VW Polo breaks 100 MPG in NEDC test cycle

[Draigflag]

I knew it wouldn't be long, now I've just been looking at the fuel stats for the new VW Polo and noticed it achieved an incredible 108 MPG during the "Highway" or "extra urban" test during the European economy tests (NEDC) It managed an impressive 91 MPG average. It seems German diesels are now overtaking the French in terms of low emissions and economy, they are constantly developing ways to save every last drop of fuel, very impressive stuff.

Now we all know how manufactures manipulate test results, so it's probable that these figures are grossly exaggerated and will be near impossible for most people during every day driving, but for hypermilers, this might just be the car for you, and even if you shave 25 MPG off the test figures for "real World" driving, it's still amazing economy regardless of any lab test.

Thanks for reading, thoughts, discussion and opinions welcome

[Jcp385]

Import them!

Oh. Wait...the hippes won't let us have efficient cars.

[Draigflag]

They are all Euro 6 engines now, so the only excuse not to sell cars like this in the US is old fashioned attitudes and huge diesel scepticism!

[trollbait]

EPA is a bit more stringent on NOx than Euro, so a Euro 6 car may not meet the US standard.

The real reason we see so few diesel models is because of the cost difference between regular and diesel. Right now diesel is 90 cents to a dollar more per gallon by me. It has to be around 50 cents different for the cost per mile to come out even. Which won't impress people when the diesel model is a few grand more.

[Draigflag]

They should at least give people the option to drive a diesel if they so wish, these insanely high economy figures would surely attract some people. A lot of people drive hybrids even though most of the time a diesel will cost less and save more money in the long run. I'm not sure how broad the car market is in the US, but here when buying a new car, your choice is almost limitless. For example, VW's Golf, there are 11 different engine varients avalaible when buying a new one ELEVEN!

[luckypants]

Any chance of a link to the test you were reading? Also which model was this for? In the market for a new car for the Mrs. and the Polo is being considered, but have not seen any similar mileage claims while look.

PS a Clio like yours is also being considered.....

[Dozenspeed]

Originally Posted by Draigflag

I'm not sure how broad the car market is in the US, but here when buying a new car, your choice is almost limitless. For example, VW's Golf, there are 11 different engine varients avalaible when buying a new one ELEVEN!

HA! We are no where close. You could effectively sell cars here out of a vending machine. In 2015, there is ONE 4cyl diesel engine in any VW TDI car. (a 6cyl in the SUV) A 5-Series BMW in Germany may have 37 powertrain options, here there may be 5 counting xDrive, none with a manual transmission. Manual transmissions here represent less than 4% of all car sales, and I'd say available on only about 5% of the offerings. A car model here would consist of maybe 4-5 trim levels and and 2-5 options, mostly dealer stuff like trunk/boot lips and chrome exhaust tips. Things like nav, audio systems and sliding roofs are confined within the limited trim levels. For example, one cannot buy a VW Passat with a sliding roof AND a manual trans. Manual is only in the base model. You probably can't get the better stereo either. Chrysler will sell you all a manual minivan (people carrier) or with a diesel or both, but here it is automatic gasoline or you don't get one.

[trollbait]

With numbers here on the window sticker closer to what people would actually get, a diesel numbers aren't has impressive as before the 2008 changes. The Prius with 50mpg is the highest. Which isn't helped with the test geared more towards gasoline cars. A diesels official figures can be 10% lower than what a typical driver gets. The number of diesel options has increased recently. Mostly from the luxury German brands though.

But this is America. Anything with a 0 to 60 time nearing 10secs is considered slow. So nobody has offered any of their real thrifty diesels. The smallest we get is 2L. The new Ram truck, Jeep, and most of the Audi's are 3L V6s. They do return impressive numbers if driven for it considering.

The smallest VW we get is the Golf/Jetta/Beetle. While the Chevy Spark is doing well, there is no word of the Polo ever coming here.

When it comes to drive train options, the most we'll get is four. The Fusion has a base 4 cylinder, a fuel efficient Ecoboost, a power Ecoboost, and the hybrid. Models with a diesel option might have three. Most have only two, and plenty with just one. In balance, our cars generally cost less, because there isn't the overhead of offering more options.

The majority of manual transmissions sold are in sports cars. The Scion/Subaru twin sales are almost half manuals. Because of that, even the manuals on econo cars were geared for performance. When the shift from 4 speeds to 5 happened, many had the same ratio for the final gear. So there wasn't the fuel economy gain on paper for getting a manual. They are mostly still offered as a loss leader for advertisements.

[Draigflag]

Its always fascinating to learn about the different car markets. Its easy to assume things in Europe and the US are quite similar. Truth is, things are pretty different! It's strange how 0-60 or straight line acceleration is still a pressing issue when buying a car in the US though. Most people dont even look at the 0-60 times now, with the way the roads are designed and built here, handling and ride performance are usually priority, after economy of course, and diesels often feel much quicker than they are too, so the misleading 0-60 times on paper are often ignored anyway. The sensation of speed is what's important, and often that sensation arrives quicker and is more apparent in a small, light agile rev happy car than something big smooth and refined which can numb the general driving experience somewhat. Take a Mazda MX5 for example, its not going to break any World records in any drag races, and yet its the worlds best selling convertible, light agile and perfect weight distribution, its handling performance would embarrass cars two or three times its size. Sorry, waffled on a bit there...

[trollbait]

I agree on the sensation of speed being important, and actual 0-60 times aren't. It seems the automotive press has more sway over what the manufacturers offer, and what people want. Still couldn't get my friend into the hybrid over the V6 Avalon. He feels the 20mpg on the display is good enough.