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Volkswagen Rabbit MPG - real world numbers

103 messages,  Last post on Oct 16, 2008 at 9:33 AM

You are in the Volkswagen Rabbit Forum.

What is this discussion about? Volkswagen Rabbit, Fuel Efficiency (MPG), Hatchback

Messages Page 8 of 11

#64 of 103 Re: my mpg [rabbitdriver] by eldaino

Jul 06, 2007 (5:42 am)

Replying to: rabbitdriver (Jul 06, 2007 4:59 am)
didn't buy the car for its mileage
 
thank you. as no one should.
 
the numbers you posted are great, especially considering the sub par gas you were using. (what gas station was it that you were using?)
 
i only fill up at bp, sometimes at shell, and avoid the cheapo places altogether.

#65 of 103 Re: my mpg [rabbitdriver] by ezshift5

Jul 07, 2007 (6:43 am)

Replying to: rabbitdriver (Jul 06, 2007 4:59 am)
.......If you know Stevens Creek Blvd. in San Jose or El Camino in Sunnyvale, you know what my route is like
 
..tell me about it. (..last two years of college were somewhat south of there.....)
 
....but my Rabbit does much better fuel-wise (keyword here is 'fuel').....
 
best, ez..

#66 of 103 Mileage sucks for me by moracity

Jul 13, 2007 (5:12 am)

I just turned 7000 miles and got my 5-door Rabbit (tiptronic) last October. I drive about 90%/10% city/hwy and only avg 21MPG. I drive about 10 miles each way to work. I'm a fairly conservative driver and a creature of habit, but I definitely notice that this engine is extremely thirsty when driving aggressively. Morning drive is a 15 minute jaunt with no traffic and only a few lights. Afternoon is about 45 minutes of traffic. I was averaging 24MPG during winter and am now averaging 20MPG with A/C on. Driving without A/C in Atlanta is simply not an option for me.
 
I generally fill up within a mile or two of the gas light coming on, which is usually about 13 gallons gone with 250-275 miles driven. This means I get a about a week and a half between fill-ups.
 
An interesting note, I always get gas at the same place. A couple times, I used premium (93 octane here) and my mileage actually got worse...didn't even get to 250 on 13 gallons.
 
I would definitely not recommend the Rabbit for anyone concerned about fuel economy...at least not for city drivers with an automatic and air-conditioning on. I knew going in that mileage wouldn't be great, but it's worse than I expected. 20MPG even with A/C is abysmal. On the other hand, it's a really fun car to drive and I've only seen two or three on the road since I got it.

#67 of 103 Re: Mileage sucks for me [moracity] by jeffyscott

Jul 13, 2007 (8:12 am)

Replying to: moracity (Jul 13, 2007 5:12 am)
Your afternoon 10 miles in 45 minutes would, I think, kill mpg on any car. 24 mpg with that kind of driving 1/2 the time seems pretty good, actually. I wouldn't think the a/c should cost 4 mpg, though.

#68 of 103 I WANT MY MPG. by sharpedgeshurt

Jul 13, 2007 (2:45 pm)

It's the Rabbit's tragic (if only) flaw. You get a lot of car for your money. It might explain why I see so many more GTI's on the road and virtually no Rabbits. Most people who have a little extra money, and who care more about performance will move up and get a GTI instead.
 
BUT: in making my decision to buy this car the MEDIOCRE gas mileage was the ONLY reason I hesitated before buying it. Other than that I really do love this car, and although the engine is a little bit thirsty by todays standards It really is great to drive behind the wheel, with unmatched luxury for the out-the-door price.
PLUS: The new epa estimates are available everywhere. 19-28. Like I've been saying on this forum: Just try to know what your getting in to before purchasing the car!
AND: THE MPG performance on the Rabbit/Golf has always been about the same on the automatic 4 cylanders since 2000. Just go to www.fueleconomy.gov and do a side by side comparison on the Rabbit/Golf, it has always been within 1 or 2 miles of 19-28mpg (new estimates) which translates to aboud 22-30mpg (old estimates). For 06'/07' They've added an extra cylander, beefed up the horsepower, made the car bigger and heavier and it still gets the same MPG as before.

#69 of 103 Moracity; by eldaino

Jul 16, 2007 (8:53 am)

i hope your post is not a one off; meaning that you post once to complain and then never visit this site again, becasuse you can get some good help here.
 
the rabbit gets an estimated 19mpg in the city, so i'd say that your 20-21 average w/ac is pretty dang good. I live in nc, and i can't wait for winter, so i can lay off the a/c. ( i did a lot of driving this weekend, and averaged 27mpg mostly highwway with lots and lots of ice cold ac)
 
Plus, your commute is nothing short of a recipie for horrible gas mileage. The fact that your rabbit is STILL getting epa, is great.
 

#70 of 103 Re: I WANT MY MPG. [sharpedgeshurt] by eldaino

Jul 16, 2007 (9:01 am)

Replying to: sharpedgeshurt (Jul 13, 2007 2:45 pm)
good post sharpedge; my wife and i didn't think the mileage was a big deal, since it is our only car.
 
I don't see very many gti's on the road, but i do see them ever so slightly more than rabbits. From what i know though, rabbits are in no way being left on lots; pepole are buying them, but there just isn't a whole lot of them to be had; whereas some cars excel in mileage, the rabbit excels in everything else. I don't think anyone would buy a gti over the rabbit for the gas, but as a performance package it works.
 
But then again those people are willing to spend that money (which is slightly more than performance versions of other cars) and the rabbits features still put it at the top of the pack with regards to content on entry level models. making it the perfect car for someone who likes substance over gas mileage.
 
I could go and get a new civic, but to equip it like my 2 door rabbit, i'd have to get an ex, which is a 20k car; the car payments alone TOTALLY counteract the gas i would be saving with it. Just an example.

#71 of 103 oh and another thing! by eldaino

Jul 16, 2007 (9:09 am)

like sharpedgeshurt pointed out, the old 2.slow that was in the base golfs, jettas and beetles that yielded a mighty 115 hp averaged only EVER SO SLIGHTLY more mpg than the current jetta/rabbit engine.
 
so vw gives us another cylinder .5 litres of displacment and 155hp more with no significant drop in gas and we are still complaining? good grief, some of you guys need to get laid.

#72 of 103 Re: oh and another thing! [eldaino] by 4itgog

Aug 10, 2007 (9:21 am)

Replying to: eldaino (Jul 16, 2007 9:09 am)
My 2006 4 dr Tiptronic Rabbit has averaged 26.4 over 19,000K. The lowest was 22.1 (short winter trips) to 31.7 (1,600K summer trip) I could do better, but my Rabbit handles better than all my past GTIs, so my driving habits have slowly changed for the better(worse).

#73 of 103 Re: oh and another thing! [4itgog] by eldaino

Aug 12, 2007 (3:17 pm)

Replying to: 4itgog (Aug 10, 2007 9:21 am)
awesome, and i agree about the handling traits over past gti's.
 
wow 19k? you are the only person who i know who has that many miles on their rabbit, making you second place!
 
(mine's got over 26k)

Messages Page 8 of 11

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