Q5 3.0T fuel economy

[simy]

I'm in search of ways to get better fuel economy out of my Q5 3.0T. I love everything about it except that I feel as if I should be getting better mpg's especially considering how I've been driving. I've been religiously monitoring fuel economy via the Fuelly app since I purchased the vehicle and here are some of my stats:

Overall: 20.3 MPG
Total miles tracked: 2169
Best MPG: 23.3 MPG (over one long 600 mi road trip - mostly flat, using cruising control, going about 65-70 mph)
Average miles per tank: 350-375

My daily commute is about 40 miles round trip 95% highway. Mornings usually going a constant 55-65mph and I've been driving extra conservatively to see what the best mpg I could get it is.
I feel like on long road trips I should be getting 25-26 MPG driving conservatively the way I do. Just want to see if there is anything else I can do. I understand I'm in the range of EPA estimates but feel like I should be getting better fuel economy given my conservative driving habits.

Couple of notes about by car:

- 2017 Q5 3.0T with 26K miles
- EPL stage 1 tune + TCU tune
- 21" factory wheels with Pirelli Pzero in stock sizes (38psi all around)
- 034 motorsports inlet tube + AFE pro (dry) filter

1. What is the general weight of the the 21" wheels? If I dropped down to smaller/lighter wheel what could I expect to see if terms of increase fuel economy?
2. Start/stop: I use this religiously and wondering how much savings I should be expecting
3. I'm almost always in individual mode (engine = comfort, steering = dynamic). I feel as if I'm constantly applying gas because the revs are usually too low when doing everyday driving (1.5K rpm)

Would love to get any advice here or is this about what I should expect?

[djn876]

Your MPG seems about right to me. I honestly don't see you doing a whole lot better and it will vary some seasonally. When I was on vacation a year or so back, I was driving a fair amount at 45 to 55 and was getting around 23 average but mostly driving conservatively I can get 20 or so. I am EPL dual pulley with TCU. The tune probably helps things as long as you keep your foot out of it.

Different wheels might help a little, but probably not significantly. And don't be shy about manually bumping down a gear if you need to. I can't stand how early it shifts in D and how resistant it is to downshift.

You could bump up tire pressure a little too, not sure what the door sticker says (yes I know that is max load) but if you aren't there it will help a little.

[S4'ed]

I average about 22MPG with a 2017 SQ5 and 21" wheels.....straight highway I can get about 25 or 26MPG

[SDV325]

I do notice that the EPL tune is good for about 2-3MPG reduction in fuel economy no matter how gingerly i drive and that once winter gas arrives that lowers things another 2-3MPG.

Im lucky to get 20MPG now with my commute and the cold Canadian weather. Summer time though, 25-26 isn't out of the question either.

[VroomVroom]

In my Q5 I would occasionally see 25-26 mpg, but only on long road trips. For example, SF to PHX: 25.9mpg; PHX to SF: 24.2mpg.

Around the bay area, elevation plays a huge factor. A lot of my music work is in the south bay. I'll see 27+mpg on the drive to San Jose, but 22mpg on the drive home. The average will almost always be in the ~ 23-24mpg range. Are you experiencing similar ups and downs?

[simy]

Your MPG seems about right to me. I honestly don't see you doing a whole lot better and it will vary some seasonally. When I was on vacation a year or so back, I was driving a fair amount at 45 to 55 and was getting around 23 average but mostly driving conservatively I can get 20 or so. I am EPL dual pulley with TCU. The tune probably helps things as long as you keep your foot out of it.

Different wheels might help a little, but probably not significantly. And don't be shy about manually bumping down a gear if you need to. I can't stand how early it shifts in D and how resistant it is to downshift.

You could bump up tire pressure a little too, not sure what the door sticker says (yes I know that is max load) but if you aren't there it will help a little.

Definitely lots of early shifts in D and drives me a little nuts as well. Door jam shows 36 PSI all around.

[simy]

I mostly drive up and down 101 so no real elevation changes. I drove from San Jose to Santa Barbara and averaged 23.3 MPG with insanely conservative driving which I thought was low given I was in the 55-65 MPH range the entire time. I was hoping to be at 25 MPG on that road trip. I'd be pretty happy getting 23-24 mpg average driving conservatively!

[SlingshotSQ5]

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[ILVTRANCE]

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Lmao!!!

[simy]

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Lol this is true but I'm just trying to figure out if I can do better given my driving habits and situation.

[VroomVroom]

I have found that my mileage @ 70mph is better than it is between 60-65mph. Sometimes being conservative works against us and lowest possible RPM doesn't equate to best possible mileage. That said, this does make me wonder if your TCU tune is having an impact. Can you flash back to stock for testing purposes? Along those lines, everything under the hood is squared away? Air filter is clean, intake connections solid, etc.? Any chance you've done the VCDS programming so the cluster displays what gear you're in?

FWIW, when I went from 21s to 20's on my SQ I shaved roughly 10-12 lbs per corner. I thought that might make a subtle difference in economy, but it hasn't. Of course, I also increased my contact patch (255's to 275's; 8.5" to 10").

I've done the trip down 101 to SoCal numerous times. There are a lot of climbs on that drive. That said, my mileage heading south is always better than it is heading north. Ditto the 101 shuffle between SF and SJ, although 101 is definitely more flat than 280 and yields much better economy by comparison.

Good luck...please keep us posted as you learn & experiment more.

[MadMen]

Assuming you aren't using ethanol blends, the single biggest impact on mileage (IMO) is using summer tires vs all season - regardless of weight difference. Not sure if your Pirellis are summer or A/S? I see a ~2 MPG drop when using summer tires, even though they're lighter than my A/S. I've seen this same difference on several of my cars, so definitely a factor.

[Placemotorsport]

Do you guys actually use the auto shutoff? Feels weird to me and the way it kinda lurches forward a bit when you let off the brake seems unnatural.

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[simy]

So just completed another trip from the Bay Area down to Santa Barbara and back but this time had my wife drive. She has a lighter foot than I do and wanted to see if she could yield better results to see if it was driver error on my part. I did notice that the drive certainly wasn't all flat with some decent inclines for small stretches.

On the way there: 23.6 MPG
She was driving a lot faster though and was typically doing 75-80 MPH. No cruise control. Engine in comfort mode. No traffic.

On the way back: 22.3 MPG
Much slower pace since there was quite a bit of traffic.

Air filter is brand new (AFE dry pro filter) and all intake connections are good. I recently removed the snow filter as well and assume that has zero influence? This was all with EPL stage 1 tune and TCU tune enabled. I want to try to the stock TCU tune next to see if that helps. But right now I think it's probably in line with where I should be in terms of fuel efficiency. Was just hoping to get 25-26mpg on a long road trip but I'm in the range.

[simy]

Assuming you aren't using ethanol blends, the single biggest impact on mileage (IMO) is using summer tires vs all season - regardless of weight difference. Not sure if your Pirellis are summer or A/S? I see a ~2 MPG drop when using summer tires, even though they're lighter than my A/S. I've seen this same difference on several of my cars, so definitely a factor.

Just using good ol' shitty 91 grade California gas. I do have the Pirelli Pzero summer tires. I'll likely be moving onto some sort of A/S tire after these but do they actually get better MPG? I've never heard of this but would make sense if they had better rolling resistance.

[simy]

Do you guys actually use the auto shutoff? Feels weird to me and the way it kinda lurches forward a bit when you let off the brake seems unnatural.

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I use it and love it. To me it's pretty seamless and definitely keeps the idle time lower. Anybody have definitive data that it actually saves fuel and if so, how much?

[djn876]

3 to 10% according to this article, which probably somewhat generic. I find when I drive my wife's car (VW Atlas) if I anticipate lights/traffic and either turn the wheel or let slight pressure off the brake, it'll start and be ready with no roughness when I actually pull away.

https://www.edmunds.com/car-reviews/...save-fuel.html

I use it and love it. To me it's pretty seamless and definitely keeps the idle time lower. Anybody have definitive data that it actually saves fuel and if so, how much?

[spindlewood]

Anybody have definitive data that it actually saves fuel and if so, how much?

Bottom line is that it will come down to how often you're sitting waiting for lights to change. If a lot, yes it could save 1-2 mpg. But if, like me, you're 80% highway (or similar roads without stops), the amount won't be significant (based on what I observed, and I'm obsessive about mpg). I hate the off / on stutter and turning it off via OBDEleven was the first mod I made. You should be able to do the same if it bothers you.

If you really want the best mileage, google hypermiling. Most people don't want to change driving habits, but I average close to 28 mpg with a b9 SQ5 by using the brake pedal as little as possible - like coasting to lights and stop signs. The sweet spot for me is between 45-55 mpg. When doing 60mph+, the mpg goes down a bit. Of course, I'm turbo vs your SC, although they have almost the identical mpg rating - and Fuelly shows them within .5 mpg or so of each other as well.

Lastly, always drive downhill :)

[MSq5]

I do notice that the EPL tune is good for about 2-3MPG reduction in fuel economy no matter how gingerly i drive and that once winter gas arrives that lowers things another 2-3MPG.

Im lucky to get 20MPG now with my commute and the cold Canadian weather. Summer time though, 25-26 isn't out of the question either.

I’ve seen little change in fuel mileage as I’ve progressed from OEM to EPL Stage 1, then Stage 2, then dual pulley Stage 2 as far as ordinary driving around town or cruising on the highway on 93 octane. But, at full throttle the dual pulley tune definitely burns more fuel. The difference between 272 hp and close to 500 hp definitely requires more fuel at full throttle. But, on my daily commute of about 40 miles round trip, about half stop and go city driving, half relatively isolated country road at 60-65 mph, I’m still getting about 20-21 mpg as opposed to maybe 22-23 before.

It’s really a negligible difference in normal driving. Get aggressive, though, and you can almost watch the needle go down.

I do not use the auto stop-start. Never liked it and keep it turned off. Gas is considerably cheaper here than the national average.

My ‘70 340 small block MOPAR blueprinted, race-prepped for Showroom Stock class with 3.91 posi diff, 4 speed (no overdrive) A body, (bought new by me in 1970) got 10 mpg around town, 13-14 on the highway and only 6 if getting on it regularly. Probably made about the same horsepower as my Audi, but in a much lighter body.

We’ve come a long way in fuel mileage.

[VroomVroom]

MSq5, I'm curious...have you noticed any difference in economy with the TCU tune?

I ask because I was really impressed with the difference on my last tuned GM vehicle ('07 Denali XL w/ 6-speed). Light-throttle fuel economy improved by almost 2mpg in around-town/stop & go driving. I didn't see any difference in pure highway driving, and of course as you mentioned, mileage during spirited driving was quite poor. FWIW, the final PCM and TCM tuning was done during a 60-minute drive with the shop owner. He was really able to dial things in for me.

Anyway, I'll be doing a round trip to/fro Anaheim later this month. I'll most likely take 101 > 134 > 5, and I'll monitor & log the fuel economy.

[MSq5]

MSq5, I'm curious...have you noticed any difference in economy with the TCU tune?

I ask because I was really impressed with the difference on my last tuned GM vehicle ('07 Denali XL w/ 6-speed). Light-throttle fuel economy improved by almost 2mpg in around-town/stop & go driving. I didn't see any difference in pure highway driving, and of course as you mentioned, mileage during spirited driving was quite poor. FWIW, the final PCM and TCM tuning was done during a 60-minute drive with the shop owner. He was really able to dial things in for me.

Anyway, I'll be doing a round trip to/fro Anaheim later this month. I'll most likely take 101 > 134 > 5, and I'll monitor & log the fuel economy.

I see no difference in daily driving. I have only adjusted the tune for 100% and 100.4% pedal positions, and for how AMAX works. So it acts like the OEM ZF8 unless I have the pedal to the floor in AMAX or at 100% or 104% (pedal to the floor) conditions.

[simy]

Update: just got the worst fuel economy so far with my last tank checking in at 18.2mpg with 291 total miles. Probably 70% freeway driving with more city this time around and a couple spirited romps.

This car hauls ass with stage 1! I'm wondering if moving to A/S tires will help down the road but I'm starting to just live it at this point.

[MSq5]

Update: just got the worst fuel economy so far with my last tank checking in at 18.2mpg with 291 total miles. Probably 70% freeway driving with more city this time around and a couple spirited romps.

This car hauls ass with stage 1! I'm wondering if moving to A/S tires will help down the road but I'm starting to just live it at this point.

Thinking you might be having a bit too much “right foot fun” with the newfound power!

When checking fuel mileage always fill up and mechanically calculate by dividing traveled miles by fuel added to completely fill the tank. The electronic mileage calculator is wildly erratic and unreliable.

[FrankSilvia]

I have the 3.0 in a A6, but I notice bp 93 octane vs shell 93 octane I get 50 more miles per tank with shell.

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[simy]

Thinking you might be having a bit too much “right foot fun” with the newfound power!

When checking fuel mileage always fill up and mechanically calculate by dividing traveled miles by fuel added to completely fill the tank. The electronic mileage calculator is wildly erratic and unreliable.

Honestly it was only a couple times I did harder sprints and it was for like 1 mile at a time. I use the Fuelly app to keep track and calculate everything for me so it's very accurate. My onboard readings are showing about 2mpg more than what I'm actually getting.

[MSq5]

Honestly it was only a couple times I did harder sprints and it was for like 1 mile at a time. I use the Fuelly app to keep track and calculate everything for me so it's very accurate. My onboard readings are showing about 2mpg more than what I'm actually getting.

There are a lot of reasons Fuelly can be inaccurate. You can’t get it wrong doing it mechanically by dividing miles driven by fuel consumed. Might want to give this a try for a tank or two and compare.

[simy]

There are a lot of reasons Fuelly can be inaccurate. You can’t get it wrong doing it mechanically by dividing miles driven by fuel consumed. Might want to give this a try for a tank or two and compare.

It was my understanding that Fuelly just did the basic calculations? I did the same math to double check it and it was correct.

[MSq5]

It was my understanding that Fuelly just did the basic calculations? I did the same math to double check it and it was correct.

Good to know. I had some notion in my head that it ran one tank behind but with current odo reading, which could skew the results. My bad. I always do it the old way.

You mileage drop is probably just a heavy right foot. Even if you don’t go full throttle, if you are dipping into the power more you’ll burn more fuel.

[Novarider]

You probably don't even notice how much you dip into the power. Have someone else that drives more conservatively drive your car and see what milage they get.

[elijahallen]

My heavily modded SQ5 averaged 22-25mpg with 2/3rds hwy driving and my Stage 2 Q5 is lucky to see 20-21 on the hwy. I think better tunes do better on fuel because the SQ5 with GIAC tune had extra fueling upgrades and still better mileage compared to the Q5 with a stage 2 Eurodyne tune.

[Xler82.0]

My ‘19 SQ5 shows long term mpg of 17.3. Bone stock. Even short term never broke into the 20’s. Very thirsty indeed.

[Tone-Dogg]

I have no idea how many are getting in the 20's...
My last tank was 16.87mpg. I average 240 to 280 a tank. I'm EPL Stage 1.

I suppose mine is very very thirsty. Now in defense I do drive relatively fast on the highway (80 -90) and all of my city drive is in manual or S.

Even on my drives from CT to VT I barely get 280 a tank in comfort mode.

I do have to change my plugs, perhaps that's the culprit they have 44K on them.

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[Novarider]

I have no idea how many are getting in the 20's...
My last tank was 16.87mpg. I average 240 to 280 a tank. I'm EPL Stage 1.

I suppose mine is very very thirsty. Now in defense I do drive relatively fast on the highway (80 -90) and all of my city drive is in manual or S.

Even on my drives from CT to VT I barely get 280 a tank in comfort mode.

I do have to change my plugs, perhaps that's the culprit they have 44K on them.

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It's the speed you drive. If you want to test it, set your cruise at 70 on the interstate. Also the city driving in D instead of S would make a big difference.

[Tone-Dogg]

It's the speed you drive. If you want to test it, set your cruise at 70 on the interstate. Also the city driving in D instead of S would make a big difference.

Had a feeling that might be the case. I will try that on my next full tank.

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[arjun90]

I stick with Shell 99.99% of the time, never use cruise control, vary my speed quite a bit but on average is hovering around 65mph on the highway on the far left lane. I get about 24-26 mpg on the Q5, just a shy better than the A6 Avant

[simy]

I have no idea how many are getting in the 20's...
My last tank was 16.87mpg. I average 240 to 280 a tank. I'm EPL Stage 1.

I suppose mine is very very thirsty. Now in defense I do drive relatively fast on the highway (80 -90) and all of my city drive is in manual or S.

Even on my drives from CT to VT I barely get 280 a tank in comfort mode.

I do have to change my plugs, perhaps that's the culprit they have 44K on them.

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280mi/tank on a long drive is way below average (esp in comfort mode). Is it flat terrain? Driving in manual/S mode definitely hurts fuel economy from my experience.

[Tone-Dogg]

280mi/tank on a long drive is way below average (esp in comfort mode). Is it flat terrain? Driving in manual/S mode definitely hurts fuel economy from my experience.

I honestly think I am just on the throttle a lot, fast starts and stops. City driving is always Sport or manual, highway is Drive usually.

I'm going to try what others have suggested.

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[MSq5]

I just filled up after a road trip, half highway at 75-80 mph, half city driving, and a few pedal to the metal passes to clear traffic at speeds well above 80 momentarily. 340 miles on 17.0 gallons. 20 mpg on the nose. I usually get a little better, but this involved Interstate driving where you run 75-80 or get run over.

[Tone-Dogg]

I just filled up after a road trip, half highway at 75-80 mph, half city driving, and a few pedal to the metal passing. 340 miles on 17.0 gallons. 20 mpg on the nose. I usually get a little better, but this involved Interstate driving where you run 75-80 or get run over.

That's very impressive, I never get over 300 per tank.

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[Silver_Bullet]

3.0T Q5 Stage 1 w/ Pirelli Winters, 3 tanks of holiday travel loaded with toddlers and full trunk of gear, 19.0 20.0 and 18.6 mpg. Mostly in S mode with liberal paddle shifting, no cruise, mix of city and long road trips from NYC and DC and upstate, so some typically crappy traffic with some more open cruising stretches at nice speed.

I consider it not bad but not great, I couldn't imagine getting over 22-23 mpg in this section of the country with this car.

My worst has been stretches of local driving in NYC area averaging 10-15 mph for whole tanks. That would give 12-13 mpg, but maybe I should be thinking of it in terms of 1 hour per gallon or 1.0 hpg.