D5 P* PP Fuel economy xc90

[sasdiscos]

So just others views on this please?

My 2018 xc90 with p* has returned an average of 38mpg over 22k miles.
Since owning I have driven in eco mode maximising the fuel economy.

I do 20k a year and so I drive carefully and don’t tend to rush about any more.

Try to stick to below speed limits where practical etc.

Just recently I decided to drive in normal mode, and to my surprise I’m easily getting 41mpg. Well, easier than in eco mode.

I’m surprised by this, what is others findings on this?

I have 22 inch wheels and air suspension. Tyres ran at 39psi all round.
Just me in the car weekdays and me and the missus at weekends holidays etc.

Just curious to know what others have found.

Thanks. Steve.

[nu11eaf]

I have compared eco to comfort mode and found little difference, and no window misting in comfort mode. Dynamic mode gives a better driving experience with hardly any difference in economy if driven normally, I have individual mode set to dynamic with comfort suspension and light steering and stop start disabled. I just wish the tick over revs were lower in dynamic.

[Lexman8]

Originally Posted by nu11eaf

I have compared eco to comfort mode and found little difference

Same here; no significant difference. I leave it in Comfort mode.

[sasdiscos]

So what sort of mpg are you returning?

I was pleased with near 40 for such a big car, but can’t understand the logic of the eco mode.

Coasting is supposed to save fuel, but as I have always previously thought it uses more fuel than allowing drag.

Is it just a gimmick?

Steve.

[neilgorin]

It's not the same car, however on my V60 D4 manual I do the exact same route daily, so decided to work out exactly what these modes do.

Conclusion:

- Comfort is standard.

- Economy extends the throttle travel and reduces the coldness of the air con. It also causes the cruise control to vary slightly at set speed - the car will drop back slightly below the set speed and then slowly catch back up again.

- Dynamic makes the steering heavier, reduces the air gap between the brake pads and the disks meaning hard braking occurs with less pedal travel and reduces the throttle pedal travel to make it seem more snappy.

Fuel consumption at a steady speed is identical between Comfort and Dynamic.

Fuel consumption in Economy is very slightly better than Comfort but only when using cruise. Driving normally there's no difference but it feels slower as you have to push the pedal more.

Another thing (although not relevant to automatic cars) is that the car is less efficient in 6th gear than 5th gear until you pass 57mph.

[Lexman8]

Originally Posted by sasdiscos

So what sort of mpg are you returning?

Long term average is ~35mpg. Long motorway runs at around the speed limit and with Pilot Assist on is ~42mpg. I reckon PA increases fuel consumption by 1 or 2 mpg.

[nu11eaf]

My MPG average will not be relevant as most of my driving is around town on short trips or pulling a caravan on long trips, so rather pathetic mid twenties. But do get decent mileage on a run and "once" had 50 mpg on a steady 50mph run.

[Ian0803]

I have never bothered with Eco mode on my XC90, my experience with my previous cars told me, that under normal/typical day to day driving conditions for me, Eco was never more economical than comfort mode.
For sure there may be conditions where Eco does offer small benefits, but I found I needed to push harder on the throttle pedal most of the time to achieve the same progress as comfort, nor did I appreciate the reduced air-con
In fact on my previous cars, on longer journeys, I could also achieve the same economy in sport mode, simply driving the car exactly the same as in comfort mode.
Mine is a B5D, 8000 miles and an average of 43mpg

[sasdiscos]

So my next thing to try is if lowering the suspension makes a difference. In eco it lowers it for less wind resistance. In comfort it is at normal. I have it set in P* with eco.

Few more trials to be had me thinks.