V70 D5 AWD fuel consumption

[TBT]

Hi all,

I know there is already plenty in the forum about the D5 185bhp fuel consumption but there does seem to be a sense that high 30s MPG is possible. My question is what MPG can be expected from the V70 D5 AWD with a manual gearbox?

My V70 is two months old with about 2500 miles on the clock. Gentle driving across a full range of road and traffic conditions has seen the average MPG (according to the trip computer) settle down at around 31.5MPG.

What surprises me most is that sitting at a constant speed of 70mph in sixth gear the instantaneous fuel consumption is still only in the low 30s mpg on the flat and drops into the 20s on gentle uphills. Does this sound normal for a MY2009 manual D5? I was hoping an instantaneous 40mpg would be possible for steady state 70mph driving.

As a side issue - does anyone know what period the trip computer's average calculation actually averages over - since last reset, last 1000 miles?

I'd be interested to hear what other people with AWD have experienced.

Regards,
Thomas

[khoojohn]

Hi,

Newbie here. My first post. I don't have a Volvo yet but am keen on th V70 D5 Geartronic AWD when my current lease car expire next year. Can't decide on which of the two Audi A6 Avant 2.7 Quattro or the Volvo. These two seems to be the only choice for this type of cars.

Coming to your post, while I don't have the car to comment properly, I wonder if it's too optimistic to expect 40ish mpg for an AWD? Even Volvo claims the new 205bhp version as 40mpg combined whereas the 185bhp version mentioned only 37ish (for G'tronic of course) your manualversion is slightly better but not too much if I remember. I think it was 38ish for the 185bhp.

[andycallaghan]

Average will be since last reset.
70mph is not a very fuel efficient speed.
The wind resistance comes into force, and the mpg goes down.
Between 50-60mph in 5th gear will be your most fuel efficient speed.

However, 30ish mpg sounds ok.
On my last tank, I did 550 miles, and about 300-400 miles of that was motorways/dual carriageways. And I got 45 mpg.

I'm now doing town driving and getting about 35mpg.

[Clan]

Your car is far too new to get decent fuel consuption , it will get better , especialy after the first service .

[TBT]

This thread seems to have come alive from nowhere. (I originally start the post back in August). Anyway my consumption continues to average about 31.5MPG (4500 miles now) so until some magical transformation in the future I think it will remain around that level.

AWD adds about 100kg (from memory) to the car's weight which clearly will affect the MPG however it is only a part-time AWD - usually the power goes to the front wheels so there shouldn't be too much loss.

I think the most frustrating thing is that even driving in a fuel efficient manner I can't achieve the claimed 37/38MPG.


khoojohn - I suspect the 205bhp D5 will be significantly better than the 185bhp for fuel consumption. It is an all new engine from what I hear and so take advantage of new technology. It should make a nice car even nicer and the auto box suits the car well. Audi might have the stronger image and slightly better cabin too, but I like the way new Volvo don't come with a BMW or Audi 'image/reputation' issue.





Andy do you have a 185bhp D5 with AWD? How many miles on the car?

[khoojohn]

Ddi you test any other AWD cars before choosing the Volvo?

My current BMW 330D Touring is doing about 34ish mpg so I'm ok if the Volvo can meet that especially with the AWD as you say.

[abv70]

My D5 Manual (not AWD) now has 23k on the clock, and my consumption averages about 32.2mpg

Long motorway journeys sometimes take it upto around 35mpg. I know it's a heavy car but it is suprising how much extra fuel is required to get it up a hill, even gentle motorway inclines.

I've now stopped worrying about the poor mpg and just think about the positives the car has to offer.

One thought though if the new D5 has such bad consupmtion what are phase 3 petrol engines doing?

[andycallaghan]

No mines a 163hp 2wd model, so not really a fair comparison.

[dodgyken]

Originally Posted by abv70

One thought though if the new D5 has such bad consupmtion what are phase 3 petrol engines doing?

That was my thought - I can get better economy than 35mpg on a steady motorway cruise - if I stay legal. Although TBH my old 3.0 Z4 wasn't much worse than the Volvo!

[Chaddie]

I've a 185bhp XC70 (Geartronic) its 18 months old with 10k+ miles on the clock and I only get 30mpg.

My old shaped XC70 185bhp (Geartronic) I was getting about 34mpg.


I know the XC70 is a little bigger and its a Geartronic, but I'd expect a V70 AWD Manual to be getting low to mid 30's.


The new shaped V70 / XC70 with the 185bhp engine is very poor on MPG. I'd expect that all new models to have a better MPG than the out going model, but Volvo slipped up big time on this one IMHO. In fact I'm really starting to think that the old shaped V70 / XC70 were a better car in many ways compared to the new V70 / XC70.