What's Your Best Fuel Consumption?

[gsidave 3]

My best consuption was in my BMW diesel over 600 miles to a tank lol.

Not really given the red gti a run but my old White one as pretty good

[welshpug 1,657]

Crikey!

 

Quite believable, same engine in a 306 Rallye easily beat the original 2.0 for fuel consumption, pace, and noise

 

Can;t argue with 200 lbft from an unstressed 3.0

[allye 530 3 Cars]

got over 60mpg from the 309 a while ago on a trip to Taunton and back (190,000 miles as well)

 

Rallye is not so good, never worked it out but its never over 35mpg. But then I don't drive it like a diesel, I drive it like it wants to be!

[Miles 331 1 Cars]

Yes it's the phase2 Xsara, Surprised me how much better it is with no real lack of performance, One reason why I'm keeping it for him and semi retiring the 306

The 309 V6 does well, never tested it fully but did Rockingham and back on around half a tank, the Estate I've seen 6.5mpg on the trip and best of 999.9 downhill

[cybernck 402 1 Cars]

Brimmed it to go and pick up my roll cage at the weekend, currently on 280 miles at half a tank so I reckon this one could be a goodie.

Has anyone else found that 205's fuel level gauge is anything but linear?

 

I've always used to get excited with how many miles I'd done with less than half a tank gone

only for the needle to rapidly go down very quickly from then on .

 

My 405 T16 was bad on fuel consumption, even worse in snow and horrific on track.

 

And I find it funny how my 307 2.0 16v with auto gearbox, aircon and 500 kg over 205's weight,

still has the same fuel consumption round town .

[Cameron 16]

Yep! Half a tank in mine is more like 2/3rds.

 

I'm sure I saw a pic somewhere, might have been a French dash, where the half-way point was at 2/3rds.

[Anthony 1,003]

I'm sure I saw a pic somewhere, might have been a French dash, where the half-way point was at 2/3rds.

I think it's possibly an early dash thing, as the spare Phase 1 cluster that I've got is like this with the non-linear gauge. Other oddities on it too, like single digits on the rev counter, and a door open light in place of the engine check light.

 

 

That's probably the photo that you're thinking of

[Cameron 16]

Yep, that's the one! Would be a good mod to swap them over into a GTI dash, specially as you have the numbers on the oil pressure guessometer too.

[Alan_M 66 1 Cars]

205 is on 0 (in the garage) but the 306 regularly gets 40 I was thinking of getting rid of it recently, for an E30/E36 touring. But I remember my old 530, and it's thirst. That thing saw 20mpg on a good day, nudged single figures when I managed to get from Birmingham to Aldermaston in under an hour. Great car though!

 

My best consuption was in my BMW diesel over 600 miles to a tank lol.

Not really given the red gti a run but my old White one as pretty good

 

The consumption in my 120d was pants. Never really getting above 40mpg, and usually low 30s. Not the most economical DERV out there, but probably the most entertaining IMO.

[jackherer 543]

But I remember my old 530, and it's thirst. That thing saw 20mpg on a good day, nudged single figures when I managed to get from Birmingham to Aldermaston in under an hour. Great car though!

 

 

I get 25+ from a 540i 4.4 V8 without really trying so I'd say you had a problem with it.

[dcc 855]

The old man has a chevy suburban, 5.7 v8 efi, on a run he hits 22mpg, towing it has been known to hit single figures. I guess thats why the fuel tank is around 150ltrs!

[Anthony 1,003]

I get 25+ from a 540i 4.4 V8 without really trying so I'd say you had a problem with it.

The problem was the weight of the drivers right foot

 

When I borrowed it off him, I was getting mid-20's average (roughly book figures IIRC) and got over 30mpg at one point to his amazement.

 

It was the original E34 12v M30 engined variant btw - the much later M54 24v variant (E39 etc) is quite frugal by all accounts.

[cybernck 402 1 Cars]

It seems that they had changed the print for the fuel gauge but left the calibration like it was .

[feb 47]

Has anyone else found that 205's fuel level gauge is anything but linear? I've always used to get excited with how many miles I'd done with less than half a tank gone only for the needle to rapidly go down very quickly from then on .

 

Indeed, this was half of the reason I got excited when I saw 225 miles having used just over half a tank.

I guess if I continued on the same rythm I would have another 120 miles or so until the yellow light.

[Anthony 1,003]

I only take a 205 fuel gauge to be accurate when it's full and when it's empty - anywhere between the two seems to only be accurate to within a quarter of a tank at best thanks to the non-linear response of the sender, coupled with the apparent ability to lose or gain a couple of gallons each time you go round a corner or up/down a hill.

 

To me - if the gauge reads full, you've got ¾ tank or more, when the gauge reads empty and the light is flicking you've got a couple of gallons, when empty and light is on solid you've a gallon, and when the pump is whining more than your passenger it's time to find a petrol station PDQ. Anything above and beyond that is at best an educated guess...

 

Very loosely though, the "old style" fuel gauge I pictured above does seem to be more representative of reality than the usual gauge.

[boldy205 75]

I get through about two tanks nearly every time i drive my 205. (only realy comes out for track days!)

[allye 530 3 Cars]

when the pump is whining more than your passenger it's time to find a petrol station PDQ.

 

I've only done this twice in the Rallye and s**t myself. Got to a petrol station very quick indeed!

[Paul_13 212 1 Cars]

330 miles a tank in the Gti Not sure what that is in MPG

[Miguelhbx 2]

Mine does 6, 6 and a half liters per 100 KM if i do economical driving, if i'm going all out , 8, 9 liters/100KM.

It's a 91 XS BTW.

In economical drive it's really less thirsty than many cars, with 10€ I make something like 100km and the gas is at 1.68€/litre over here.

[welshpug 1,657]

depends how many litres it took to fill back up, anything around 45 would be 32-33mpg.

[Petrolsniffer 3]

270miles out of very mixed driving

 

You can have fun and save dosh at the same time

[P_Monty 2]

I'm getting 320-340 miles from a tankful which is giving me a warm feeling that the engine is basically sound (quick touch some wood..)

I was wondering though, I remember seeing on here somewhere a discussion about the merits of underbody trays to improve speed on racing vehicles (i.e. front only, full length, rear only etc) which made me wonder would such a thing help with fuel economy and if so, to what extent. I'm guessing it would only be at motorway speeds when aerodynamics have more of an effect ....

[allye 530 3 Cars]

I'm guessing it would only be at motorway speeds when aerodynamics have more of an effect ....

 

Trying to improve the aerodynamics of a 205?

[P_Monty 2]

A fair point

[GeorgeXS 32]

I never got more than 38 out of the XS, but the fuelling was never set up properly.

I did recently get 45 out of the ZX going to wales, with the boot rammed full of biking stuff which i was quite pleased at, was hardly being frugal either!