![\"Screen](\"http:\/\/adam-jackson.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/Screen-Shot-2013-10-28-at-8.42.33-AM11.png\")
<\/p>\nData is really interesting and it tells the story. My perception and the specs released by auto-manufacturers simply don\u2019t 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n
On paper, the Corolla\u2019s 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\u2019s status as a \u201csports car\u201d, 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 \u201cGerman Parts\u201d problem when repairs cost me a lot more. A lot of friends told me the biggest thing I\u2019d 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).\u00a0<\/p>\n
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\u2019ve owned the Golf for 6 months it would be fun to compare the fuel usage.<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s start with the high-level view:<\/p>\n
Ignoring the fact that I\u2019ve 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\u2019s 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\u2019t make sense. I\u2019m 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.<\/p>\n
The only variable that is worth highlighting is that we aren\u2019t in winter yet. The Golf hasn\u2019t 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\u2019s dive deeper.<\/p>\n
Corolla:<\/strong><\/p>\n Golf:<\/strong><\/p>\n 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\u2019m paying the same for gas in 2013 as I did in 2011\/2012 despite a higher octane.<\/p>\n The one thing that I\u2019d 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\u2019s really fun to drive is that you actually want to drive it.\u00a0<\/p>\n This greatly affects the resale value so it\u2019s something that I should remain mindful of. The biggest takeaway in this exercise though is the fact that I\u2019m beating manufacture estimates for MPG on the Golf and was under the estimates for the Corolla. I think that\u2019s because the smaller engine made Corolla work harder and, as an aggressive driver sometimes, that meant a lower MPG. Golf doesn\u2019t have to work as much, therefore gets higher and thus the two models basically meet in the middle.<\/p>\n While I don\u2019t think gas prices are going to drop much more, that has contributed a lot.<\/p>\n ========<\/p>\n TCO on the Golf\u2026well, ignoring the fact that I\u2019ve spent $2400 in gas in 6 months alone, it\u2019s way higher than the Corolla in car payment, service and insurance. However, it\u2019s the most fun car I\u2019ve ever driven and now I realize fuel costs aren\u2019t a huge deal as was previously anticipated. If I start driving less, the savings would be even better. That\u2019s not any fun though.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Data is really interesting and it tells the story. My perception and the specs released by auto-manufacturers simply…\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"apple_news_api_created_at":"","apple_news_api_id":"","apple_news_api_modified_at":"","apple_news_api_revision":"","apple_news_api_share_url":"","apple_news_cover_media_provider":"image","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_cover_video_id":0,"apple_news_cover_video_url":"","apple_news_cover_embedwebvideo_url":"","apple_news_is_hidden":"","apple_news_is_paid":"","apple_news_is_preview":"","apple_news_is_sponsored":"","apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":[],"apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"csco_singular_sidebar":"","csco_page_header_type":"","csco_custom_appearance":"","csco_disable_excerpt_posts_layout":false,"csco_page_load_nextpost":"","csco_post_video_location":[],"csco_post_video_location_hash":"","csco_post_video_url":"","csco_post_video_bg_start_time":0,"csco_post_video_bg_end_time":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-3981","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-my-thoughts","7":"cs-entry","8":"cs-video-wrap"},"apple_news_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pb3IC4-12d","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":4872,"url":"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/2015\/08\/11\/cars-saying-hello-to-the-2016-volkswagen-golf-r\/","url_meta":{"origin":3981,"position":0},"title":"Cars: Saying Hello to the 2016 Volkswagen Golf R","author":"Adam Chandler","date":"August 11, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"The Volkswagen Golf won car of the year for 2015 from Motor Trend. What\u2019s amazing about the Golf lineup for 2015\/2016 is you have these vehicles that share a common platform but range from 84 horsepower and 118 foot pounds of torque up to 296 horsepower with 280 foot pounds\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "My Car"","block_context":{"text":"My Car","link":"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/category\/my-car\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"My New Car","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm1.staticflickr.com\/516\/20486042075_4d16477413_z.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm1.staticflickr.com\/516\/20486042075_4d16477413_z.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm1.staticflickr.com\/516\/20486042075_4d16477413_z.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5296,"url":"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/2015\/12\/22\/cars-mk7-volkswagen-gti-versus-golf-r-what-to-buy\/","url_meta":{"origin":3981,"position":1},"title":"Cars: MK7 Volkswagen GTI versus Golf R (What to Buy?)","author":"Adam Chandler","date":"December 22, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"There have been a lot of people lately asking this question. I guess enough Golf R inventory has arrived with initial demand satisfied that average buyers are walking up to a dealer and seeing both cars available. I keep seeing people ask for advice and, like this thread on Reddit,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "My Car"","block_context":{"text":"My Car","link":"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/category\/my-car\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":6124,"url":"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/2016\/08\/02\/my-car-mk7-golf-r-20k-mile-service\/","url_meta":{"origin":3981,"position":2},"title":"My Car: MK7 Golf R, 20K Mile Service","author":"Adam Chandler","date":"August 2, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Today, I ordered all of the necessary parts to do my 20,000 mile service on the 2016 Volkswagen Golf R. As many of you know, I have a Golf R that\u2019s been modified and has enjoyed a few days at the drag-strip and track. I\u2019ve owned the car for only\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "My Car"","block_context":{"text":"My Car","link":"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/category\/my-car\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Golf R 20K Mile Maintenance","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm9.staticflickr.com\/8706\/28437791840_2a5f8e2d23_z.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm9.staticflickr.com\/8706\/28437791840_2a5f8e2d23_z.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm9.staticflickr.com\/8706\/28437791840_2a5f8e2d23_z.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5273,"url":"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/2015\/12\/03\/my-car-first-oil-change-on-the-mk7-golf-r\/","url_meta":{"origin":3981,"position":3},"title":"My Car: First Oil Change on the MK7 Golf R","author":"Adam Chandler","date":"December 3, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"My car is at 6,600 miles which is shy of the 10K required oil change interval and there are a lot of people who say that oil change requirements are there for a reason. The manufacturer has done extensive testing and determined 10,000 miles are perfectly acceptable for an oil\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "My Car"","block_context":{"text":"My Car","link":"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/category\/my-car\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"First MK7 Golf R Oil Change","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm1.staticflickr.com\/779\/23102462609_f2db2cdc5d_z.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm1.staticflickr.com\/779\/23102462609_f2db2cdc5d_z.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm1.staticflickr.com\/779\/23102462609_f2db2cdc5d_z.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5266,"url":"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/2015\/11\/24\/my-car-dyno-run-with-united-motorsports-stage-ii-tune-w-tcu-dsg-tune\/","url_meta":{"origin":3981,"position":4},"title":"My Car: Dyno Run with United Motorsport’s Stage II Tune w\/ TCU (DSG) Tune","author":"Adam Chandler","date":"November 24, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"I\u2019ll have more to write on this in the coming weeks \/ months but last week, I drove 2 hours south and changed the stock software on my 2 month old Volkswagen Golf R (2016). After many hardware changes were made, I was ready to take things to the next\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "My Car"","block_context":{"text":"My Car","link":"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/category\/my-car\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Golf MK7 United Motorsport Stage II Tune","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm1.staticflickr.com\/605\/22851226912_e81230a2c9_z.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm1.staticflickr.com\/605\/22851226912_e81230a2c9_z.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm1.staticflickr.com\/605\/22851226912_e81230a2c9_z.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":12427,"url":"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/2025\/01\/08\/linked-hey-america-you-dont-need-a-full-size-pickup-truck\/","url_meta":{"origin":3981,"position":5},"title":"Linked: “Hey, America: You Don’t Need a Full-Size Pickup Truck”","author":"Adam Chandler","date":"January 8, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Via The Drive: \/ Kottke: \/ Kottke:\u00a0 I have to defend myself too much on this one. I emailed someone a while back who reached out to me asking why I drive a truck and \u201cyou don\u2019t seem like a typical truck owner\u201d and berated me for driving a gas-guzzler\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Linked"","block_context":{"text":"Linked","link":"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/category\/linked\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3981","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3981"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3981\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3981"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3981"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adamchandler.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3981"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Screen](\"http:\/\/adam-jackson.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/Screen-Shot-2013-10-28-at-8.46.17-AM11.png\")
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