mileage in your 2.0

[kwsanders]

I just filled up tonight. I calculated my mileage and it is the best that I have gotten since buying my '01 Beetle 2.0 in July. My previous best tank was around 29.1 mpg. Today's calculation... 30.719 mpg. My wife and I went on a long trip yesterday. I guess that helped out a lot.

One thing that I did on the last tank was fill up with mid-grade gasoline (89 octane). I don't think this really made that much of a difference compared to the long drive, though.

[Deserion]

Best tank I did on my 2.0L was 31mpg. When I stopped using her for a daily driver, she was getting around 27-28mpg average w/ 93000 on the odo.

-Des

[OkieBeetle]

Is the mileage you guys stated typical? I've only been able to check on a couple of tanks so far due to elec. repairs and getting used to filling the tank up.

We got around 23 on a city tank, and the last tank which was almost all highway only did a little better at 24. The highway tank was typ. 75-80 mph so I guess I'm not going to see good highway numbers at those speeds?

[JonK]

Hi,

I Ave. around 28 miles per/gal. highest was 30.5 miles per/gal.

John K.

[VW2.0Driver]

Best I've done is 35.6 mpg or something, Average has been 30 mpg. Lowest was 26 mpg

[juston]

I get anywhere between 25 and 32.

[Smileybug]

I've gotten from 21 to 28 mpg...avg about 23 though.

[neko]

My average is 25.075 (I keep an excel page that I update at every fill-up, sooo geeky), but I went up to 32 (I still suspect that it was some kind of mistake).
For the next months I am going to travel with an old Palm Pilot in the beetle just to keep track of the mileage.

[Beetlebomb]

Our 2.0 has 68K and we are the second owners since 67.2K so we haven't had it long. Went on a 120 mile round trip today and mileage was 30.71, that's traveling 60-65 and trying to keep it at 60.

[CaseIH9380]

I have gotten anywhere from 26 to 33.1. Right now with my check engine light on I am getting 26. This summer I averaged 30.5 at an average speed of 80 mph. I was driving 1000 plus miles a week. My high number was on a road trip that I never went above 60 mph.

[jazzcat]

im getting right around 25 mixed highway and city out of my 98 with 75000 on it...cel is on but burnt out so i have no idea what it will be when everything is fixed and normal

[Smileybug]

Just curious...what have you guys found is the highway cruising speed that gets you the best mileage? My car's sweet spot seems to be at about 70mph. Just curious to see what everyone else's is like

[Preston]

i usually get around 20mpg on the highway going 75... seems really low to me

[kcfoxie]

Best I saw was 32MPG. Average is 28MPG. Lowest was 19MPG (oddly, after I took the Shell challenge).

[jazzcat]

Just curious...what have you guys found is the highway cruising speed that gets you the best mileage? My car's sweet spot seems to be at about 70mph. Just curious to see what everyone else's is like

ive found that if i keep the car under 3000 rpms i get slightly better mileage...so around 60 on the highway...maybe right above 3K at 68-70

i also have a 5 speed so i know that im going to get a little bit better than an automatic

[nb01]

I don't understand why a 5-speed 2.0 L engine can't do better than 29-30 mpg's! The Honda civic with similar engine gets at least 35! And I don't think it has anything to do with driving/clutch technique, I am good at it. I have a 2004 Golf which is always, always 30 mpg, no more, no less. My newly acquired 2001 Beetle barely gets to 30. I have tried someone's suggestion about type of gas (i.e. using BP all the time to help with mileage) which didn't seem to make a difference. I hate to go to mid-grade or premium. Are VW engineers not committed to making a more fuel efficient small engine?

[yellowherbie]

Herbie just turned to 97,000.. I have never owned a car with that many miles. Yikes!

[kcfoxie]

It's an indestructable 80s engine, I believe. Some things don't get better with time (hence Caddy's current offerings getting the same MPG as their 1956 offerings). :)

[Beetlebomb]

I don't understand why a 5-speed 2.0 L engine can't do better than 29-30 mpg's! The Honda civic with similar engine gets at least 35! And I don't think it has anything to do with driving/clutch technique, I am good at it. I have a 2004 Golf which is always, always 30 mpg, no more, no less. My newly acquired 2001 Beetle barely gets to 30. I have tried someone's suggestion about type of gas (i.e. using BP all the time to help with mileage) which didn't seem to make a difference. I hate to go to mid-grade or premium. Are VW engineers not committed to making a more fuel efficient small engine?
I guess it's basically because the "venerable old" VW 2.0 L engine is "old tech." It has 2 valves per cylinder and the Japanese 4 cyl. engines have had 4 valves per cylinder for years for better economy and power, i.e. "efficiency." Also, it appears the VW 2.0 has transmission gearing that is relatively lower in order to compensate for the lower total power output somewhat, and lower gearing = lower m.p.g. Regardless, the 2.0 is still a good, durable engine in my estimation besides being fun to drive. :)

[jazzcat]

whats the weight difference between a civic and a nb also? that could be a big factor

[Beetlebomb]

whats the weight difference between a civic and a nb also? that could be a big factor
Well, I think you're right there. I just ran a side by side comparison on autotrader.com for a 2000 Civic Dx coupe and a 2000 New Beetle GLS. The curb weight for the Civic is 2359 lbs. and that for the N.B. is 2825! That's nearly a 500 lb. weight differential and would make a substantial difference in gas mileage, so your post was quite probably right on...

WHOOPS! I forgot to mention that the Civic has a 1.6 L, 106 h.p. engine, so the comparison is not quite equitable...sorry :o

[Gotlift02]

Im going to have to argue with the honda civic remark. My girlfriends 2.0 gets about 26-28mpg, and we drive mainly city, and during a regular school year, all highway, 40miles round trip per day. My girlfriends little brothers civic gets about 25-30mpg, same thing really, same driving habits. I maintain both cars, and they are in tip top shape, the bug IMO is a better car mechanically then the honda, alot easier to mess with.. -Jordan

[vdubbugman53]

well in the city i average 24 mpg but when i was driving to New Mexico i was getting 33 mpg best i have ever gotten. here is what i dong get though i only get about 260-275 to a quarter tank and my girl friend in a 99 turbo bug can get about 310 to a quarter tank. how is that possable they r both 5 speeds

[mm111001]

new to beetle im not getting better than 25 mpg and my rpm at 55 is around 2500 is this normal?

[Beetlebomb]

new to beetle im not getting better than 25 mpg and my rpm at 55 is around 2500 is this normal?
Your rpm sounds right for 55, but if you're quoting your freeway/highway mileage there, it seems quite low...:(

[captbp]

Just filled yesterday. Around town with some short hop freeway driving was 28.65 mpg

[mm111001]

that is mostly around town. also getting chek engine light with the lightning bolt i asume my battery or alternator is bad. just got my dream bug 3 weeks ago and the dash lights behind the heater nobs dosn't work either. but i will prevail. i cant beleive how comfortable it is to drive!

[cep]

Hmmm....I'd be delighted to get thirty. Daughter's 2.0 NB has gotten as low as 16mpg on the highway with me driving. I doubt that it ever gets above 24.

Originally thought the coolant temp sensor might be the problem, but the dealer said no. I wonder, though, if all they really looked for was to see if it had thrown a code.

[Beetlebomb]

Hmmm....I'd be delighted to get thirty. Daughter's 2.0 NB has gotten as low as 16mpg on the highway with me driving. I doubt that it ever gets above 24.

Originally thought the coolant temp sensor might be the problem, but the dealer said no. I wonder, though, if all they really looked for was to see if it had thrown a code.
16 mpg on the highway for the 2.0!? Were you driving it in 3rd gear @ 60-70 mph? If not, something is terribly wrong. My full size Chevy pickup with a 4.3L V-6 with more than double the cubic displacement consistently gets 22-23 on the freeway...so something must be terribly amiss with your daughter's N.B. I'm sorry... :(

[cep]

Yeah, I know. She complained that it was "using a lot of gas" so I took it for about a 90 mile highway trip. I was stunned to see how much gas it was using so we started keeping track with a log. However, that didn't pan out real well as I could not convince all the drivers how important it was to keep track of all the fuel that went in it.

About driving in 3rd....it's an automatic. It does seem to run very high rpm cruising, though. Around 3000 at 65 or 70 IIRC. Is that about right?

Thanks.

[Beetlebomb]

About driving in 3rd....it's an automatic. It does seem to run very high rpm cruising, though. Around 3000 at 65 or 70 IIRC. Is that about right?

Thanks.
Not sure about the revs at speeds for autos, but my 5 spd. revs at 2900-3000 rpm at 60 mph and 3400 at 70 mph. Maybe someone on this forum with a 2.0 auto can answer your question. :confused:

[azul98]

I'm definitely the slow poke here. I keep my RPM's low. So I'm usually the bug doing 65 on the highway (3300rpm).

The best mpg I had on a trip was 38 (5spd). The worst was 28 (with a kayak on top). Typically I get 31-33mpg per tankfull mixed driving.

Slowing down really makes a difference.

[Cody]

The 3200RPM at 70MPH is the same as my 2.0 Jetta Automatic.

And I have also acheived a whopping 16mpg in my Jetta before. Basically, my 2.0 is turned on and it says "Hmm... good day or bad day?"

I have gotten a record high of 27mpg in my jetta, being very easy on acceleration, keeping my speed down. Other tanks, same driving methods, I get 21-23. 2.0s seem to be moody. Also, 2.0s after 2003 are greatly improved.

Cody