Mileage

From VanagonWiki

[edit] From "Mr Squirrel's Online Survey"

Mr Squirrel posted a Vanagon mileage survey in November 2007. 86 Vanagon owners responded. A pdf of the survey results can be downloaded with this link: Media:Mileage_Survey_Results.pdf. Additional variables, such as tire sizes, Vanagon models (GL's, Westfalias, etc.), and driving habits are included in the pdf.

If you'd like a copy of the data (.xls), send an email to Rocket J Squirrel.

Summary of results:

When min/max (e.g., city/highway) mileages were provided, the mean value was calculated as that vehicle's typical value. If only one number was provided, that was used as the typical value. The following results are based on those typical values. See the pdf for full results.

For 1.9L Vanagons with automatic transmissions (n=6): Min/max range = 16/21mpg, mean = 17.5mpg, median = 17.5mpg. One van in this category reported significantly lower mileage (Mr Squirrel's own Mellow Yellow) and appears to be an outlier, its data were not included in the above results. [UPDATE: After getting the wheels aligned, Mellow Yellow's mileage improved by 2mpg, bringing it into line with the rest of the pack.]

For 1.9L Vanagons with Manual Transmissions (n=10): min/max range = 15/23.2mpg, mean = 18.7mpg, median = 19mpg. One van in this category reported significantly higher mileage (The Brown Bus) and appears to be an outlier, its data were not included in the above results.

For 2.1L Vanagons with automatic transmissions (n=10): min/max = 13/20.5, mean = 17, median = 17.7mpg. No outliers noted.

For 2.1L Vanagons with manual transmissions (n=26): min/max = 15.5/21, mean = 19.5, median = 19.1mpg. No outliers noted.

Syncros (n=6): min/max = 15.5/21, mean = 16.8mpg, median = 17.5mpg

Data for 21 other Vanagons with Other engine types are in the pdf.

The results show a mean mileage for Vanagons with ATs in the 17 to 17.5mpg range, while Vanagons with manual transmissions average about 1.2 to 2.5 more miles per gallon.