D5 (2005 on) Fuel consumption question

[volvicvolvo]

First things first. . .Hello, this is my first post on this forum since joining some 15 minutes ago!!

I have just bought an S80 D5 SE gear/t, its and ex-demo with 5000miles on the clock. It really is a beautiful car! . . .apart from one thing. . .the fuel consumption.

I live 12 miles from my place of work, with about 9 miles of that on dual carriageway and not in rush hour stop start traffic. I am taking it easy in the car ie. not squirting the taxmans favourite pedal! On this journey I average 28mpg. Is this normal when the brochure states 38.? mpg. I can accept a few miles mpg +/- but 10 mpg at these fuel prices!!?? MMmmm

I last filled up the tank after driving 286miles and it took 49ltr to brim the tank full, so by my reckoning (which has been known to fail me now and again!) it works out at around 26 to 28 mpg. . . . (scarey)


The dealership tells me that the D5 engines need running in for about 10000miles and then the mpg 'strangely' improves? But by that time I could well be bankrupt!! Do I believe them or not, hence my post. . .

Has any other D5 users had a similar problem?

Any help on this would be greatly appreciated!

[CTCNetwork]

Hi,

Search for d5 and mpg from the "Search" link above.
You'll find topics like this:
Linky....

Also, just a suggestion, but there is no need to post twice as you could have edited your first post..

12 miles? The car has bearly warmed up by then..
Hope you find the answer you're looking for...

Des. . .

[volvicvolvo]

Hi,
Thanks for the reply. I have searched the forums but I cant find anything that really hits the nails on the head to answer my answer. . . .

I have driven the car on longer journeys (mixed A roads) but the average mpg does not improve.

Are there any S80 D5 car owners out there that can comment?

(Please??)

[volvicvolvo]

Yeah, sorry about the second post. . . .I blame Windows ! !

[CTCNetwork]

Hi,

Originally Posted by volvicvolvo

Yeah, sorry about the second post. . . .I blame Windows ! !

I blame windows all the time..

Persevere with the search in the mean time (maybe try variation on the search terms).
I have seen something posted about a similar issue of D5 mpg before.
Once before, I know and possibly early last year...

Unless some knowledgeable D5 fan adds to this..

Des. . .

[jor]

Search with "D5 fuel" and you will find a thread on consumption with several replies from D5 owners, many reporting over 40 mpg on mixed driving. Have a look through the diesel section as well, there is a fair bit on the D5 to read about, but don't take it too personally, as you don't have anything nasty like error codes to worry about and a good thing too as the price of injectors is awe inspiring.


john

[JackT5]

As an 02 S80 SE owner my workplace is 3 miles from home and that coupled with the weekend 6 mile shopping trip to town and 4 or 5 miles round town gives me an average of 34mpg, shown on the display i must admit and not done on a brim to brim calculation. What does the instantaneous mpg show on the dual carriageway section of your journey?

[Stanleyturbo]

Hi, I dont have a D5 but thought you might like to know that your not alone with rubbish fuel economy when a diesel has done less than 10k, my father bought a Skoda Octavia 1.9TDi (130Bhp) on a 03 plate, the book quoted around 50MPG Combined and 55+mpgs on a run, for the first couple of tanks Dad was averaging between 35-38mpg, after 3-4K was on the clock he was seeing 40-42Mpg, and as it got closer to 10K the consumption was nearing what was quoted in the handbook. Now done 60k+ miles hes averaging nearly 60mpgs if hes carefull on a run and between 48 and 52 combined.

Also,

A mate of mine has a 55plate 1.8TDCi Focus as a work hack and reported a very similar problem of around 10mpgs short of what the handbook was saying for the first 10k miles or so now and was begging to wonder if he had made the right choice of car? I told him he should have bought a Volvo! Lol! the Focus has now done 70K+ miles and hes returning pretty much what the hand book suggests, so my advice would be not to panic and just try and sit back and enjoy the next 5k miles or so ignoring the fuel drinking habit and see what happens, and to be honest I'd be VERY interested to here the results as Im pretty much set on buying a D5 of some shape in the next year myself!

Good Luck!

Stanley

P.S, this might make you feel better, I Own a 2.5T V70 Auto, I get 16-18Mpgs around town! And the Head Gaskets just gone! D'Oh!!

[Clan]

Originally Posted by volvicvolvo

First things first. . .Hello, this is my first post on this forum since joining some 15 minutes ago!!

I have just bought an S80 D5 SE gear/t, its and ex-demo with 5000miles on the clock. It really is a beautiful car! . . .apart from one thing. . .the fuel consumption.

I live 12 miles from my place of work, with about 9 miles of that on dual carriageway and not in rush hour stop start traffic. I am taking it easy in the car ie. not squirting the taxmans favourite pedal! On this journey I average 28mpg. Is this normal when the brochure states 38.? mpg. I can accept a few miles mpg +/- but 10 mpg at these fuel prices!!?? MMmmm

I last filled up the tank after driving 286miles and it took 49ltr to brim the tank full, so by my reckoning (which has been known to fail me now and again!) it works out at around 26 to 28 mpg. . . . (scarey)


The dealership tells me that the D5 engines need running in for about 10000miles and then the mpg 'strangely' improves? But by that time I could well be bankrupt!! Do I believe them or not, hence my post. . .

Has any other D5 users had a similar problem?

Any help on this would be greatly appreciated!

That is probably the worst figure i have seen on a V70 D5 , but about average for an XC90 D5 .

Once you have the first 18000 service it will improve . But driving style has a big effect , are you making full use of it's acceleration as it is a novelty at present ? set the readout to instantaneous mpg and keep an eye on it for some days that will show you the areas when mpg is poor and you can adjust driving to suit . Don't forget to reset the average mpg for each journey to check for improvments on a daily basis , do you have any long hills to go up on your route ? Staying at 50 mph is not the way to get good mpg , if you can get to 70 for long periods it will make a big improvment .

Your low mpg is not typical , most averarge mid 40's with everyday use and on long motorway runs 50+ is possible with the 163 bhp version. If i drove a
D5 hard everywhere i would expect 30 mpg .

[T_Rifles]

I have used 2 new S80 D5 Geartronics, I do 100 miles a day, all good flowing roads and get 38mpg. I think the particulate filter makes a big difference.

My S60 auto before did 50 mpg over 70k miles. I seem to remember that improved from early 40s over the years.

With your short journey your mpg is not surprising.