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How do Audi get these figures?

Posted: Sun Aug 24, 2014 10:28 am
by V8RS6
I'm on my 3rd month now with my C7 RS6. I just love this car!
It does need a complete brain calibration though to master the stupendous acceleration...I've never driven anything like it before (And that includes my previous XFR, M5, Testarossa, DeTomaso Pantera and 850i). I honestly can't see myself driving any other car.....even my try out of the BMW i8 last week left me distinctly unimpressed..compared to my C7.
From the dealer service to the car itself I am really enjoying the Audi brand experience which is surprising to say the least because up until the RS6 I had never given Audi a second thought apart from enjoying the R8 telly commercial. In the last 3 months of driving this incredible car I've really appreciated the high quality of workmanship, the car is a solid as a rock, not a squeak or rattle to be heard anywhere and everything works as it should and intuitively...(it would be 10 out of 10 if only the ventilation could change from auto to manual with one press of the switch).
Having said all this I do have one niggling doubt, thats not with the car but with Audi itself. How on earth do they get their fuel consumption figures of Extra Urban 37.7 mpg?
Now I have to admit that I couldn't give a flying toss about getting this much out of my car, I'm more than happy to get 25mpg on a long run. When the car is driven as its meant to be driven, which IMO is 'adventurous but safe' I'm still smiling with getting 19mpg.
But come on Audi, it damages your brand integrity when you make such claims as 37.7mpg and most C7 drivers know there isn't a chance in hell to get anywhere near these figures! To try and prove a point I recently travelled 70 miles along the A14 early on a Sunday morning with practically nothing on the road so almost zero braking. I set the cruise to 50mph, the road was almost completely flat for the whole journey, Air Condition was off (I've found that with all 4 zones on it makes 3-4 mpg difference). I selected 'Comfort' mode (Dynamic crucifies the mpg) and no heater or headlights on, the sunroof was closed and nobody on board except me. I got an impressive 29mpg.
I'd love for somebody to prove to me that 37.7mpg is possible.
As for the return journey, it was dynamic mode, a spirited '71mph'...the sports exhaust barking away, and I arrived home with a huge smile on my face...with 22.8mpg....well, well worth it :D

Re: How do Audi get these figures?

Posted: Sun Aug 24, 2014 11:23 am
by wildbore
I must say this is my one anxiety about the car (I am on the list for one early next year). Although I am happy to see the fuel go quickly when I am in "spirited" mode, I would quite like a decent return for the trips acorss Europe (where my current car gives a comforatble 40-43mpg).

I saw on a video on YouTube that, when the 4 Cylinder mode is active, there is a message on the DIP. Are you certain that 4 Cylinder mode was activated?

Someone on here posted only yesterday on another thread that they got 37mpg when they specifically tried to get the most mpg out of the car.

Re: How do Audi get these figures?

Posted: Sun Aug 24, 2014 11:34 am
by V8RS6
wildbore wrote:I must say this is my one anxiety about the car (I am on the list for one early next year). Although I am happy to see the fuel go quickly when I am in "spirited" mode, I would quite like a decent return for the trips acorss Europe (where my current car gives a comforatble 40-43mpg).

I saw on a video on YouTube that, when the 4 Cylinder mode is active, there is a message on the DIP. Are you certain that 4 Cylinder mode was activated?

Someone on here posted only yesterday on another thread that they got 37mpg when they specifically tried to get the most mpg out of the car.
It was the post yesterday that somebody said they got 37mpg that prompted me to write this post because only last week I called my dealer to enquire if 37mpg was possible and he replied that in his personal experience he had never known any of his C7 customers get anywhere near that figure. Thats not to say it can't be done....I'd just like to know how. The 4 pot mode indicator did show as active for the best part of my 70 mile journey but just the very slightest incline or dab on the brakes and it went back to 8 pot again.

Re: How do Audi get these figures?

Posted: Sun Aug 24, 2014 12:29 pm
by HYFR
The advertised mpg is not meant to represent something achievable in real world driving

Re: How do Audi get these figures?

Posted: Sun Aug 24, 2014 4:27 pm
by Ian_C
V8RS6 wrote:....I recently travelled 70 miles along the A14 early on a Sunday morning with practically nothing on the road so almost zero braking. I set the cruise to 50mph, the road was almost completely flat for the whole journey, Air Condition was off (I've found that with all 4 zones on it makes 3-4 mpg difference). I selected 'Comfort' mode (Dynamic crucifies the mpg) and no heater or headlights on, the sunroof was closed and nobody on board except me. I got an impressive 29mpg.
With adaptive cruise and lane assist did you have a snooze? :biggrin3:

Am guessing that was through road works...

Re: How do Audi get these figures?

Posted: Sun Aug 24, 2014 4:54 pm
by V8RS6
Believe me Ian......an empty road in an RS6...takes a lot of willpower not to use the wellies :bigblink:

Re: How do Audi get these figures?

Posted: Sun Aug 24, 2014 4:56 pm
by Ian_C
V8RS6 wrote:Believe me Ian......an empty road in an RS6...takes a lot of willpower not to use the wellies :bigblink:
God yeah, 50 mph must have felt like you were standing still!

Re: How do Audi get these figures?

Posted: Sun Aug 24, 2014 6:33 pm
by gdavison
HYFR wrote:The advertised mpg is not meant to represent something achievable in real world driving
The quoted Official fuel figures are obtained from a series of tests known as the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC). This is supposed to represent typical usage, though in reality it does nothing of the sort - conducted in a laboratory at 20-30 deg C on a flat rolling road

• No vehicle pre-warming allowed
• An electrical machine simulates wind resistance and vehicle inertia
• Air-conditioning compressor, fan, lights, radio and other electrical equipment switched off
• The urban test involves accelerating and slowing down several times, steady speeds and engine idling. It covers 2.5 miles at an average speed of 9mph and a maximum of 31mph
• The extra-urban test involves 50 per cent steady-speed driving plus some acceleration and slowing down and engine idling. It covers 4.3 miles at an average speed of 39mph and a maximum of 75mph
• The official combined figure is an average resulting from the urban and extra-urban tests, weighted by the distances covered.

Re: How do Audi get these figures?

Posted: Sun Aug 24, 2014 7:08 pm
by V8RS6
I wonder if Jaguar and BMW carry out the NEDC tests the same way as Audi do?
Jaguar stated that I could expect 27mpg on Motorway drives with my XFR...best I could ever get was around 25mpg so quite close to the amount their sales blurb claimed.
BMW stated that I'd get 28mpg with my M5 on the Motorway...and I regularly achieved 28mpg.
The Audi RS6 brochure claims 37mpg 'extra urban' driving but as previously explained, even if I drive it like a hearse I am lucky to get 29mpg.
Something must be different in the way they test their cars!
That aside, even if I only got 19mpg on the motorway, I wouldn't change this car, I just wish Audi wouldn't be so expedient with the truth...they have no need to claim these daft figures.
:thumbsdown:

Re: How do Audi get these figures?

Posted: Sun Aug 24, 2014 7:14 pm
by Golfather
Fook mpg

Re: How do Audi get these figures?

Posted: Sun Aug 24, 2014 7:34 pm
by doodlebug
Golfather wrote:Fook mpg
This!!

Re: How do Audi get these figures?

Posted: Sun Aug 24, 2014 7:49 pm
by HYFR
But Audi's extra urban on this car is pro dominantly on 4 cylinders....if you don't replicate this then you have no chance

Re: How do Audi get these figures?

Posted: Sun Aug 24, 2014 7:53 pm
by Puma
V8RS6 wrote:I'm on my 3rd month now with my C7 RS6. I just love this car!
It does need a complete brain calibration though to master the stupendous acceleration...I've never driven anything like it before (And that includes my previous XFR, M5, Testarossa, DeTomaso Pantera and 850i). I honestly can't see myself driving any other car.....even my try out of the BMW i8 last week left me distinctly unimpressed..compared to my C7.
From the dealer service to the car itself I am really enjoying the Audi brand experience which is surprising to say the least because up until the RS6 I had never given Audi a second thought apart from enjoying the R8 telly commercial. In the last 3 months of driving this incredible car I've really appreciated the high quality of workmanship, the car is a solid as a rock, not a squeak or rattle to be heard anywhere and everything works as it should and intuitively...(it would be 10 out of 10 if only the ventilation could change from auto to manual with one press of the switch).
Having said all this I do have one niggling doubt, thats not with the car but with Audi itself. How on earth do they get their fuel consumption figures of Extra Urban 37.7 mpg?
Now I have to admit that I couldn't give a flying toss about getting this much out of my car, I'm more than happy to get 25mpg on a long run. When the car is driven as its meant to be driven, which IMO is 'adventurous but safe' I'm still smiling with getting 19mpg.
But come on Audi, it damages your brand integrity when you make such claims as 37.7mpg and most C7 drivers know there isn't a chance in hell to get anywhere near these figures! To try and prove a point I recently travelled 70 miles along the A14 early on a Sunday morning with practically nothing on the road so almost zero braking. I set the cruise to 50mph, the road was almost completely flat for the whole journey, Air Condition was off (I've found that with all 4 zones on it makes 3-4 mpg difference). I selected 'Comfort' mode (Dynamic crucifies the mpg) and no heater or headlights on, the sunroof was closed and nobody on board except me. I got an impressive 29mpg.
I'd love for somebody to prove to me that 37.7mpg is possible.
As for the return journey, it was dynamic mode, a spirited '71mph'...the sports exhaust barking away, and I arrived home with a huge smile on my face...with 22.8mpg....well, well worth it :D
I have only had my car 2 days and i was playing around with the contols on my way back from wales.
Turn the screen on that shows the trip computer and there is a bar that shows MPG if your carful you can keep it in 4 cylinder mode at about 60mph. This is where i got the 37mpg.
Trust me i had to work at it to get this it possibly wont happen again lol

Re: How do Audi get these figures?

Posted: Sun Aug 24, 2014 8:05 pm
by adsgreen
A couple years ago, an Australian mag had a competition as to who could go on this massive drive (over 1k km) in a factory car and beat the published stats.
The winner? A VXR8 6.2 l v8. Beat out the prius and all other smaller cars. IIRC in fact it was the only car to consistently score higher than it's published figures

Re: How do Audi get these figures?

Posted: Sun Aug 24, 2014 8:39 pm
by adsgreen
Standard rule of thumb - take the urban figure... That'll be your real world average... so 20.3 mpg which is pretty much bang on :)

I think it's fair to say as above- the condition is representative of the real world however you can (well, in some instances - lets exclude hybrid for start) compare like with like.

In order to get high mpg you have to steer clear of the cruise control... it does completely the opposite to what you need to do.