I tried hypermiling my 208 GTI

by "Rustholes-Are-Weight-Reduction" (rustholes-are-weight-reduction)
Published 05/16/2017 at 04:48

Tags: 208 GTI ; HYPERMILING
STARS: 1

Sure, I did a short distance, but I think it’s quite representative, including a bit of city driving, twisty back roads, and highway driving.

My thoughts so far:
- Trying to get the most out of your fuel is not as boring as I thought, since you have to focus, especially if you usually have a lead foot
- Feathering the throttle feels to get to speed feels terrible if you know that stomping on it would take you there in a second
- Focusing on your consumption is probably more dangerous than hooning. at least when I’m 20-30 km/h over the speed limit, I focus on the road and the other users, and not my infotainment (I hate that word) screen
- A GTI is not the best car if you care about fuel consumption

Result:
After feeling miserable for 26 km, I arrived at work, later than usually, maybe slightly less angry at other road users, since I was the one not driving for once.
The computer says I had an average fuel consumption on 5.0 L/100km (that’s 56,5 mpg) which is not really economy car level.

The EPA values for the 208 GTI are 4.7, 5.9 and 8.2 L/100km for highway, combined, and city driving respectively. Those values are of course unrealistic, so let’s take the real values from real people on Spritmonitor :

I’m definitely way under the normal range of usual fuel consumption, which can be explained by the fact that the car was already warm when I started the test, that it was a short distance, and that I was driving under the speed limit, rather than the speed limit.

My usual average fuel consumption is around 7,9 L/100km, which is way over the 5,9L announced by Peugeot. While that doesn’t surprise me in itself, I wonder how manufacturers are allowed to display such numbers, when in fact, to get these numbers, you have to drive dangerously slowly, and of 55 users, only 1 can meet the announced fuel consumption (by the way, why did YOU buy a GTI?)

I will not continue this, since I felt miserable while doing so, but I found it interesting to find out what my little car could do.

Replies (11)

"BvdV - The Dutch Engineer" (dutchengineer)
05/16/2017 at 05:11, STARS: 3

That’s why the NEDC sucks, it is way too benificial for turbocharged engines since they can run the whole of it barely needing the boost of the turbocharger, leading to a lower than realistic consumption. I hope the WLTP is going to make fuel consumption figures way more realistic.

"Illegitimus Prime" (illprime)
05/16/2017 at 05:26, STARS: 0

I actually hypermiled a Yaris Hybrid recently for a challenge. I managed to complete 59% of my drive in electric mode and averaged 3.4l/100km (29.4 km/l or 70MPG US.)

It was a lot more fun than I expected, especially since coasting is super efficient.... that meant letting off the gas before a corner and taking it fast was more efficient than regenerative braking.

"bhtooefr" (bhtooefr)
05/16/2017 at 05:40, STARS: 1

Not just WLTP, but the inclusion of RDE as a check and balance on the WLTP numbers.

"BvdV - The Dutch Engineer" (dutchengineer)
05/16/2017 at 05:46, STARS: 0

Agreed, that is maybe even more important than just the WLTP. I hope together these measures can clear the market of ‘fake’ fuel efficient cars.

"BvdV - The Dutch Engineer" (dutchengineer)
05/16/2017 at 05:55, STARS: 1

I was planning to do that last weekend, but sadly I was a bit sick-ish, so decided not to. Maybe I’ll go to the dealership this saturday for it.

That sounds like a good result, now I’ve got a score to beat, haha.

"bhtooefr" (bhtooefr)
05/16/2017 at 05:59, STARS: 0

And, because of that preservation of momentum, hypermiling has a lot in common with driving a slow car fast - much of the same skillset is required. (There are some differences, in that driving a slow car fast only requires knowing where the car’s horsepower peak is, whereas hypermiling requires knowing where the efficiency peak is, when the engine can be shut off, and if and how braking energy is recovered.)

I pulled this off in my Gen 4 Prius last month:

(The first trip was done with a warmed up car (right after getting gas), but still. The second trip was more impressive, because the car had a few hours to cool off, and I was driving through thunderstorms. Oh, and at no point did I impede traffic - in fact, I was the traffic being impeded, which did help the mileage.)

"Illegitimus Prime" (illprime)
05/16/2017 at 06:13, STARS: 0

Protip, it’s about the time, it’s not explicitly a hypermiling challenge it’s about the time spent electric. I ended up in second place in my area because of it, despite having the best mix overall.

So the top in my area had 61% electric 4.4 l/100km

I had 59% electric 3.4l/100km. Maximize your electric time.

"bhtooefr" (bhtooefr)
05/16/2017 at 06:52, STARS: 0

If the challenge were to maximize electric time above all else, I’d almost be inclined to run on side streets (lower speed), until the battery’s depleted, then come to a complete stop, and stand on the brake and gas (as it’s called in the Prius community, “force charging”), until the battery’s recharged.

"Illegitimus Prime" (illprime)
05/16/2017 at 06:59, STARS: 0

It’s a pre-selected route, unfortunately.

"Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies" (jordanwphillips)
05/16/2017 at 07:34, STARS: 0

I just stayed out of boost in my ST and averaged 46 mpg(US) for that drive... At 45 mph.

"Cé hé sin" (michael-m-mouse)
05/16/2017 at 12:10, STARS: 0

5.0 l/100km is more than I got in a Prius when I hired one!