Data is really interesting and it tells the story. My perception and the specs released by auto-manufacturers simply don’t match the real-world. As someone who logs data points about my life every hour of the day, I thought it would be interesting to see how my new car, a turbocharged, 0-60 in 5.2 seconds Golf with 256 horsepower that weighs 3,300 pounds compares to my old car, a 2010 Corolla that weighs 2,700 pounds, 0-60 in 8.6 seconds and peaks at 132 horsepower.
On paper, the Corolla’s MPG comes in at 26/35 and the Golf R is 19/27.Aside from the requirement of premium fuel and the higher insurance premium given the Golf R’s status as a “sports car”, I expected the biggest week-to-week grief over my new car was the visits to the fuel pump. The total cost of ownership (TCO) would also be higher with the Golf R. It has a 37K sticker price and the Corolla came in at 21,5K. The Golf R requires premium fuel and my insurance is 20% higher and then there is that “German Parts” problem when repairs cost me a lot more. A lot of friends told me the biggest thing I’d experience would be roominess of going from a compact car to a compact hatchback. However, both models have a 92 cubic feet volume inside and are almost evenly matched in all ways (headroom, legroom and width).
Really, the curb-weight and engine types along with the Golf being all wheel drive (2 axles) was going to lead to a drop in fuel efficiency. Now that I’ve owned the Golf for 6 months it would be fun to compare the fuel usage.
Let’s start with the high-level view:
Ignoring the fact that I’ve driven 15K+ miles in 6-months, these cars are pretty evenly matched. My driving style is actually more aggressive with the Golf (at least that’s what my GF says by always screaming at me to slow down). The turbo-charger is sucking in more air and thus using more gas and the extra 500 pounds of weight in the Golf and larger engine means that, on paper, this fuel economy doesn’t make sense. I’m in the same town, with the same commute to work and the same twice a week highway drives to northern Vermont to buy beer. Yet, the MPG is fairly matched.
The only variable that is worth highlighting is that we aren’t in winter yet. The Golf hasn’t seen a winter drive so my MPH with steel wheels, harder tires and blasting the heater may lead to a drop in this average. Let’s dive deeper.
Corolla:
Golf:
Based on the MPG, the golf costs 15 cents per mile and the Corolla costs 13 cents but look at the average price per gallon. Did the fuel price in my area drop? Corolla was a regular 87/89 octane fill up and the Golf requires 93 octane yet the price per gallon on the golf is $3.98 and the Corolla is $3.94. Not a huge sway so overall, I’m paying the same for gas in 2013 as I did in 2011/2012 despite a higher octane.
The one thing that I’d like to work toward in this new car is driving less. My commute is 15 miles each way to work so that means an average of 7,800 miles a year just getting to and from work. The problem is the 55 miles each way to Hill Farmstead brewery every 2 weeks and trips down to Boston or Albany for beer meet ups and 3 road trips each year that are 800+ miles. The problem with having a car that’s really fun to drive is that you actually want to drive it.
This greatly affects the resale value so it’s something that I should remain mindful of. The biggest takeaway in this exercise though is the fact that I’m beating manufacture estimates for MPG on the Golf and was under the estimates for the Corolla. I think that’s because the smaller engine made Corolla work harder and, as an aggressive driver sometimes, that meant a lower MPG. Golf doesn’t have to work as much, therefore gets higher and thus the two models basically meet in the middle.
While I don’t think gas prices are going to drop much more, that has contributed a lot.
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TCO on the Golf…well, ignoring the fact that I’ve spent $2400 in gas in 6 months alone, it’s way higher than the Corolla in car payment, service and insurance. However, it’s the most fun car I’ve ever driven and now I realize fuel costs aren’t a huge deal as was previously anticipated. If I start driving less, the savings would be even better. That’s not any fun though.