Audi A3: MPG-Real World Numbers

PF_Flyer

With the price of fuel being what it is, the mileage you're getting is becoming more important. This is the place to discuss the mileage performance you're getting out int he real world.

kurtamaxxxguy

Some of the reports suggest the 2.0 T gets around 24 mph or so average, while the 3.2 has gotten 18 mpg or less (edmunds and C&D for the latter).

I'd appreciate hearing what gas mileage 2.0T and 3.2 Quattro owners are actually getting in Day to Day driving.

tslbmw

2.0T: I get 22 city and 27 highway (I've got 2800 miles on mine and I hope these numbers get better with age)

EPA is 25/31...yeah right!

rjlaero

It all depends how much you use the sport and tiptronic mode, and how agressively you drive.

27 mpg is not bad on the highway for your A3. You've only got 2800 miles on your car. The mileage should improve a bit as well.

tslbmw

I know you're right, cuz I use the tip mode all the time...I'm sure if I granny it I could probably get 25ish around town...I was just surprised by the 27 all highway. I expected the 31 with the little 2.0 on the interstates would be a piece o'cake; but, hopefully you're right and it will get better with more mileage.

dino001

I have a WRX, also with 2.0. Different engine and more explosive turbo, but at steady highway speeds (70-80 mph) I still cannot get it to EPA 27 mpg. Usually I get 25, 26 at best. Drag increases with square of the speed, so mileage suffers with even small speed increments. Then add non-linear turbo to it, you may get large discrepancies for people with "similar" driving habits.

kurtamaxxxguy

Interesting, as my raggedty Mailbu Maxx which neither rides nor handles quite as well as the A3, gets 30 mph on highway with LA style driving, and around 24-25 mph for a 50-50 mixture of stop-go freeway and urban street driving.
Best mileage it ever got was on the 15 to Vegas, where it got 30-32 mph keeping up with traffic (not the ultimate speeders, just general flow).

I wonder how much the 3.2/ Quattro impacts the A3 mileage. Is 18 mpg a realistic figure?

panzrwagn

24.6 MPG in my mixed around town/commute. On it's one highway trip so far, with less than 1000 miles, it got 32.2 MPG at average speeds of about 65 MPH.

tslbmw

wow, you're doing much better than me. I get about 22 mpg around town/commute and the best I've gotten on a trip is 28 mpg and mine (A3 2.0 DSG also) has 4500 miles on it. Obviously, I'm getting nowhere close to the 25/31 epa estimates, but what else is new.

kurtamaxxxguy

Hopefully some 3.2 owners will post mileage here. Would be useful to see how the V6/Quattro impacts the A3's mileage.

Am surprised the A3 2.0T does not do better than a number of larger cars.

walkerhound1

Worst tank: 25.0, that included a lot of stop & go, winter gas & cold weather. Overall, since I've had the car (going on a year): 27.2. Last 5 tanks: 29.4, 27.5, 28.2, 30.2 & 27.6. On the highway, it's possible to get 31-32, but if it's hot & I'm running the AC, it's hard to crack 28. BTW, it's chipped, and that hasn't hurt the MPG. I don't redline it all the time, often shift at 4000 rpm, etc. In other words, taking it somewhat easy when there's just no point in pushing it will get you decent mileage.

edmunds_bli

Currently racked up about 7,500 mi on my A3. I'll break it down in terms of my driving habits:

* If my upshift gear changes happen at every 2,400 RPM: City (@ 45 MPH ~ 26.5 MPG) / Freeway (@ 70 MPH ~ 33.8 MPG)

* If my upshift gear changes happen at over 3,400 RPM: City (@ 45 MPH ~ 23.6 MPG) / Freeway (@ 70 MPH ~ 30.2 MPG)

I live in the rural area of LA, Calif. The area is mostly flat with minimal hill climb. That's my estimation. Thanks.

ak496

I can't seem to get over 20.6 MPG when I am driving conservatively, as in not taking the car past 3,000 rpms when shifting around town...and not going over 70 mph on the highway. Usually I spend about a quarter of the tank on highway driving and the rest is around town.

I have 1,850 miles on the car and this has been happening at every tank fill up.

Is this something I should talk to the dealership about or will this change with more mileage?

Any advice would be great, thanks.

andres3

Not getting mileage advertised, even when I make an effort to and drive conservatively.

Pure all highway driving w/ no traffic jams 25 MPG is the best I can do... no more than 26 MPG I'm certain.

Significant stop and go or city driving will lower me down to about 21 MPG. Low 20's in mixed driving with normal driving (meaning driving the car the way it was meant to be driven, with quick starts and acceleration).

I'm used to an EPA B.S. factor of around 10%, but I'm usually able to get the EPA rating when I try on the highway, especially on long straight level trips. I can't get anywhere near the 31 on the sticker! 6K miles now.

dyen

The A3 is so enjoyable and responsive that I have to exercise full restraint not to drive it like it wants to be driven. I was initially a little dissatisfied with the mileage, but I think that was because I was flooring it from dead stops for the rush.

I have managed to get pretty good results when driving conservatively: just under 25mpg in the city, and on a recent all highway trip, 32.8 mpg driving at 70mph. That's better than I got from my 2L Jetta. Current odometer: 5,000 miles.

walkerhound1

I'm closing in on 20K miles & as I reported before, have averaged better than 27.5 mpg overall..slowly climbing, too. Last tank, got 406 miles, and filled up with 13.5 gallons (just over 30 mpg). That was mostly highway. Are you sure the tires are inflated to the right pressure? For example, the plate on my gas filler door says 39psi front, 35 rear...I usually keep mine at 38 all around. A lot of people (including service departments) tend to use pressures in the lows 30s, and that is low for these cars.

andres3

I wish I was getting your mileage. I think my service and audi dealer and I have been following the Audi A3 manuals guideline of 32-34 psi front, 30 to 32 rear.

I will try to get advertised mileage by going with 39/35 psi, but I doubt it'll make more than a mile or two per gallon difference. Which still means I'm not getting EPA even with very conservative acceleration.

Maybe the "sport" versions are programmed to be more aggressive and fast vs. the "premium" models? Maybe its the premium models that are getting the EPA, and the sports that are falling short?

kurtamaxxxguy

I assume the high PSIs' are because the tires are low profile?

Also interesting Audi specifies different front/rear pressure. Most domestic cars say the same PSI all around, in spite of many FWD cars showing more loading (sidewall bulge) on their front tires.

deadsteen

I am considering an A3 w/ the 3.2 AWD but what I have seen here does not thrill me mileage wise. I have a BMW 325xi ( I am a big fan of AWD) and although it suggests premium, I have run it on regular from the day I got it and I get 21 mixed, 25 all highway.
The EPA estimates for the A3 3.2 are 18/26, I believe.
Does anyone have any recent real world numbers for the 3.2; and what kind of gas are you putting in to get those numbers? Thanks

shipo

I submit that if you had run Premium in your 325xi, you would have gotten even better mileage that you got. The A3 3.2 comes with a Premium fuel recommendation as well, and for best mileage, you'd be well advised to buy it the better fuel.

Best Regards,
Shipo

kgw_

I took a short trip in my new (to me!) 2006 A3 3.2 Quattro last weekend: from Long Beach, CA, up the San Diego, Santa Monica, and Pacific Coast Highway to Big Sycamore Canyon. I was doing 75-80mph on the freeways, and 50-60mph on PCH's hills and curves: 150 miles or so. 24 mpg, quite nice for going 75-80mph, and up/down hills. I have no doubt that keeping the car at 60mph the mpg would increase. The car has 25000 miles on it.

go4dave

i've got a 2006 2.0t FWD A3 DSG. I now run Premium Fuel,, and from what i was running,, the mileage went up. I drive my car hard. I take car of it, i don't abuse it, but i drive hard, i love to drive fast, throw it into corners, and run it when i can. So, with all that said. i get stuck in the daily traffic here in Vegas. Ok,, i get 22.8 mpg. on the open road,, i've ran to Los Angeles a couple times,,, my avg. speed according to my GPS,, was 92 mph going there, and 87 mph coming back, i got 24.7 mpg/25.5 mpg respectively. I call it good, most of the cars i've had,, didn't get that.

nomowhale

I recently purchase a pre-owned 2006 2.0T with a 6 speed manual transmission. My best guess is that I drive 65% highway and 35% local. Here is the gas mileage I got on my first four tanks: 24.67, 27.37, 27.38, and 26.61. I don't baby it and I drive with the AC on all the time. I am pretty happy with my gas mileage so far, but I am still dreaming of this car in a diesel version in this country.

jlesica

A3 2.0T, DSG.

I recently drove from Boston north into Maine. The total trip was about 150 miles, all highway. With the AC off, windows up, cruise set to 65 and wife yelling at me to hurry up because she was hot and didn't like being stuck with the trucks, i was able to get 34.1 MPG for the trip. Was very impressed.

The other day on my way to work, an R8 pulled up beside me in traffic on RT outside of Boston. I proceeded to keep up with him darting in and out of traffic. By the time I got to work (approx 20 miles) my average gas milage was 17mpg.

If you are vigilant, you can get good mileage. If you exercise the car, forget it. Daily driving I get about 25-28mpg. Not bad.

nca3

2006 A3 2.0T DSG 65,000miles

I watch how I drive when I can to get the best mileage - lately keeping tires at about 38lbs - I can usually get 34-36 on the highway staying in the speed limit. I am on the highway probably 60-70% of the time. My average mpg after the car's breakin has been about 29mpg. I use premium gas though I hate the extra cost. I got a loaner the other day, same car, same engine but it obviously didn't have premium in it, I was surprised how much difference it made.

andres3

I can now say the A3 gets the mileage advertised. things I wrote before about less than EPA mileage was probably due to my engine breaking in.

You get about 25 MPG overall, 21 city, 30 highway if you don't drive like an old geezer. This is from 82,000 miles of experience with DSG 2.0 T 2006 A3 in CA.