Howdy All,
Here's a quick note to update my livery... I have missed my beloved GDI Lupo that I had in Germany and have finally bought a TDI for myself. The 2010 Jetta TDI sedan I bought for my daughter has an APR reprogrammed ECU and now gets 58+ MPG. This new Passat TDI gets that mileage stock!
The first tank of fuel (18.5 US Gal.) go t me over 700 miles and it was not even topped off when I picked up the car. By carefully hypermiling, I can get between 60.2 and 62.0 MPG. Even driving normally gets 48-50MPG. I believe the difference in the two cars is the engine and transmission tune and the urea injection used on the newer car.
I have found that there is no need to manually shift the DSG transmission to keep the RPMs down while driving- the new program shifts right at the same points I would: as soon as possible. I only wish I had a seventh gear to keep the cruise RPM below 2000 on the freeway...
I know the record for this model car is 82(86?) MPG and over 1,600 Miles from a single tank, driven from Houston, TX to Herndon, Virginia. I don't want to even try for that kind of insane mileage, but I can get 1,000 miles plus right now and I am really enjoying it. The recent drop in Diesel fuel price makes my decision to buy this car even more satisfying...
I still miss the 75 MPG from the Lupo, but this new Passat is a large, heavy and comfortable car I will enjoy for a long time.
You can bet I'll be reprogramming it when the warranty runs out!