D5 (D5244T to 2005) Cold vs Warm Fuel Economy

[BritishBlue]

I bought my '03 V70 D5 SE second hand last May and have come to appreciate its finer and quirkier points!

I have learned that if you use the cruise control as much as possible the car returns 42mpg or better during the warmer months, but no more than 35mpg at this time of year.

The car has just under 70K on the clock and I'm still extremely happy with it, but I can't get my head around why there is so much of a drop in fuel economy?

I've also noticed that the engine's very 'growly' when it starts from cold, but settles down to the characteristic inline 5 'burble' once warmed up.
The dashboard computer also reports a much lower instantaneous economy when cold compared to when its warmed up too.

Is this perfectly normal for a D5 of this age and mileage?

[Bernard333]

Mine is a 2003 V70 D5 which I have had from new and now done 128k miles , average 50mpg + even with various faults the economy is not quite as good as it was up to about 90k miles , you should be able to get 60mpg plus on long motorway journeys , winter months it does drop especially if you are making lots of short journeys . Cruise control dosnt give you the best available fuel economy but obviously its great for the motorway. If you are getting 35 and 42 mpg then maybe its due to the type of journeys you make , I rarely get into traffic jams or drive in a city so its easier to get better fuel consumption , I know when I have spent time driving around London and the SE that getting 60mpg wouldnt be easy .

[GIOTRONIC]

HELLO

Bernard are you saying that you are able to get 60MPG?
i can't believe it even seeing it. for me it means 25 km and i can get it only driving down hill.

bye
Giovanni

[Bernard333]

Hello Giovani, Yes I can get 60 mpg on virtually any journey I make without trying too hard but I have been doing some of the extreme economy driving stuff since 1981 , with a lot of patience the best figure I have had is 86mpg in a V70 D5 on a 220 mile journey but that includes approximately 25% of the journey freewheeling so although this is normally acceptable on economy drive runs its not giving a true comparison of a journey where the engine has been used the whole way so I think the limit for a D5 in a V70 is about 65 mpg and probably about 70 mpg in an S60 . Freewheeling is allowable , you can get various vehicles such as Landrovers factory fitted with freewheeling hubs to help with fuel economy although I dont know any normal passenger cars that have them . The worst figure I have acheived in my V70 was a journey from Calais to Milan at an average of 26 mpg via Belgium/Strasburg/Basle but that was having no regard to fuel economy .

[oilburner]

Wow! I am impressed, most of all by your restraint! I have had nearly 50mpg out of my D5 auto, but that required clear motorways and an awful lot of 50-60mph driving with a hint of slipstreaming...

I just can't face driving like that all the time, sucks all the joy out of it.

[DieselDoNicely]

Originally Posted by BritishBlue

I bought my '03 V70 D5 SE second hand last May and have come to appreciate its finer and quirkier points!

I have learned that if you use the cruise control as much as possible the car returns 42mpg or better during the warmer months, but no more than 35mpg at this time of year.

The car has just under 70K on the clock and I'm still extremely happy with it, but I can't get my head around why there is so much of a drop in fuel economy?

I've also noticed that the engine's very 'growly' when it starts from cold, but settles down to the characteristic inline 5 'burble' once warmed up.
The dashboard computer also reports a much lower instantaneous economy when cold compared to when its warmed up too.

Is this perfectly normal for a D5 of this age and mileage?

Change the rear parking brake shoes at the next opportunity, my 2003 D5 one fell to bits and destroyed the hub assembly. Shoes about £20, hub assembly £hundreds.

DDN

[Seeker_UK]

In theory, when the car is up to operating temperature, the fuel consumption in winter should be a little bit better because engines work more efficiently with colder air going in.

However, when starting, the engine management system has to use more fuel to get it going and keeping it going until it's warmed up.

So unless you do huge mileages, the net effect in winter is higher fuel consumption. My D5 is currently doing about 33mpg and I drive 120 miles per week of which 60% is 70mph and 40% is 40/30mph.

[gdance]

I recently bought an 03 V70 D5 SE, 98k on the clock. I get about 43-45 mpg as measured by brimming the tank. Computer says 51-53 average. I do mostly M-way or A roads, about 700 miles per week. Tyres are 225/45/17. I will be keeping an eye on consumption over the next many thousands of miles - planning on changing to eco tyres at some point, checking out "super-diesel". Might even get chipped at some point. Any other thoughts out there?

Geoff