I need some help in comparisons of what this guy is saying about the VW Passat in Europe and USA

[madokie]

http://video.staged.com/localshops/vw_passat_785_mpg_in_the_uk

My neighbor keeps sending me this link and I've watched it and I come away thinking that there is more to the story than this fellow is giving. I suspect the guy in the video is comparing apples to oranges or cherry picking his info. My neighbor keeps sending me stuff like this all the time and I keep telling him he needs to bring this to DU and lets get it vetted. I know of no other source for getting to the bottom of whatever the subject is than the DemocraticUnderground.

[rfranklin]

1. A lot of questionable statements and references to "the current administration" make me suspicious..

and no names of people that made the statements. Highly unreliable.

[LuvNewcastle]

2. My parents used to have a diesel Passat wagon

that reliably got 40 to 45 mpg. That's pretty damned good. Since most of the world measures distance in kilometers instead of miles, I'm wondering if this is just a mistake with conversion.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

3. 78 mpg - is that based on Imperial Gallons?

What sort of gallon is used in the U.K.? If it's the imperial gallon, then 78 miles per imperial gallon is the same as 65 miles per U.S. gallon. Still impressive.

But, how about 84 mpg, reportedly achieved by "self-proclaimed mileage experts"
http://www.leftlanenews.com/diesel-burning-vw-passat-sets-fuel-mileage-record.html

High mileage is a nice accomplishment, but I bet the drivers behind them were not pleased.

[Fumesucker]

10. A few years ago I was driving an Expedition with the 5.6 engine and a towing package..

My daughter couldn't get better than 11 mpg average in that vehicle as shown by the onboard computer display, I could routinely get better than 17 mpg in the same traffic on the same trips and arrive within a minute or two of the same time as my daughter makes and sometimes even ahead of her..

Saving gas is more about conserving forward momentum as much as possible than it is about driving slowly, things like timing red lights so that you keep rolling rather than stop and go at lights will save a remarkable amount of fuel and can actually save you time.

[madokie]

11. You bet it does

When the gas ripoff hit in '73 I had a mercury monterey with the 390 engine and by driving sensible I could promise my friends I could get at least 20 miles to the gallon so when we were going anywhere as a group we'd take my mercury cause it was big, comfortable and like I said we'd only have to put in enough gas to get there and back figuring it as 20 mpg. I always had a little gas left when we got back too.
Its mostly all in how one drives.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

12. My point exactly! You slowly coast the last 200 yds to the light ...

... and the people behind you are beating their dashboards, biting their steering wheels, cursing "what is that idiotic fumesucker doing?"

You know, not "getting" the genius behind your methods.

[Fumesucker]

13. If you wait till the last 200 yards you're doing it wrong..

By then it's usually too late to have much effect..

Not to mention you're not always slowing down, quite often a speedup is called for rather than slowing..

[GCP]

4. I'm in the UK and drive a 2L VW Jetta diesel TDI

I regularly get 50-60 mpg mixed highway and town driving. The thing is, an Imperial gallon is 1.25 times as big as a US gallon, so that goes a long way to explaining the high figure. I believe the answer is, as the dealership told him, to do with emissions and not to do with taxation.

[madokie]

5. I want to thank each of you for your reply

I didn't buy what the guy was selling either as I seen it as a dig on our very fine President more than anything.
Thank you

[bigbrother05]

6. European cars have different setting in their computers based on where they are to be sold

also have different standards for safety equipment and emissions controls. EU standard vehicles cannot be imported to US without expensive conversions/add ons to make them compliant.

New Euro cars legally have to be able to reach the maximum on their speedometer (truth in advertising), but most US spec cars have governors (or programming) that limit them to 120 mph.

[muriel_volestrangler]

7. "New Euro cars legally have to be able to reach the maximum on their speedometer"

No, I think that's completely wrong. It's not been true in the past; and it would be a notable change, and one I think would have been publicised if they had just introduced it (because it is, frankly, an idiotic idea). It's true that they don't get limited to 120 mph, I suppose.

[bigbrother05]

9. Could be wrong about the UK, but my experience is in Germany

With some sections of the autobahn having no limit, their laws require (and have for at least 40 years in my experience) that a new vehicle be able to attain the highest listed speed or it would be considered false advertising.

[EOTE]

8. The 1.6 TDI isn't available here, just the 2.0.

Sub two liter engines tend not to do too well here, I'd imagine especially in a good sized sedan like the Passat. Also, cars sold in the U.S. tend to have a good amount of emissions controls which can limit output. Diesels and tiny engines just aren't terribly popular here, that seems to be changing slowly but surely. Diesels are great, though. The new 2.0 TDI has loads of torque yet still gets great fuel economy. As diesels gain popularity here, expect to see a number of new diesel options.