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Heavy drinker or not?

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2K views 27 replies 14 participants last post by  symon 
#1 ·
When I saw the 1999 2.0TS GTV for sale I was supposed to be looking for a comfortable but economical commuter, some sort of diesel hatchback. Heart won over head - as ever with me and cars.

However I drive, I always seem to get 27-28mpg. I had hoped for 30 but it's close. My normal daily commute is 2 miles of very twisty single track, 16 miles of dual carriageway and motorway, 7 miles of lightly-trafficked urban 30 and 40 limits.

I was trained by HM Government to 'make progress' so I don't hang about but I'm also conscious of the problems I had a few years ago when I clocked 11 points in 10 months so I'm pretty much near the speed limits.

So, is this about right for this car or should I be looking for a problem?
 
#2 ·
In the 2.0 GTV I get about 28-30 mpg driving like a nun in similar circumstances to you. I'm on 6 points myself so do pay heed to speed limits.TBH if I rag the 2.0 GTV I still seem to get about 30 mph.

Your figures seem normal.

I can get about 28mpg from the V6 Spider as well - but that is on a long motorway run in 6th gear at 70 mph. Mostly I just thrash it and am lucky to get 20 mpg - but hey the sheer fun when you plant your foot in 2nd, 3rd and 4th and watch/feel the revs climb is worth every expensive penny of my limited pension income.
 
G
#5 ·
The differences between the 3L V6 and the 2L TS, at least performance wise are not all that great really. The V6 is 1.7 seconds faster 0-62 than the TS, and 15mph faster at the top end. In the real world, those differences are buggerall, on the track it would be very noticeable I think.

Fuel consumption is not hugely different either, as long as you don't give the V6 beans all the time, if you do, then I think it starts to get painful in the wallet. Personally I think for around our Devon lanes and B roads, the TS is better balanced on the twisty bits, hence I think can be pushed a bit harder than the V6 which I think is a bit nose heavy, but that is just my opinion.

As you found out, the urban commute using a lot of lower gears, hurts the fuel consumption. Nothing new there then. :)
 
#6 ·
I do 70 miles a day on mainly motorway or fast A roads and my twinnie is always around 28-30 mpg. It's not bad for an engine who's origins are way back. And I like the noise too!

The way I see it is in real cash terms. To achieve a drop in mpg/consumption you'd probably have to buy a newer car. That's going to cost more money than the GTV stands you in at and then you'll have to factor in depreciation. With a GTV they are pretty much bobbling across the bottom of their price curve so depreciation isn't a worry. As such if you ran a GTV as your daily driver and got 28 or so mpg you would still be quids in over buying a newer car with better mpg just because you want better mpg. And it probably wouldn't matter what the difference in mpg is unless you are doing starship enterprise mileage each year.
 
#7 ·
29-30mpg is about right for a 2.0 TS

I think one of the reasons is that it needs to be revved to make reasonable progress, and that makes the fuel consumption increase.

The V6 on the other hand doesn't need to be revved unless you are in the mood.
 
G
#8 ·
Depends what you call reasonable progress dunnit? I don't have to rev the nuts off my Twinny to make reasonable progress around these parts, in the summer it's clogged up with grockles on the A roads, and the B roads would be just tiresome if you tried to give it beans all the time.:)
 
#12 ·
From personal experience I would say that both engines use fuel at widely varying rates whilst still appearing to run faultlessly.
On a TS some owners will say around 28mpg, most will not get near that and come in sub 25mpg, mine was always 22 around town. V6 cars are usually said to do between 18-22mpg. On my current V6 I've never felt the need to check the consumption accurately because it never seems excessive.
We all know the feeling.... You look at the gauge and think what the heck that can't be gone already. That's when you start doing consumption checks.
As for performance, there is no comparison. 0-60 times mean little once on the move. In full on performance a TS is finished and flat out just as a V6 is surging on in 5th gear. That's the point when most other cars including the quick feeling smaller diesels are finished too.
 
#13 ·
As for performance, there is no comparison. 0-60 times mean little once on the move. In full on performance a TS is finished and flat out just as a V6 is surging on in 5th gear. That's the point when most other cars including the quick feeling smaller diesels are finished too.
Agreed.

I still say that my own experience with my own V6 and 2.0 is that the V6 just leaves the 2.0 standing in a straight line.

On the twisty bits the 2.0 comes into it's own - a true joy to sling around bends. I smile as I drive.

When I first got V6 Spider it was a horror to drive on B roads - top heavy and the front wheels just decided to go their own ways. It was fun to drive but I had to be on the case as I slid this way and that even at slow speeds.

Then I got the Q2 diff - it makes the V6 as responsive as the 2.0 on bends - sorted.

To get back on topic - depending how you drive you will get 18-30 mpg using either engine.

It all depends upon how much you are willing to pay to have some fun.
 
#14 · (Edited)
I really cannot relate to the above post (Alfafamily). If a Twinspark is not getting at least 28 as an average, it either has an issue or it spends all of its time in the town.

I never managed to average more than 22 in my V6's but with an engine that sounds that good why would you want too? :D

As for the performance difference, the V6 is of course quicker in a straight line and on a drag race it would look more impressive. On the road in real life? Little difference. Traffic, bends, blind rises etc even it out. Go on a run with a group of Alfas, those that want a blast will have the time of their lives blasting along but I guarantee, the Gta's do not lose the Twinnies. We may be working harder :D but we hang on. Real roads are a great leveler.

Ps, I don't have to work as hard on my 2.4, copes even better (but that may be because I drive the 5 pot more regularly)
 
#15 ·
I never managed 28mpg or even near it in mixed use. There was a thread running yesterday where a TS was only returning 19mpg even after having loads of money thrown at it. My thought was that twin sparks vary greatly from car to car as do V6 ones. The first V6 I used crippled me on fuel, the one I have now I don't have to think about at all.

As for keeping up on ordinary roads you are absolutely right, but then a TS is no ordinary car. I sometimes think that the GTV would command just as much overall respect if the V6 had never been made. In true Alfa tradition it's 2 litre engine had 20bhp more than any of it's contemporaries, sounded better, looked better. As I said in the thread yesterday, one day the TS will have it's day. At the minute it's where the V6 was 2 years ago.:(
 
#16 ·
I am getting 27.5mpg from my V6. My route takes me from Whetstone, Leicester to Acocks Green (Solihull) Birmingham. I drive through Whetstone & Cosby observing the 30 & 40 limit, once i get to the NSL sign at Cosby its game on; there are a couple of nice bends that i take at 75 ish. I then use the B4114 travelling at around 70mph and dropping the gears to use the punchy V6 to overtake at every chance and traffic light GP starts are de rigueur. Then on to the A5. Then M69, M6, M42 sitting at 80-85 where possible, then A41 observing 30 & 40 limits. Last tank got to 338 miles before the light came on. I check the average every time I fill, because its a good indication of any problems. I'm getting 27.5mpg.
 
#17 ·
I do around 60 miles per day, roughly half motorway, generally at 80, and the other half either A roads or back roads at 40-60. I tend to fill up when the light comes on and get 59-60l in with about 415 miles on the trip meter. So around 31-32 mpg. It does get driven quite hard seeing the redline at least once per journey. Its not currently running with the balance belt on which is probably the only mod that affects mpg. I also only use vpower or tescos finest 99, no idea if this makes any difference.
 
#18 ·
Thank you for mentioning the type of fuel. I had forgotten about that. Both the Shell V-Power and Tesco 99 are significantly more per litre than the base fuels but is that offset by better fuel economy or other savings such as extended service intervals?
 
#19 ·
Tried V-Power as well, got 37mpg out of that tank full, normal is 33mpg, mixture of A-roads and motorway 35 miles each way. Appears to make no major difference if driven 'with a grin' or stuck in the big queue of traffic behind tankers (not a typo) and all those people who wont overtake but still leave no gap.

Quick back of the envelope calculation gives super unleaded at £52/300 miles trip, £54/300 miles trip for normal unleaded (based on my 37mpg & 33 mpg and £1.42/litre and £1.33/litre). So not a lot in it really, still not sure I believe my 37mpg either but that's the way the numbers came out.
 
#26 ·
Fill-up day Update: This week I have mixed it with a BMW for 6 miles of fast driving and ventured into 3 figure speeds several times, sometimes in 4th gear. Today my light came on at 327.5miles, I filled up at 348 miles taking 57 litres to full: 57/4.6=12.4 Gallons: 348/12.4=28.08mpg. :cool:
 
#27 ·
I searched out this old thread as I was wondering what mpg I should be expecting.

I did a 300 mile round trip over the weekend, mainly motorway at ca. 80mph, followed by B roads varying from 30 - 60 limits on the way up, followed by slower motorway speeds on the way back due to rain (so 65 - 70mph).

I got just under 27mpg which seems to tally with other folks experience.

My journey to work is only 4.5 miles so I suspect it won't be terribly economical if I use it for that :scratchchin:
 
#28 ·
My last GTV was a V6 3.0 5 speed, I reckon I was getting around 20mpg in day to day use and around 25mpg on a run.

It had to go for that reason, as well as the fact that my first daughter was on the way at the time...
 
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