2006 S60 2.5T MPG

My new Volvo is only on the second tank but I'm barely getting 22MPG
with 75% hwy and the rest city. Does the engine have to break in first
or is this about right? I drive about 72MPH on the highway. Thanks in
advance

 

That may be part of the problem (the 72 MPH comment). Back off on the
right foot a bit.

I drive a V40, and right from the get-go, I'll have about a 20% better
fuel mileage than you will, all other things being equal (4 cyl versus
5 cyl)

Read the on-line stuff about how driving habits affect gas mileage.

Smooth/steady driving, no sudden accelerations or starts, no excessive
idling. Maintain the car (oil, fluids, filters, washing, cleaning.....)

Of course, you didn't say which engine you got in the car -- bigger
engine means worse fuel mileage. Also, are you running in economy or
sport mode? Which fuel type -- regular or high-test?

 

I had the same experience with a 2005 2.5T. I now have about 16,600
miles on the car and the mileage has increased to almost 24 mpg, with
about the same mix of driving. My speed selection is a bit higher,
though; it's in the low 80s, as that's the speed I'm most comfortable
with, with occasional bursts of 90+, as required.

One thing I've learned, despite protestations of "experts": it's better
to accelerate briskly to speed and then back off on the throttle. This
gives you better mileage because you're at higher power settings for a
lower amount of time. I learned this in the transit industry, where it's
more energy efficient to accelerate a train to maximum running speed
quickly and then immediately go to the power setting necessary to
maintain speed.

I use the mid-grade fuel of 89 octane, with no ill effects.

Also, I understand that the transmission has a "learning mode" feature,
which adjusts shift points, based on your driving style.

Good luck with your S60. I love mine and would consider another one in a
heartbeat. I let people drive mine and unanimously, people say the car
"glides" and are favorably impressed.

 

24mpg in mixed driving is not too bad. I checked my mileage tonight
and was at 20 with about 50/50 city/hwy mileage.

I, however, love my car in just about everyway. Even the stock stereo
is very good which surprised me. The S60 is not given the respect it
deserves from reviewers. There are only 2 things that I'm not thrilled
about. First is the mileage and the second thing is the size of the
remote/key. It's like a small cell phone.

Things I like:
Styling, acceleration, exteremly comfortable seats, dash layout,
quality of buttons, and switches, all the cool options, stereo, dual
climate control, silky smooth transmission, and so much more. I would
lease this car again in a second.

 

I just returned tonight from a 982 mile round trip. The mix of driving
was about 75% highway and 25% local, which, due to excessive traffic on
both ends, as well as highway repairs, might even have a slightly higher
local component.

While on the highway, I had the cruise control set at 79 mph, with
occasional bursts up into the 80s, perhaps once at 90. My average
mileage was 25.6, according to the trip computer.

I used mid-grade fuel (89 octane) for this trip.

 

25.6 is actually decent mileage for mixed driving. I seem to be at
23mpg with about the same mix of driving. My car is still under 500
miles so I'm hoping that it will improve. In any event this is the
nicest car I have ever had and the reviewers don't give the S series
cars the respect they deserve. The only things I really don't like
about the car is the remote and the back leg room is pretty small. I
have a 10 year old and very rarely have any adult sin this car so I
don't really care. The turning radious is a non-issue for me.

 

My 2004 V70 with the same 2.5T gets aroung 28mpg on the highway with
speeds ranging from 65 to 75mph. In town mpg drops to around 22 or so.

I think the difference between what you and I are are getting in mpg is
mostly the result of driving style. I consciously attempt to maximize
mpg on the road by holding a constant if slightly fast speed. In town
I try to hold a constant speed, minimize rapid acceleration and
deceleration and use engine braking whenever possible. I'ts kind of a
game, but I keep the immediate mpg display on and try to keep that
number as high as possible.

 

I own a 2002 S80 T6. I can drive on the interstate at 55 miles per hour and
consistently get 34 miles to the gallon.
Most people would say "what fun is that driving 55 MPH with twin turbos?" I
say "$3 a gallon fun." I wonder how
accurate the computer is in determining the miles per gallon.

 

I must be doing something wrong because on my last tank I kept my
mileage to about 72 mph and used the criuse and still only managed to
get 23 mpg. Is it possible that my car needs to break in or could it
be that there is something wrong with my car. I even put in a 1/2 tank
of 93 ocatane gas and mixed it with 89 octange to see if there was a
difference but no luck. Any advice.

 

You need to break the engine in, even in modern cars. It needs at least
5000 miles to get rid of all the rough spots. You'll see consistent
improvements in mileage with each tank after about 1000 miles.

 

*FACK*! I drive my 5th Volvo now and I bought them all factory new. It
took at least 10'000 to 15'000 km to reach the lowest fuel consumption
and the difference is at least 10 % bewtween new and beyond 10 tkm.
Consider changing the oil and the oil filter after 5000 km and refill
with a fully synthetic motor oil.

Have a nice and sunny Sunday!

Joerg

 

OK, sounds like he knows, run your new car for 5000 to 8000 miles, then
check it out.

 

In my experience the average reading is quite accurate. I compared the
reading for each of several tankfuls to mpg computed with pencil and
paper and results were very close.

Obviously the key to using the car computer for measuring mpg per
tankful is to reset it at each fillup. Otherwise you get a sluggish
average spread over several tanks.

 

Typically the mpg computers are very accurate, often within 5% and almost
always within 10%. That may seem like a lot of margin of error, but that
would be 1-2 mpg at 20 mpg.

The computer knows most of the variables with great accuracy: the distance
traveled (as displayed by your odometer), the engine speed, the amount of
time the ECU is commanding the fuel injectors to stay open. All it does not
know directly is the fuel pressure, which determines the actual amount of
fuel injected compared to the expected amount.

Mike

 

That was always true for the Volvos with gasoline engine. My new V70 D5
is producing results on the trip computer which are roughly 10 % to low
(liter/100km). The readings with the gasoline engine consistently was
within 2 % of the real values.

Joerg