Hello Gents,
Recently i tested the city fuel consumption of my S80 D5 (185bhp) 2007 Automatic Transmission with the old known method doing a refill on a previously full reservoir after driving 100kms. The results really surprised me as 13l/100km (18mpg ) wasn't something that i was hoping for. According to the user manual the urban consumption should be no more than 9.5l/100km. The test was based on my everyday driving to work destination which is approx. 6km at one way.

However, i would like to point that driving the work destination have many many stops and starts as the traffic is really heavy. Its like driving 200 meters and then stop, idling for one or more minute and drive again. I think the car even don't have a chance to shift till 4th gear as the start and stop destinations are really short. Also what worries me is that the dashboard shows instantaneous fuel consumption of 99l/100 when the car starts driving. I've recorded a video so you can have a look .
I never press aggressively on the gas pedal and i think my driving habits are just fine.
So, is it normal to have that high fuel consumption or do i need to visit a mechanic to investigate a potential problem.

Thanks!

 

If there was a problem that big you would be throwing codes. You aren'y getting codes because your care is operating within the parameters it was designed to.
The real "problem" is that Volvo (like most other auto manufacturers) pads the livin' Hell out of their mileage figures. The friendly folks over at the "govt." doen't quite describe, and get, meaning mileage figures either. Really, the published figures are more useful a a comparison (ie. 2007 S80 vs a 2007 Tomcat GT) when shopping. And what you are describing is definitely not "highway" , not even "combined", and not even "city" though logic would indicate that it must be.

Generally,, heavier cars get poor gas mileage, just a fact of physics. And Volvos are heavy. And laden with "power" features (which of course adds to the weight).Bythe way, fuel has so much potential energy per gallon, litre, or tankful.. Diesel has about 110% more ummph than gas.
I noticed a while back that the mileage figures are much closer between engines that I would have thought.. This sort of makes sense, - I'll (pretend) I am driving 2 same year S80's, one with a smallest engine offered that year and one with the largest. Despite the engines, I will drive the same - when I pull away from a stop sign I will accelerate the same, but will have to apply considerably more pressure on the gas pedal with the smaller engine. Like wise, I will cruise at 80 mph in both cars even though the larger engine is just loping along and the baby engine is screaming..

When I calculate 9.5l/100km I arrive at almost 25 mph. Wow!! Now I own(ed) an S70, an S80, and an XC90. None even even got remotely close to that in the city, None of them got close to that combined. I may have come close on the highway a few times but to be honest, I am pretty happy if I see 23mph on a road trip. My wife's current MDX, and my hauler Tahoe, likewise get way less than the little stickers say they should. but have piled up many trouble free miles.

So, you may not be getting fantastic mileage, but, the good news is, YOU'RE DRIVING a VOLVO!! Let the common people drool.