Hi,

I have a 2006 2.5T S60 and I'm on my second tank full of gas. I seem to be averaging 22mpg in 75% highway and city. Does the engine have a break in period before the mileage improves? I'm a little dissapointed that my MPG is so low. I drive it normally. I don't race to red light but I'm not an old lady either. On the higway I do about 75mph.

Thanks.

 

mpg's sound about right. The sticker says 20 city 25 highway. Unless you have an R of course

 

I have a 2.5T which puts out about 208hp. The sticker says 22-30mpg and I read of people averaging about25 in mixed driving. I do love my car. I just am a little dissapointed in the mileage. I certainly don't think the reviews give this car enough respect.

 

are you using premium gas?

 

No. The salesman was proud to say that the car runs on regular. Should I be using premium?

 

Id give it a try(I use it all the time), supposedly You get better gas mileage with it- i did bother to check the difference

I only use it because its only 20 cents more, after 10 gallons only 2 bucks more, so I get the best stuff...

 

In the manual it says to use premium so maybe you're right. The lower octane might cause the timing to be retarded. What kind of mileage or you getting Gordon?

 

you WILL get better mileage on premium. more than enough to make up the difference.

 

I'm only averaging around 22 combined mpg using the middle grade. Does premium make THAT big of a difference or is something wrong with my car?

 

i get 19-21 mpg....that's city, Highway is so much better its like 24-27ish-thats with premium. thats on a s80 t6 though.

As far as the difference goes between Premium and regular, I think its so worth it... You use the car everyday, Spending a couple bucks more to have it burn cleaner, and give you better mileage and performance, is definately worth it...


.

 

I have 15K on my 2004 2.5T. Last tankful was typical: 23.5 in mixed metro driving - I don't race from light to light, but I do move with the traffic. On trips (cruise set at 67) the mileage has never been under 30, and as high as 33. Car gets nothing but premium fuel. But even burning premium, it is more economical than many small cars. I get a big laugh out of the Saturn commercials when they get all excited about 30MPG on the highway! But then my daughter tells me about 50MPG around the metro in her new Prius, and I don't feel as proud.

I do have a real hard time understanding the mentality that makes people run regular in a highly refined turbo engine in what is billed as a "sport sedan" costing $35K. The manual says use premium, and I assume that Volvo knows what is best for their engines. Sure it will run on regular, but the control systems have to detune the engine to prevent pinging. That equals poor performance and poor mileage. Talk to an "R" owner about the difference good fuel makes! The salesman should know better - but he probably never even read the manual.

By the way, if you switch to premium, it may take a couple of tankfulls before you see the full difference. I understand there is some sort of learning or memory process in the engine & trans management system, and it takes a while to unlearn the regular fuel settings and get the most from premium.

 

Alright. I've gone through four tanks of premium. My last tank averaged a combined 22 MPG. My highway mileage looks to be about 31/32 MPG. The problem is with the city MPG's. They're low, real low. What's wrong with my car?

 

EDIT: sorry to bring up a dead thread. I did a search and hadn't realized that this was such an old thread. My bad - nothing new.

hfs, 31+ is more like it. Sounds fine to me.
Not trying to point the finger, but how are you driving in 'city'?
Are you idling excessively - at long lights, traffic, or drivethrus? (those get 0 mpg) Are you getting alot of red lights/stop signs? (stop and go destroys mpg) What is the speed you are driving mostly? (I have noticed with my car that I hit top gear @ 38mph, so I try to get it up to speed and float around this speed)

Other factors: What is the outside temp? (the warmer it is, the faster the car warms up and runs efficiently - closed loop) What kind of terrain - mixed hills or completely flat? (changes in acceleration generally hurt mpg) Are you running the proper synthetic oil viscosity?

I won't tell you how to drive, of course, that is completely up to you. But if you are interested I could post some tips that could bump your city numbers. I manage 30+ mpg city now.

 

Ahh.. Gas Mileage...

I've been focusing on squeezing more MPG out of my cars for a couple years now, partly due to a desire to reduce my carbon footprint, mostly due to the cost of gas.

Here's some things I've learned. Not advice, not debate, just some things that I feel comfortable enough with to consider "facts"

1. People want more mileage, but they don't realize that their poor mileage is almost always an indication of the way they drive their car. (Assuming a newer car with advanced computer systems and proper working order). The fact is, that any given car has a WIDE, WIDE range of gas mileage, it all depends on the driver.

2. The average driver wastes SO MUCH gas in city driving. SO MUCH IT'S NOT EVEN FUNNY. My personal postulation is that we could cut our need for foreign oil if people wouldn't drive like morons.

3. You have to change your city driving habits AND your highway habits to increase your MPG. Neither is enjoyable or easy. You also have to buck the "peer pressure" of somebody riding your *** to get you to go faster. I've made a nice bumper sticker that I had on my previous car -- Get Off My ***, I'm Saving Gas

4. You can drive 55 on the highway everywhere you go. If you don't drive differently in city traffic, it will make NO DIFFERENCE AT ALL to your MPG.

Now, about the S60 specifically:

5. Synthetic oil will improve MPG VERY, VERY SLIGHTLY.

6. Premium Gas will improve MPG more significantly than Synthetic oil, but not as much as you think. Also, there's a ceiling. Going from 91 to 94 isn't going to produce an improvement.

7. Running your air conditioner will cost you 3-7 MPG (Edit: At highway speeds)

8. Running with your windows down & sunroof open costs 2-6 MPG (Edit: At highway speeds) due to increased drag

9. Running with additional weight (cargo or passengers) will reduce your MPG. Get rid of dead weight in the trunk (if you've got junk in there)

Now, how I changed my problems:

I drove "per habit" for a while after I got the s60, enjoying the performance. I was getting 21.5 MPG. I've increased it to 27MPG. Here's what worked for me:

10. I set cruise to 65mph on the highway. I work in Michigan which has a 70mph speed limit. Oh well. People pass me. Who cares. I'm young--24--it took me a while to reach this zen, but now I love watching people go insane over 5, 10 mph.

11. This is THE MOST IMPORTANT: Accelerating quickly away from stops is HORRIBLE. Horrible!! I accelerate as lightly and slowly as possible. I drive looking way down the road. I'll cost 1, 2 miles (with as little gas as possible) if there's traffic / stop light ahead. I **** PEOPLE OFF behind me as I pull away from stop lights. I don't care.

My computer tells me that I have 27mpg, give or take a few tenths at any given time. ONE HOUR of city driving where I accelerate fast, etc, KILLS, JUST KILLS it. One hour can lose me 1mpg off the average. And that average is a month of driving.. about 2 thousand miles.

I can't tell you how many people slam the gas to get past me and then stop ahead of me at the next light.

Also, even if you don't think you're driving fast, you're probably still sacrificing gas milage.

My rule is 2k rpm. Pulling away from stops, I dont let the engine speed go higher than 2k rpm. It means I accelerate very slowly. But I maintain gas milage.

Of couse, I still have fun sometimes. I still sometimes drive 105 on the highway. I still sometimes drive fast in city traffic. But I try to be responsible with my gas mileage. Remember, for every gallon of gas, you're putting more than 15 pounds of gasses into the atmosphere.

This works for me. Your Mileage May Vary

 

04 getting 27.5 highway/city (2.5t) driven pretty normal, mostly highways, 87 on the fuel

 

I agree. My '05 gets about 25-26 in mixed driving on 87 octane. I don't see much of a difference in running different fuels. Tire pressure is the biggest factor in poor mpg. Make sure your tires are at 35 psig.

 

Hi,

I am new. This is a good thread. I agree with driving style effecting your gas mileage. That is the biggest factor. I cansee a huge difference in gas mileage just between when I drive the car and when my wife drives it. Same car, different driving styles. The difference is at least 5-10 mpg between us.

Some other things I agree with. Go with premium gas as much as you can. The price difference is a just a few bucks, but the dirt deposits that low grade gas creates will cost you more in the long run with decreased engine life/more engine maintenance. The car's engine was designed for premium. Duh.

Some other things that might help: Set tire pressure at 38psi. Change oil regularly (I think turbo engines are harder on engine oil, so I use synthetic and change it at 3000 miles). Make sure your alignment is good. Tire compound can effect your gas mileage too (more friction, less mpg). Empty your trunk. Drive the speed limit on cruise control. Use AC sparingly.

I am getting at least 30mpg (sometimes as high as 32) with 75% highway driving and loving it! (2.5T S60 on the original Pirelli's I might add, 34K miles)

 

It is the same fuel with a small bit of additive to adjust the octane rating. Choosing premiumfuel over unleaded fuelwill have no effect on deposits.

 

Own a 2006 S602.5 & AWD
Ithought the manual said to you premium detergent gas? Not just any premium gas.
Myfriends salesmen also told himwho purchased from another dealer ok to use regular gas. My wife thinks she remembers our salesmentelling us also ok to use regular. I don't recall. Only know what I read from the manual.Of course this is an issue with me and my wife who wants to use regular gas.
So which is it?