i think they made a mistake should have been litters per miles on the window sticker cause mine gets no where near what it says, and i drive like and old man. Nice and easy, AC on low

I have averaged about 22 mpg in mixed (mostly city) driving since I got my car. Strictly highway driving gets me about 30 mpg averaging 70-80 mph. The only time my mileage has diped below 18 mpg is when I autocross, and even then it's not too bad. Also, I use my AC (not when autocrossing) and am hardly sedate behind the wheel. Perhaps something is wrong, what kind of mileage are you getting? Have you asked your service department about your problem?

Regards,
Rodney

'99 A4 1.8tqms

forgot to mention ive got a 96 Q automatic with 31k miles. I average 16-18 city highway.. i will be changing the plugs and air filter very soon to see if this helps

the milage at 55mph was in the 30's, at 70mph it was mid 20's at 80mph it was in the low 20's. I did these tests on flat Illinois highway during a long drive to southern Illinois. My average gas milage in Chicago is about 22-23mpg. I drive fast on the freeways, about 80 and I do a lot of stop and go traffic. My chip appears to have not affected gas milage at all. It is not just speed and acceleration that counts either. A lot has to do with what RPM you hold the engine at. The AC will allways cost you a couple mpg no matter what setting it is on, the compressor is a real energy hog.


Hugh

1.8Tqms Avant APR'd Borla'd

Jack,

There is an noticeable difference in the performance of different gas brands. I notice this in my fuel guzzling SUV frequently.Sometimes the difference can be as much as 2m MPG on a 16MPG truck. I am beginning to get the opinion that you get what you pay for in gas. I know kooky people who swear by certain brands (i.e. Chevron) but I have been told by mechanics it is enough to to stick to the big major brands like Shell, Mobil, BP, Chevron, Etc. The key element, as I understand it, is what kind of additives they put in. Chevron has Techron which is a good fuel injector cleaner. Apparently the very large brand names are able to match this technology in their own brands of gas.

So give this a try.

JohnO

The EPA has a laboratory in Ann Arbor Michigan. Every manufacturer must submit each model/engine/trans combo offered. The vehicles are tested on a dyno for cold start emissions output, then allowed to warm up, then run on a "city cycle" that is a prescibed course. Some computer modeling is used to factor out excess stops, temperature variations etc., but this input is relatively minor. After the city test, the vehicle goes back on the dyno for simulated highway travel, and factored at a near steady 55mph. At this point EPA figures are calculated then reduced approx 10% for realism. In most cases it is possible to duplicate EPA figures, provided the car is in perfect tune, and extreme light throttle inputs used-I know this may not be real world, but it is at least a constant comparison that all model sold in the US must go through.

To be honest, you probably have the worst combination out there for gas mileage: 2.8 12 valve engine, automatic, quattro.

The new 30-valve engine has improved fuel economy greatly. The autobox (especially non-tip) will not give you the kind of economy or control that you have with a manual transmission. The quattro system, while I think it's worth it's weight in gold, eats, well, probably 2-3 mpg over the Front-Tak version of the car.

That said, I think your fuel concomy should be MUCH higher than 16-18 mpg for city/hwy. I have a 99 2.8 30V QMS and I'm usually averaging close to 25 mpg on my daily 66 mile round trip commute. I've seen as high as 28.5 on a long road trip. The WORST mileage I've ever recorded over a whole tankful was 20.5 mpg.

I would have the car checked.