[stan]

I've purchased the Inscription T-5 through the Overseas Delivery Program and will be leaving for Europe next Saturday. We plan on driving down through Germany and visiting a few of our favorite places in Germany, then into France, and doing the turn in at Frankfurt in early November. I'm taking my Garmin Nuvi which has a European Map on an SD card, because my guess is that the Volvo GPS is set up for a Norther America Map. We've lived in Europe previously so we should have no problems navigating around and enjoying getting to know our new Volvo. But one question that I have is the fuel range on these new XC40's. The T-5 is supposed to get 26 MPG combined city/highway and with a 14.2 gallon tank it should be good for an easy 350 miles between fill ups, but I'd like to know if that 26 MPG average is realistic. So I'd really like to hear from those who have the XC 40's with the T-5 what kind of mileage you're experiencing. Most of my driving in Europe will be on the autobahn, and my mileage will probably suck for the first 500 miles or so during break in, and at Autobahn speeds it will be even less, but I'd still appreciate knowing what others are seeing.

Stan

 

[Knarr]

Hi Stan,
My wife and I have had our XC40 since January 2019 and are loving the car. But at first we were disappointed with the mileage. After about 500 to 600 miles things started to improve. We're now seeing 32 to 35 MPG on the freeway when driving between 65 and 70 mph. In town we see anywhere from 23 to 25 MPG.
I hope this helpful.

Knarr---

 

[stan]

Yes, thank you Knarr, that is very helpful to know. We all know that fuel mileage improves with break in, but it's good to know for sure that it improves quite a bit with the XC40. Do you have the T4 or the T5?

 

[Gnomeface]

T5 with 600 miles from new - last fill-up (brim to brim) gave 35.02mpg (UK gallons), mainly quite busy motorway with cruise set to 75mph (sorry officer, I meant to say 70). Early indication is that mixed town & country will give around 30. I expect both figures to improve by a couple of mpg once the engine has loosened up properly.

 

[Jezza]

I have the T5 and fuel economy improved noticeably after 10k miles. Even so, I am averaging 25 mpg and I do a lot of highway driving and am conscientious with the gas pedal. Fuel economy has been disappointing. City driving just drains your average.

 

[Gnomeface]

25mpg (USA) equates to 30mpg (UK) because of the difference between UK and USA gallons. Still not great, but my experience in petrol-powered cars since Variable Valve Timing and Turbocharging came into vogue is that both increase fuel consumption despite manufacturer's claims of greater efficiency.
For example, my 1997 company car was a Ford Mondeo 2.0, standard petrol engine, and I drove the socks off it - rarely cruising below 90 on motorways (they were quieter in those days!) and always ready to burn off any challengers. Across 80,000 miles I averaged 34.9mpg - yes, I do love spreadsheets!
Then came an 1800cc Mazda MX-5 (Miata) 2-seater with VVT, a much lighter car and driven far more gently by my wife and I although on shorter journeys, and this averaged only 30.0mpg across 66,000 miles.

I also had a Jaguar X-Type 3.0 petrol (no turbo) which only gave 24mpg across 70,000 miles, although its more powerful and heavier replacement (a Jaguar XF 3.0 twin-turbo diesel) gave 34.4mpg.
The car that was replaced by the Volvo was a Skoda Yeti 2.0 AWD diesel, which managed 38mpg (66,000 miles).

The two things that stand out from my experience are that modern petrol-engined cars are much more powerful (per litre) than they used to be but no more economic in fuel usage, and that diesel power offers a substantial fuel saving.

I went for a petrol XC40 because 4-pot petrol engines are so much smoother and quieter than the equivalent diesels. It's rare to find a really quiet diesel car - the Jaguar XF was a brilliant exception, but 6-cylinder diesels don't feature in most small SUV manufacturer's ranges.

 

[stan]

Gnomeface, I have a 2017 Jaguar XE with the Turbo diesel and get around 40 MPG (I don't keep a spreadsheet, so don't have the exact figure). I drive the snot out of it and it's as quiet as a petrol engine. My 2014 VW Turbo diesel also gives around 40 MPG and is quiet enough that I can't hear it when I'm in the car. I love TDI's and only wish more auto makers would import Turbo diesels to the USA. I also wish more of them would import standard transmissions. My VW has the 6 sp manual and it's great fun to drive, especially up in the mountains on two lane twisty roads. With the torque of the TDI and the manual transmission you have a hard combination to beat for fun and economy.

 

[dhb]

I have a 2019 T5 automatic transmission with 30,000 miles. The best highway milage I got was 38 mpg at 75 mph for 200 miles of flat road. 33 to 35 mpg is the average at speeds of 70 to 80 mph. Minimizing the brake-accellerate-brake cycle yields the best results. City driving averages 25 if you are smooth. Ultimately it is your driving style that impacts your fuel economy, more so than the car.

 

[dhb]

90% highway miles.

 

[Jezza]

I had a 2012 VW Golf TDI and also averaged 36-38 mixed hey/city which, in Chicago traffic the way I drove then, was pretty wonderful. That was a great car and I miss it. Had to sell it back because of Dieselgate. What a shame, VW.

dub, i think climate affects it as much as anything. I drive the same 90 mile stretch back and forth regularly and get rather wildly differing results based on things like the temperature and wind outside, and also the elevation variance (one way is always a more efficient trip than the other for this reason). I did get 37 mpg on one of those trips one, but that was an anomaly. If you’re averaging 25 mpg in the city, your city is not arranged like mine. But I’m impressed nonetheless.