Quote:
Originally Posted by Teleskier
The car seems to hover between 24.0-24.5 mpg. Right now the trip computer has 2K rural/hwy miles since last reset with 24.2 mpg - about normal for me. A far cry from EPA 36 on the window sticker.
It's hills that kill the heavy X1. The car really seems to suffer when going up any hill. Even in ECO-pro mode, it is impossible to keep the car from pegging below the 12mpg needle up hills. I mean the car drops to 20mph in a 40mph zone up the hill on my daily commute unless you give full gas. I tried a few times to try to keep the needle at 15mpg, and the car drops to 10mph dogging up the hill at a 'sick car' creep, causing traffic behind me in an unsafe and unroadworthy manner. Pitiful.
The car has been a major disappointment in the mileage area. Multiple dealer visits shows the car "is operating normally." I should have gotten the kick butt 3.5 instead if I had known mileage would be this Chevy Suburban poor on a car that eats fuel far above what its much smaller size would suggest. A far cry from my 55mpg TDI with the same driver and driving style and on the same daily roads. If anything I drive the X1 much slower in eco-mode than the TDI where I would jump off every red light for fun. Big sigh.
|
It's not really fair to compare the X1 against a TDI. They are entirely different animals. Diesel is far more expensive than regular gas (at least in my area), which makes up a bit for the difference in mileage. Diesels will always get more mileage than gas automobiles due to the much higher compression ratio (i.e energy potential of the fuel).
I used to own a 2012 Jetta TDI with DSG transmission and I ended up getting rid of it. You used to have to do a transmission flush every 20k miles along with the oil change resulting in a $500+ service cost. Additionally, the TDI is prone to fuel pump failure which could potentially cost thousands of dollars in damage if it sends shrapnel down to the engine. I have heard numerous horror stories online of people that have had a fuel pump failure only to be accused of putting gasoline in the TDI even though they never have. Thats why I always kept my fuel receipts.
And if the DSG were to fail, which some have been known to fail at 100k miles, then your looking at a $5000.00 replacement cost.
The TDI may get good gas mileage, but it doesn't drive nearly as well as the X1 and the risk factor for things going wrong on the TDI and potential costs associated are way higher than the X1. I say this because of 2 things. #1 VW is a company known to have things go wrong with their vehicles. #2 Diesel vehicles are great in Europe, but not in the United States. The reason more manufacturers aren't bringing diesel vehicles to the U.S. is because strict regulations have caused diesel vehicles to not be reliable in the U.S. Ultra Low Sulfur diesel, which is required to be used in the U.S. has very low lubricity, resulting in higher engine wear. It is no longer possible to have diesel cars that get 1 million miles in the U.S. because the engines wear down much too quick. In Europe, they don't have to have ultra low sulfur diesel, so having a diesel vehicle there makes more sense.
If you really think a TDI is a great investment, go look at how many people get rid of their TDI's after their warranty expires. Those vehicles are too risky to hold onto.