Please excuse the newbie questions, but I'm new to the CGT (old timer to the Passat 1.8T) OK, the basic CGT didn't change all that much from 1982 through 1987, right? Same basic 2.2 ltr 5 cylinder engine, right? Can somebody expalin why there are HUGE differences in the rated MPG? For 1981 is was 21/36 city/highway and for 1987 it was 19/25 city/highway as per the AudiWorld Model Guide (these are the ratings for the 2.2, not the 2.3 NG 5 cylinder, I already thought of that). Can somebody expalin this HUGE decrease? The change appear to have heppend in the change from the 1985 to the 1986 model, but those were the same with only very minor changes, right? I'm so confused.

Actually, the engine changed three times. I don't know about why the gas mileage changed. From my experience, those numbers are always wrong anyway. I've had an 82 coupe and an 87.5 cgt. 87.5 is much nicer with the NG engine, but they both got about the same mileage. Factory numbers are usually off, don't ask me why.

just for info, i'm getting 23 mpg combined city/hwy. (87 2.2l auto fwd)

I don't think that the engine's actually get much different mileage. I think that is when the gov. changed the way that they estimated the mpg for all cars.

Are the gear ratios different? That alone could explain the mileage variations.

I used to have an '83 4ks with the 4E transmission. the engine turned 2200 rpm at 60 and I got 35+ mpg. I also had an '87 4ks. It turned nearly 3000 rpm at 60, and got around 30 mpg.

-- Tom