Diesel Fix Reduces Fuel Economy on European VW Model, Test Shows

A new test conducted by Autocar raises questions about the repairs Volkswagen is performing on diesel vehicles that emit NOx emissions above legal limits. In its independent testing, the British publication found that a 2013 Volkswagen Touran diesel suffered a decline in fuel efficiency after its repair, a finding that runs counter to VW’s claim that the fix should not hurt a car’s performance or economy.

Conducted in the U.K. using European measurements, the test shows that NOx emissions dropped by almost half on the Touran after its fix. However, combined fuel economy fell from 50.72 mpg to 47.61 mpg, and CO2 emissions increased 6.5 percent from 147.3g/km to 156.9 g/km.

The test was carried out at the Millbrook Proving Ground on a rolling road dyno under strictly controlled lab conditions with industry standard equipment, Autocar says. Figuring a margin of error within 1 percent, it’s certainly odd that the car tested 3.11 mpg below the level it could achieve before the fix.

Naturally, Volkswagen doesn’t seem to agree with the findings of the test. The automaker says there are more than 20 variables that can impact test results, although it wouldn’t elaborate on those different variables. “To attain a level of consistency, one measurement is not sufficient and more measurements must be completed on an identical vehicle,” Volkswagen also said in response to the findings.

Autocar notes that it is only focusing on the fuel economy results of the evaluation, given that measuring NOx emissions accurately requires an average of three tests. The recent test was designed to measure the difference in real-world driving results before and after the approved fix.

The Touran in question has an offending 1.6-liter diesel engine, which isn’t found on VWs here in the U.S. But the findings compound other concerns people have expressed regarding VW’s diesel repairs. In a report last month, the Volkswagen Diesel Customer Forum claimed that owners are experiencing breakdowns, increased exhaust smoke, worse fuel consumption, and other problems in their 2.0-liter diesel vehicles after the fix. In a U.K. survey gathering data for a class action case against Volkswagen, 3,925 of 7,504 survey respondents said they suffered some type of problem with their “fixed” diesel cars, and for 2,103 of them, reduced fuel economy is an issue. VW, however, claims less than 1 percent of U.K customers have complained about the fixes.

Source: Autocar

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