How efficient is a 40 year old VW bus?

"VW Max" (vw-max) 05/16/2019 at 12:05 • Filed to: None

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It’s not.

Over the past 100 miles of driving the bus mainly to school/work, I got... 13.2 MPG. It’s a 40 year old car with a 3-speed automatic so I wasn’t expecting much, but this was still much lower than my guess of 15-20 MPG. I know treating it as a Poorsche can’t help, but it is still shocking that I can’t get even half of the 30 MPG I can easily get with the twice as powerful TDI in the city.

On the other end of the spectrum, the fuel economy of my dad’s BMW 330 GT is surprisingly good considering it is not exactly small. If the car’s computer is accurate, it can achieve 35 MPG cruising at 75 MPH.

What car that you have driven surprised you the most with its fuel economy?

Demon-Xanth knows how to operate a street. > VW Max 05/16/2019 at 12:26

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My ‘61 Corvair pulled mid 20s. Maybe you need an engine swap?

vicali > VW Max 05/16/2019 at 12:30

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Compare it to an RV to be fair, you are packing around Westfalias finest 24/7.

Check your cooling tins are there and do a basic tune up;

http://www.vw-resource.com/tune_up.html

http://www.aircooledvwlove.com/tune-up-your-air-cooled-volkswagen/

Our 86 wasn’t the worst, couldn’t compare it to a car though..

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > VW Max 05/16/2019 at 12:33

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My Acclaim with the 3.0 V6/4 speed auto pulls 36 mpg hwy.

I average between 20-32 in mixed driving, directly related to how much my right foot is on the floor........

My 1992 Caravan with the 3.0 V6/3 speed averages 24 mpg and has pulled as high as 28.9 mpg on the hwy. I find that quite impressive given the modern minivans struggle to get 20 mpg in mixed driving.

functionoverfashion > VW Max 05/16/2019 at 12:38

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I think I get about 11 in my truck. But that’s pretty much exactly what I’d expect. 

The Ghost of Oppo > VW Max 05/16/2019 at 12:40

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The other day I saw a guy with a water-cooled Vanagon that had a footlocker and a hand truck strap ped to the roof at the very front of the van. I shuttered thinking about  what kind of MPG he gets in that thing

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > VW Max 05/16/2019 at 12:43

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My car gets 20 regardless of driving conditions. Stop and go?  Cruising at 70 across the state? Even 50 on a nice long country road? 20-20-20.

fintail > VW Max 05/16/2019 at 12:48

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The one on the left can hit 30 mpg in relaxed highway driving, not bad for 4300 lbs and 362hp. The one on the right can maybe get just over 20 mpg in the same driving, not bad for its age I suppose:

Tristan > VW Max 05/16/2019 at 12:51

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My Suburban gets 12.5 commuting no matter what. That’s not surprising. What’s surprising is when I hitch up a travel trailer and drag it over a mountain and only lose 2 MPG.

Also, I had a 2001 Impala with a 3.4. Base model car. Big and c omfy, but not a great car. Over 60,000 miles of ownership I never got less than 24 mpg and it would normally get 32-35 MPG on highway trips. No compact 4-cylinder economy car I’ve owned can touch those numbers.

diplodicus forgot his password > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 05/16/2019 at 12:52

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The mysteries of the inline 6

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > VW Max 05/16/2019 at 12:52

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Mine! A 2000 528i is rated for 26mpg highway, and I regularly exceed that without even trying. I usually get 32. If I try I could get 35, which gives me a highway range of 600 miles!

DipodomysDeserti > VW Max 05/16/2019 at 12:53

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My 44 year-old 444cc motorcyce gets 30 mpg. Meanwhile my wife’s 3600lb car making 6x the power gets 36 mpgs. Old engines were not very efficient. I get 10mpg from the 350 in my ‘66 GMC, which doesn’t seem too bad compared to your VW.

vicali > The Ghost of Oppo 05/16/2019 at 12:54

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Yeah, no thanks.. Westys with trailers always make me cringe as well..

Cash Rewards > Tristan 05/16/2019 at 13:08

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Eh, I get thirty+ in a current gen Civic with some around town and dc beltway traffic. All highway cruising gets me 40mpg. This is with a 6speed manual, rather than the CVT, on a base non-turbo 4 cylinder

Tristan > Cash Rewards 05/16/2019 at 13:14

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I’ve really only owned my GLI and a 2009 Focus (both manual) as 4-cylinder cars (there were more that I didn’t drive regularly). The Focus was slow, poorly built, ugly and positively WOULD NOT get better than 27 MPG. Such a hateful shitbox... And I bought it with only 12,000 miles and sold it 6 months later.

The GLI... Normally I drive it like a jackass and it gets a pretty consistent 25-26 MPG. On the last tank, I behaved and drove like a normal, sane human being and even did some hypermiling. I got... wait for it... 28! ...s o I guess I’ll just let the turbo spool and have fun.

VW Max > fintail 05/16/2019 at 13:20

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I forgot how much I love the look of a modern Mercedes with a hood ornament. 

Svend > VW Max 05/16/2019 at 13:25

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That’s about right for a VW T2, here are the U.K. mpg figures.

I’ve just spoken to Victor who is selling this 2007 VW T2 Camper which has the 1.4 petrol engine from a VW Polo. He says he gets 40mpg(UK).

The T2 was built up until 2014 in Brazil. 

VW Max > Svend 05/16/2019 at 13:35

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Those numbers are in imperial gallons, right? So the poor fuel economy is normal and not just my lead foot?

Future Heap Owner > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness 05/16/2019 at 13:46

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That is very good! Pretty much identical numbers to my 2005 Volvo wagon with the 2.5 turbo I5 and 6MT, which weighs in at about  3400 lbs unloaded.

Svend > VW Max 05/16/2019 at 13:51

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Yes, they are in imperial (UKmpg) and not US Customary Units (USmpg) .

So the 2007 T2 1.4 at 40mpg Uk is 33mpg US. 

Cash Rewards > Tristan 05/16/2019 at 14:14

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I get much better mileage on my commuter since buying a Miata for fun rides last year. Scratch that itch properly with the Miata, keep the civic pushing max mpgs

fintail > VW Max 05/16/2019 at 14:50

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It was definitely a selling point for me - traditional grille and star aren’t easy to find on non-S class.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Svend 05/16/2019 at 16:38

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Yay Fuelly! :D

ranwhenparked > VW Max 05/16/2019 at 19:59

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It is amazing what modern fuel injection, transmission, and engine management technology can do. I never averaged more than 25mpg on a tank in my Super Beetle, but I consistently got 22mpg in my three Panthers and 29mpg in my Challenger.

Longtime Lurker > VW Max 05/18/2019 at 00:42

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Here’s my numbers from my BC roadtrip.

http://www.fuelly.com/car/bmw/325es/1986/longtime_lurker/917928

wafflesnfalafel > VW Max 08/19/2019 at 18:56

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M y folks would get 18/19 ish mixed in their 77 Kombi with the 2.0 fuel injected motor. Never over 22/23 or so even on the hwy.