. no lower then 65mph thats forsure(give you an idea of traffic type). Dallas trip is 300+ miles go and 300+ miles back


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## Passatsquared (Oct 26, 2014)

I am averaging about 29.5 to 30 combined.

I commute 60 miles each way and drive about 20 or 30 miles while at work. Before I leave work my average is up around 34 to 35.5.

It drops on the drive home to 29ish because I drive faster (want to get home to the wife and kids)

I am very impressed with the mileage on this thing


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## brianbgw (Mar 29, 2011)

1054521247 said:


> Normally i drive 500 miles weekly, most of my trip is over 200 miles. speed set 80-79mph. not many cars in country roads. so no traffic at all. For 200 miles that i drove i would say 20-40 cars where driving on the road that i will see(give you an idea of what type of traffic). for additional trips to dallas i need to pass austin very light traffic in early morning back after mid night so speed around 70-75mph. no lower then 65mph thats forsure(give you an idea of traffic type). Dallas trip is 300+ miles go and 300+ miles back


You can’t expect to be doing 80 in a 4,000 lb SUV and get over 30MPG.... I think your mid 20’s numbers are right on point for the limits of Newtonian Physics and the thermal efficiency of a gasoline engine. Slow down for a day and check, but I’d put money on it that your fuel economy will jump right up doing 65. Nothing wrong with the car. 


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## Reihenmotor5 (Dec 1, 2006)

brianbgw said:


> You can’t expect to be doing 80 in a 4,000 lb SUV and get over 30MPG.... I think your mid 20’s numbers are right on point for the limits of Newtonian Physics and the thermal efficiency of a gasoline engine. Slow down for a day and check, but I’d put money on it that your fuel economy will jump right up doing 65. Nothing wrong with the car.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Saw 79-80 myself and that’s the issue. Did a drive from Ocean City to home averaging 68 and got 36.3. That beat the wife’s Volvo S60 getting 36.1. 


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## 1054521247 (Jun 17, 2018)

brianbgw said:


> You can’t expect to be doing 80 in a 4,000 lb SUV and get over 30MPG.... I think your mid 20’s numbers are right on point for the limits of Newtonian Physics and the thermal efficiency of a gasoline engine. Slow down for a day and check, but I’d put money on it that your fuel economy will jump right up doing 65. Nothing wrong with the car.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk





Reihenmotor5 said:


> Saw 79-80 myself and that’s the issue. Did a drive from Ocean City to home averaging 68 and got 36.3. That beat the wife’s Volvo S60 getting 36.1.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk




so after all speed was what it kisses my money?


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## Reihenmotor5 (Dec 1, 2006)

1054521247 said:


> so after all speed was what it kisses my money?


Yes, I think EPA tests MPG ratings at something like 43 mph (it’s been awhile since I looked). Some engines work better at higher speeds, but once you pass that speed it’s diminished returns and your mpg will go south. 


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## brianbgw (Mar 29, 2011)

1054521247 said:


> so after all speed was what it kisses my money?












This super generic graph demonstrates the concept pretty well. Obviously the numbers aren’t exact for a Tiguan but there’s always going to be a “sweet spot” for fuel economy vs speed no matter what you’re driving. 

Image borrowed from:
https://www.mpgforspeed.com


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## brianbgw (Mar 29, 2011)

Reihenmotor5 said:


> Yes, I think EPA tests MPG ratings at something like 43 mph (it’s been awhile since I looked). Some engines work better at higher speeds, but once you pass that speed it’s diminished returns and your mpg will go south.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


The sticker numbers are all calculated by EPA based on vehicle data, it’s not an actual measurement from testing real vehicles. BS in my opinion, but automotive news outlets like Car & Driver, Road & Track, Jalopnik all collect real data and report their fuel economy (among other things) when they review a new car. That’s usually the best source for a true figure, not the Monroney sticker. 


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## Reihenmotor5 (Dec 1, 2006)

brianbgw said:


> The sticker numbers are all calculated by EPA based on vehicle data, it’s not an actual measurement from testing real vehicles. BS in my opinion, but automotive news outlets like Car & Driver, Road & Track, Jalopnik all collect real data and report their fuel economy (among other things) when they review a new car. That’s usually the best source for a true figure, not the Monroney sticker.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Correct I wasn’t implying the EPA got one of each vehicle and tested, it’s based on vehicle data from the manufacturer. If memory serves me right, the MPH that the EPA used to get those numbers was something odd like 43. True the best source are news outlets like the ones you mentioned, long term test drives like on Motorweek and own experience. My Jetta from 2006 that I used to own and this Tiguan perform better than the sticker. A friend I know who owns VW’s experiences the same thing with VW’s outperforming the sticker. My Toyota Highlander (traded that turd in for the Tiguan) never met the sticker ratings, always below and at times significantly. Same with a Chevy and a Ford I used to own. Only other vehicle that did better than ratings that I owned was a ‘91 Civic. 


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## DanSan (Oct 3, 2007)

drove from PA to Florida and back this past week. Most of the drive was on interstate 95, going like 70+ and i was getting low 30's. it was myself, the wife and a bunch of stuff loaded in the back.


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## Tooleman694 (Oct 19, 2019)

My commute to work is about 20 miles, mostly freeway and the trip averages 30 MPG. But if im running around in town, its about 20 or lower.


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## Rtdave87 (May 14, 2019)

JB4 running custom map 15 miles commute 1 way to work, 3/4 of that is through a winding canyon









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## PZ (May 9, 2002)

brianbgw said:


> You can’t expect to be doing 80 in a 4,000 lb SUV and get over 30MPG....
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


 Why not? I certainly have, but without a/c running. Even with a/c I would average 30mpg at 80mph. Weight has very little to do with mpg on the highway. The Tiguan 4Mo has less rolling resistance than my wife's fwd 2005 Golf 2.0 Auto. My 2001 4Mo 1.8T 6sp B5 Passat wagon weighs slightly less than the Tiguan (maybe 200lbs), has a lower CD (.32 vs .35), smaller cross section and only gets 24.8mpg at 80mph with a/c. The torsen 4Mo eats up about 3mpg at 80mph.


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## Rtdave87 (May 14, 2019)

Rtdave87 said:


> JB4 running custom map 15 miles commute 1 way to work, 3/4 of that is through a winding canyon
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Sure you can I did 500 Mile road Trip in Oregon and I averaged 33mog with my jb4 on map3(+5psi) cruising between 75-90miles 

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk


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## Rtdave87 (May 14, 2019)

brianbgw said:


> You can’t expect to be doing 80 in a 4,000 lb SUV and get over 30MPG.... I think your mid 20’s numbers are right on point for the limits of Newtonian Physics and the thermal efficiency of a gasoline engine. Slow down for a day and check, but I’d put money on it that your fuel economy will jump right up doing 65. Nothing wrong with the car.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Sure you can I did 500 Mile road Trip in Oregon and I averaged 33mpg with my jb4 on map3(+5psi) cruising between 75-90miles 

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk


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## VDoubleUVR6 (Aug 21, 2001)

Wife averages mid to upper 18mpg doing only city driving...that's tank average (miles divided gallons) which is pretty close to the MFD.

Depending on how many times I drive it to run errands on the weekends or a quick highway trip, we've seen as high at 21mpg on the tank average (miles divided by gallons)... different driving habits/styles I guess. I can get it into the low 20's around town and have seen upper 20's and/or just at 30 on short highway trips according to the MFD.

'19 4MOTION with a little over 3k miles on the odometer

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## JSWTDI09 (Feb 22, 2009)

I just got home from a 2.5 day drive through Death Valley National Park where I burned through an entire tank of gas. There was some stop and go driving but most of it was cruising between 50 and 70 mph with elevation ranging from 278.9 ft below sea level to over 5,000 ft above it. Seeing most of Death Valley takes a lot of driving and a lot of going up and down mountains. Anyway, my calculated full tank average mileage was 33.2 mpg. Not too shabby!
As an aside, I also noticed that the new ECM & TCM software update helps a lot when passing slower traffic on a 2 lane road.

Have Fun!

Don


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## TofuBoyz (Jul 10, 2018)

JSWTDI09 said:


> I just got home from a 2.5 day drive through Death Valley National Park where I burned through an entire tank of gas. There was some stop and go driving but most of it was cruising between 50 and 70 mph with elevation ranging from 278.9 ft below sea level to over 5,000 ft above it. Seeing most of Death Valley takes a lot of driving and a lot of going up and down mountains. Anyway, my calculated full tank average mileage was 33.2 mpg. Not too shabby!
> As an aside, I also noticed that the new ECM & TCM software update helps a lot when passing slower traffic on a 2 lane road.
> 
> Have Fun!
> ...


Is that ECM and TCM software update something that would be done as part of normal service of the car, or something you need to ask for specifically?


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## JSWTDI09 (Feb 22, 2009)

TofuBoyz said:


> Is that ECM and TCM software update something that would be done as part of normal service of the car, or something you need to ask for specifically?


Read this thread (especially the last few pages)..https://forums.vwvortex.com/showthread.php?9350339-Want-to-fix-your-throttle-response-issues
It is an official VW TSB (Technical Service Bulletin), but apparently dealers can't bill VWoA under your warranty unless your car has certain fault codes stored. 

Have Fun!

Don


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## schagaphonic (Aug 24, 2008)

1054521247 said:


> i'm so lost how everyone get 30s? Any special modification done??? Something wrong with my car or because the modifications that i did changed ? i have k&n air filter, removed snow plastic, changed driving to direct ?
> 
> My 2019 SEL-P 4 motion gets around 19-21mpg city only; 24-26mpg highway only; combines 22-24mpg. Shell octane 87 is what i normally use on my new tig.
> only one time my tig hits 30mpg is from SA to Dallas. where ac is off air is off and eco mode is selected 95% of the time. (shell octane 93 was used in this trip)
> ...


Please give this test a try:

1. find a low traffic part of any flat highway on a day with little wind or weather and set your cruise at 65-70 mph and set drive mode to Eco.
2. go into MFD, Driving Data and reset your "Since Start"
3. 20 miles round trip would be a good distance to see what you end up with. 35mpg should be easily achieved. Let us know what you get.
4. now do the same test at 80mph. Let us know what you get.

I know the MFD is about 5-10% optimistic but it is a useful tool to compare things such as octane, brand of fuel, tire pressure, etc. 
If your numbers are below 30mpg, perhaps we can then give some helpful suggestions. I'll be curious to hear what you come up with.


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## PZ (May 9, 2002)

schagaphonic said:


> Please give this test a try:
> 
> 1. find a low traffic part of any flat highway on a day with little wind or weather and set your cruise at 65-70 mph and set drive mode to Eco.
> 2. go into MFD, Driving Data and reset your "Since Start"
> ...


 At 65-70mph on a Texas highway, he would get run off the road 

Got my 1st bad mpg (relatively), 24.4 over 220 miles. Mostly highway, 80mph with a 30mph (gusts to 40mph) headwind coming back from Austin as the cold front hit. Got 29.5 on the way down due to heavy traffic around Ft Worth.


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## brianbgw (Mar 29, 2011)

PZ said:


> At 65-70mph on a Texas highway, he would get run off the road
> 
> Got my 1st bad mpg (relatively), 24.4 over 220 miles. Mostly highway, 80mph with a 30mph (gusts to 40mph) headwind coming back from Austin as the cold front hit. Got 29.5 on the way down due to heavy traffic around Ft Worth.












Man that’s too bad. Speed limit is 60 here and if you can cruise without too much traffic the fuel economy is pretty impressive in these things. 


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## jimtunes (Mar 29, 2010)

According to Fuelly my per tank average is 26.7, my best was 29.4 that is over a 15,000 mile time frame.


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## PZ (May 9, 2002)

brianbgw said:


> Man that’s too bad. Speed limit is 60 here and if you can cruise without too much traffic the fuel economy is pretty impressive in these things.
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


 Speed limit is 75 on most interstates here (except in cities it's usually 65) and a toll road he normally takes from San Antonio to past Austin has an 80mph limit. Even with doing 80, I get passed a lot on the highway.


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## schagaphonic (Aug 24, 2008)

schagaphonic said:


> Please give this test a try:
> 
> 1. find a low traffic part of any flat highway on a day with little wind or weather and set your cruise at 65-70 mph and set drive mode to Eco.
> 2. go into MFD, Driving Data and reset your "Since Start"
> ...



Before all the recent snow I made an airport run with fair weather conditions, roughly 50F degrees.
I reset my "since start" MPG readout once I got up to speed on the hwy.
I dropped my friend off at the airport and looped back the same route.
Exited the hwy, average speed was 62mph, distance was 46 miles, "Since start" MPG readout was _*43.5mpg *_
I was just keeping up with traffic in the right lane, doing nothing special.
This readout is for comparison data only and does not reflect on my real tank averages.


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## uhhi129 (May 6, 2019)

Hey everyone just thought I’d share some recent trip info. I left this morning from Pittsburgh to NYC with a total of 4 adults in the car and luggage. Pennsylvania is notoriously hilly. At an average speed of 64 mph I got 27.6 mpg. I’m driving a 2018 tiguan sel r line 4-motion












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## IbsFt (Dec 15, 2018)

schagaphonic said:


> Before all the recent snow I made an airport run with fair weather conditions, roughly 50F degrees.
> I reset my "since start" MPG readout once I got up to speed on the hwy.
> I dropped my friend off at the airport and looped back the same route.
> Exited the hwy, average speed was 62mph, distance was 46 miles, "Since start" MPG readout was _*43.5mpg *_
> ...


Unless I’m misunderstanding what you are saying, I'm sorry but you couldn’t have come up with a more useless number! What are you trying to accomplish? By getting up to speed, resetting your lie o meter, then stopping and starting again, you have way over inflated your mpg AND kept the variability due operator acceleration behavior in the mix. If you want to take the operator’s lead foot out of the equation, then do a flying mile with the cruise control on. IE get up to speed, turn on the cruise and reset the lie o meter and read the number before shutting the cruise off. The number generated will then be just the mpg to keep the car rolling at speed and should be comparable across vehicles (assuming no major aerodynamic differences, like a monster roof rack or other high drag accessories). Other than to compare vehicles directly to each other while eliminating the differences in operators’ acceleration behavior, that number too has no real world meaning since we all have to get up to speed! 

For useful mpg numbers either reset the meter and go stop to stop or do a flying measurement. And as always, do an actual gallons added to the tank vs miles traveled calculation as a backup to the lie o meter.


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## IbsFt (Dec 15, 2018)

brianbgw said:


> The sticker numbers are all calculated by EPA based on vehicle data, it’s not an actual measurement from testing real vehicles. BS in my opinion, but automotive news outlets like Car & Driver, Road & Track, Jalopnik all collect real data and report their fuel economy (among other things) when they review a new car. That’s usually the best source for a true figure, not the Monroney sticker.





Reihenmotor5 said:


> Correct I wasn’t implying the EPA got one of each vehicle and tested, it’s based on vehicle data from the manufacturer. If memory serves me right, the MPH that the EPA used to get those numbers was something odd like 43. True the best source are news outlets like the ones you mentioned, long term test drives like on Motorweek and own experience. My Jetta from 2006 that I used to own and this Tiguan perform better than the sticker. A friend I know who owns VW’s experiences the same thing with VW’s outperforming the sticker. My Toyota Highlander (traded that turd in for the Tiguan) never met the sticker ratings, always below and at times significantly. Same with a Chevy and a Ford I used to own. Only other vehicle that did better than ratings that I owned was a ‘91 Civic.


Well _*someone*_ was physically testing VW's vehicles....


https://www.apnews.com/26837576f971441fa6fbf0baaa7f6d31 said:


> The agency and the California Air Resources Board found that transmission software on the gas vehicles made them shift differently during government lab tests on treadmills so they got better mileage and polluted less than when they were on the road.
> ....
> VW Group said it also settled lawsuits filed by owners and will reimburse them for overstated mileage. Under the settlement, valued at $96.5 million, owners will get payments ranging from $5.40 to $24.30 for each month that they have owned or leased the vehicles. Any money that doesn’t go to owners will be used for environmental remediation.
> .......
> The revisions of about one mile per gallon (0.4 kilometer per liter) cover VWs as well as affiliated brands Audi, Porsche and Bentley. All are from the 2013 through 2017 model years.


 What is lost in all these shenanigans is that of the million or so vehicles with the cheat software only 98,000 got lower than the Window sticker numbers. That is pretty darn good.


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## IbsFt (Dec 15, 2018)

1054521247 said:


> i'm so lost how everyone get 30s? Any special modification done??? Something wrong with my car or because the modifications that i did changed ? i have k&n air filter, removed snow plastic, changed driving to direct ?
> 
> My 2019 SEL-P 4 motion gets around 19-21mpg city only; 24-26mpg highway only; combines 22-24mpg. Shell octane 87 is what i normally use on my new tig.
> only one time my tig hits 30mpg is from SA to Dallas. where ac is off air is off and eco mode is selected 95% of the time. (shell octane 93 was used in this trip)
> ...


A study of what people claim for MPG vs their actual MPG would be a great thesis paper. There are physical reasons and psychological reasons for the wide variation in claimed mpg.

Physical reasons for varying mpg claims:

1. Driving style

2. Where you drive and the local speed limits. Driving on open rural roads @ 55 mph will give high mpg compared to city or 70+ mph highway driving.

3. Mechanical reasons: awd vs fwd, tire rolling resistance and tire inflation pressure, fuel quality (ie content of ethanol), ambient temperature, roof racks or mud flaps or other aerodynamic drag inducing accessories, etc.

4. How the claimed mpg number is determined matters: is it a hand calculated average over several full tanks or a one tank wonder? Is it from the vehicle's lie-o-meter? If so is it instantaneous mpg or a rolling average? If rolling average when was it last reset? Is the meter even accurate? Is the vehicle's odometer accurate? Were the stock tires replaced with tires having a different loaded radius? 

Number 4 also falls under the psychological reasons too, which are more complicated. It appears that people tend to report their highest numbers ever achieved even though their true average is lower. As you can see in this thread, the claim of 40 mpg @ 70 mph is most certainly due to a short fill of the tank, a massive tail wind, some other physical reason or even just a miscalculation. Clearly it is an outlier and should be ignored. Yet there it is for the world to see. Any of these high mpg outliers raises everyone's expectations and causes disappointment when your car doesn't even get in the mid 30's. Sure there are some "hyper milers" who can squeeze phenomenal mpg out of any vehicle, but those are few and far between.

So the window sticker should be a good starting point for mpg expectations. If you are getting way lower than the window sticker with a stock vehicle and there are no obvious causes, like you drive very aggressively (accelerating hard all the time), then a trip to the dealer is in order. Mechanical issues, such as air leaks downstream of the turbo (ie boost leaks), dragging calipers, and many other things can cause poor mpg.

Our Tig averages 27 overall and 30 highway. All hand calculated over 11K miles. The only accessory/modification is a set of factory mud flaps. The car's lie o meter is about 1 mpg optimistic, which is very good, but I'll still only believe mpg that is hand calculated across several tanks. Our gas has the mandated ethanol, though there is now way to know how much. Maybe a fwd Tig with big wheels and the hard riding rubber band tires can get mid 30's, but I'm ok with this mpg out of our 4 motion with its 17" wheels and softer riding tires.


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## schagaphonic (Aug 24, 2008)

IbsFt said:


> A study of what people claim for MPG vs their actual MPG would be a great thesis paper. There are physical reasons and psychological reasons for the wide variation in claimed mpg.
> 
> Physical reasons for varying mpg claims:
> 
> ...


One other big variable I've noticed is both wind and cold temps.

Go to: http://www.fuelly.com/car/volkswagen/tiguan to get the most reliable data for any vehicle and most trim levels to compare. Sure there are many exaggerated claims, but most people are honest and you can easily determine the real data from the rest. Most all of our MQB Tiguans are getting real tank averages of around 25mpgs. Most higher trim levels with heavier, wider wheel/tire sets will get lower numbers.


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## zackdawley (Oct 4, 2011)

It's gone down about 2mph since the TSB, but well worth it.









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## AkiraSieghart (Nov 20, 2019)

My 2018 SEL-P usually averages around 26-28 MPG. That's in custom with acceleration in eco, steering in sport, and everything else in normal.


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## zackdawley (Oct 4, 2011)

AkiraSieghart said:


> My 2018 SEL-P usually averages around 26-28 MPG. That's in custom with acceleration in eco, steering in sport, and everything else in normal.


You might want to reverse that. Eco mode is bad news if you have an aggressive foot. 

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## manny3118 (Nov 20, 2019)

Serjim said:


> I have the same issue, 16mpg per tank at the city.
> My Tiguan have 4500miles I think it’s to thirsty for a 2.0tsi 4 motion dsg and in ECO mode.
> Does any one have some recommendations??


Same here. 4 motion SE gets 15-18 mpg in LA traffic. Sort of wish I had stuck with FWD as I hear those are a little better on gas.


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## zackdawley (Oct 4, 2011)

manny3118 said:


> Same here. 4 motion SE gets 15-18 mpg in LA traffic. Sort of wish I had stuck with FWD as I hear those are a little better on gas.


Try driving in sport mode...

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## AkiraSieghart (Nov 20, 2019)

zackdawley said:


> You might want to reverse that. Eco mode is bad news if you have an aggressive foot.
> 
> Sent from my ONEPLUS A6013 using Tapatalk


I don't really have an aggressive foot so eco acceleration doesn't bother me. I just prefer steering in sport because eco steering is too light for me.


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## zackdawley (Oct 4, 2011)

AkiraSieghart said:


> I don't really have an aggressive foot so eco acceleration doesn't bother me. I just prefer steering in sport because eco steering is too light for me.


Have you tried driving in sport for an extended period? Might be worth a try...

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## zackdawley (Oct 4, 2011)

I guess the other detail is quality of gas... There's a big difference between E0 and grocery store 85 octane...

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## AkiraSieghart (Nov 20, 2019)

zackdawley said:


> Have you tried driving in sport for an extended period? Might be worth a try...
> 
> Sent from my ONEPLUS A6013 using Tapatalk


I have but I'm not a huge fan of how long the car hangs revs in sport. I'd prefer driving in normal.


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## azgman (Aug 16, 2016)

2019 Tig SE FWD with about 6k miles. 29.0 mpg average over the last 2500 miles with an average speed of 34mph, so plenty of stop and go.


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## MrSmith4 (Aug 2, 2019)

zackdawley said:


> You might want to reverse that. Eco mode is bad news if you have an aggressive foot.
> 
> Sent from my ONEPLUS A6013 using Tapatalk


Why is it bad news?


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## zackdawley (Oct 4, 2011)

MrSmith4 said:


> Why is it bad news?


If you have a heavy foot you'll end up burning more gas as it will always try to be in a high gear.

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## LTBM (Dec 13, 2019)

*MPG with 1075 Miles*

Mostly driving in rural and US101 driving here in Ca. SLO Co.
My best to date has been 27.6 MPG. 
This is with 4Motion.
My measurements are taken once I fill-up tank, not what the display reads at any given moment.
My average is based on my last three gas fill-up stops.
David


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## zackdawley (Oct 4, 2011)

I'm about half gridlock half rural highway by distance and I average 27.5 by tank AWD on nonethanol

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## azgman (Aug 16, 2016)

I did I-10 from Chandler to Tucson and back yesterday. Cruise set to 80. I got 29 going South (and uphill) and 31 coming back North. Acceptable!


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## schagaphonic (Aug 24, 2008)

36.1 MPG, manual calculation, 318 miles and 8.8 gal.

100% hwy driving in the mountains and very little traffic. These are the best numbers I've ever had. My avg. speed was around 65mph on 2 lane hwy.


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## Overso (Mar 16, 2021)

Hi everyone,
Just bought VW Tiguan 2018 FWD (2l, 184hp) couple weeks ago. Very happy with this car.

After some timet it shows very good numbers on highway - usually around 7-7.5 l/100km.
In city it very depends on a distance, around 10-11, sometimes more.

those numbers above are shown only some time after the trip begun.
Just after the ignition,1-2 minutes after it- the car shows 30-40 liters/100kms. But this number drops quite fast.
Does only my car do it or everyone has it?

Here are some photos with fuel consumption by minutes:
Minute 25, 15 and 10 - it's exactly when the car was started after I went to stores (I had a small trip ).
There is a small arrow indicating higher consumption at those minutes.

First photo is liters/100kms,
Other one is the same, but units are miles/gallon for convenience


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## jonese (Jun 21, 2020)

Startup high consumption seems a reasonable situation, I mean, you're not moving initially (or very slow), so you're consuming fuel without any effective distance happening. It lasting a few minutes could be some smoothing algorithm they have in place to reduce the spikes on the graph.

Personally, I don't use that screen (other than I may bump into it every few weeks by accident), I'm mainly use the fuel consumption between refills page.


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