Fuel Economy

[djwhiplash2001]

The GTI also has much nicer seats, HIDs, leather-wrapped sport steering wheel, standard 17" alloys, a different (better looking) instrument cluster, side skirts, different front and rear bumpers, sportier suspension....

On a side note, I killed a gallon of gas in 13 minutes today over the course of 10 miles. Love my backroads! NC rocks.

[skullcrusher_mountain]

Much appreciated! I'm going for more. How far will it go???

Hah. Reminds me of this:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dealership

[gofetch06]

Hah. Reminds me of this:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dealership

love that episode

[AnnalovesBunny]

Thanks for the info. Good to know. I really like the Rabbit and will stick with it either until the wheels fall off or I trade for a newer model. How with all the extra horsepower is the GTI getting better mileage?

I have indeed noticed the nicer bumpers on the GTI, but some chrome and horsepower isn't enough for me to pay the extra in price.

Is the new Tiguan getting any nice ratings? Has it even been released here yet? Is it yet another of the US's "crossovers" or is it an SUV? Really cute but not quite the Rabbit.

[djwhiplash2001]

It's a crossover, pretty nice.

The GTI gets better gas mileage because it uses a smaller (but more powerful) engine.

It's not just chrome and a few extra HP - I think it's a lot sportier of a design. 6-speed transmission, better seats, better suspension, better steering wheel. Those are all actual useable things, not just subjective appearance things. I also forgot to add that it has a bigger rear hatch spoiler in my previous post.

But I think the reason we're all on this forum is because we all decided the Rabbit was a better deal for our money.

[kiserhd]

There is a thread for comparing the VW Rabbit to other vehicles, please continue these posts there.

[gofetch06]

It just keeps getting better. I had that on the trip odo and the fuel light hadn't even come on yet. After 12.65 gallons, thats 33 mpg.

[djwhiplash2001]

I don't have a gas light. My car just yells at me, "Bitte Tanken!". <3 MFD.

[gofetch06]

Records were made to be broken.

443.4 miles total. 440.6 when the fuel light came on. I put in 13 gallons.

34 mpg.

[FawkBunny]

Having owned my rabbit 2 and a half months now, I get around 20-22mpg on average through city driving.

Not bad but not what I expected. May get a little better though as the car gets broken in.

[Silver08Rabbit]

May get a little better though as the car gets broken in.

I think that is the general consensus.

[tibimakai]

I didn't notice any difference after brake-in. with the 15"-ers I was getting around 24mpg and after putting the 18"-ers I'm getting 20-21mpg.
I believe that I would get the same (or very close) gas mileage with a Jaguar XJ8.

[Rejor]

Mine seems to fluctuate. I had about 25/26 miles per gallon last fillup, but now I think I'm only getting about 21. Granted, I pushed it a bit harder this time around, so that's probably why :P But if I baby it I can get about 26ish.

Not that I really cared in the first place. I intend to eventually make this either rally or track car in the future.

[rabbit-n-cj]

got to love them older vw diesel's....getting 50mpg easily....lol,just wait for the 70mpg hybrid....my next car... gets better mpg then mine so i will buy it!!!!have fun gas sucks....lol jk its alright,gets about half as good

[willblake]

Newb here, and I apologize in advance for the long winded post.
At six months and 5400 miles on my 08 Rabbit (2.5/5-spd/17" wheels) I have averaged 23.1 mpg. My worst tank was 22.0 and my best was 24.8. That 24.8 was my second tank and I was driving very slow trying to baby the new car. Nowadays I drive probably too fast most of the time, mostly around town, and the rare occasions I do hit the highway it's usually cruising at around 75 mph. My last five tanks have ranged from 22.2 to 23.8. In fact, here's a paste from the spreadsheet I use to track it (wow, what a nerd! LOL). You can see on 12/1 I filled up after a trip and managed a bit better mileage.

date/ miles/ gallons/ mpg
11/8/2008 234.4 9.927 23.6
11/19/2008 295.1 12.893 22.9
11/27/2008 210.2 9.478 22.2
12/1/2008 238.8 10.013 23.8
12/12/2008 246.6 11.06 22.3

Now, had I known my mileage was going to be this low, I might have bought something else...that would have been a big mistake because I love this car.

[DonJuan1Jr]

How do people average 30+ mpg, i cant break the 28 barrier, but then again i dont baby it...i did a full 550 mile trip last weekend on 93 and couldnt get better than 28.6.

[le0n]

My first gas light came on at 415 miles, the car had 13 miles on the odometer when I test drove it the morning I bought it, however, I believe VW topped it off before they brought it down for me to drive out.

When the light came on, I filled the tank and the pump clicked at 13 gallons. So I'm guessing at least 400 miles on 13 gallons (30.75 mpg), or ~445 miles to a bone-dry tank.

typical daily commute:
80 minutes highway | 60-65mph
20 minutes city | 30-40mph

[tibimakai]

that long trip on the highway gives you that high number

[Bunny'09]

I'm getting around 17 or 18 (400 miles on the car) and am disappointed. I sure hope the milage improves. I drive no higher than 2.5k RPM, most of the time it's tip, but I doubt that makes a difference if I don't gun it.

C'mon rabbit !

Oh and I put 91 in it, but seems like people are saying the car is made to run on 87 :S, even though it says premium in the manual? ( i think)

[le0n]

93 octane in mine. I only do this because I believe it keeps my valves and manifold in a cleaner state. It may not make a difference in mileage now because the car is new, however, in a year I don't wish to find out that any carbon deposits have claimed prime real estate within my head.

yes tibimakai, i get plenty of healthy highway time...