Consumption: Factory specifications are reality
IT DOES WORK The days when factory specifications and actual fuel consumption were far apart are over. Thanks to the more realistic WLTP measurement procedure, the two values are converging. Anyone who bought a new car in recent years had to expect that it would consume significantly more fuel in real-world driving than was stated in the brochure. The real consumption in the [...]
Anyone who has bought a new car in recent years has had to reckon with the fact that it consumes significantly more fuel in real-life driving than it says in the brochure. Between 2014 and 2017, the real consumption in the TCS test series was on average 1.6 to 1.8 liters per 100 kilometers higher than the factory specifications, which were determined in the laboratory using the NEDC measurement method.
test results in realistic consumption figures
Since the beginning of the year, the data must be provided using the new WLTP (Worldwide Light-Duty Test Procedure) measurement method. Although the measurements are still carried out in the laboratory on a chassis dynamometer, they are characterized by a more realistic driving profile.
The WLTP measurements differ from the NEDC measurements introduced in 1996 in that the measuring distance is around twice as long, the driving style is significantly more dynamic, the measurement duration is longer and the average and maximum speeds are higher.
Aerodynamics and additional equipment
These roughly correspond to reality and result in a higher consumption of fuel and electricity for the factory specifications than the NEDC measurement method. In addition, the influence of aerodynamics and additional equipment is taken into greater account.
It is important to note that the vehicle can no longer be optimized for the consumption test with narrow tires, without accessories or the lightest variant of the model range in order to achieve particularly low factory consumption. This achieves the desired effect: The factory specifications according to WLTP are clearly aligned with the effective consumption on the road.
Less consumption in real traffic
TCS tests have shown that, in real traffic, the vehicles only consume an average of 0.3 liters per 100 kilometers more than specified. With a particularly environmentally conscious driving style (ECO Drive), the factory specifications are now even achievable in reality.
