Vauxhall corsa 1ltr- shocking MPG!

bexyboo1312

Hi
I bought a vauxhall corsa on the scrappage deal in February, it was fairly decent looking car and other than a Kia Picanto, there was nothing similar in my price range (it was 6.5k)
Anyway I thought being a 1ltr (active model) it would be fairly economical and the mpg was listed as 50- urban/extra urban. I always know the figures are give or take....
However I am getting about 20-25 mpg around town. It is slow as hell, and needs a bit of hard pushing to get it to move (especially on a hill) but I in no way thrash it ....it can't be thrashed....its deadly pulling out of a junction!
It is a fairly big and heavy car for such a small engine (my husband actually looked under the bonnet last week and said he had never seen such a small engine) - the kia was like a crisp the doors were so thin. I can cope with it being slow, as its mainly used for town driving...but I can't cope with it guzzling fuel the way it is.
It is juicier than my 2ltr focus!

Surely this isn't right, should I contact the dealer - is there anything they're likely to do?
Has anyone else got similar experiences?

Thanks
Bexy

dizzyblonde82

In 2007 I purchased a 1.6l petrol ford focus as I originally wanted a 1.4 engine but was advised by a number of different people that smaller engines on heavy cars really increase fuel usage due to the engine having to work harder.

Cool_Username

Problem is that fuel economy is something that can vary widely due to the type of usage the car gets and driving style - if most of your driving is around a city centre where you're barely getting out of second gear then your fuel economy is unfortunately not going to be fantastic even in a car with a small engine.

In saying that though if you're going through more fuel in a 1 litre Corsa driving the same roads as in a 2 litre Focus then I think I'd be having the same doubts that you are...

I'm no mechanic but possibly a problem with the fuel/air mixture or the engine is running too rich? I'm sure someone more knowledgeable will be along soon to help!

johnnyroper

exactly as db82 says a small engined heavy car will use more juice than say having a 1.4ltr engine in the same car.you constantly have to use the go pedal more than you would a more powerful engine.you need to bear in mind it is a 3 pot and was not the best in older corsa that was smaller.
however it is a new car so no harm getting vauxhall to have a butchers telling them about all your problems there may be a software update to help improve things,there was one shortly after release of the 1.0 in the corsa b that did improve power and economy back then.

bexyboo1312

I am in 5th gear most of the time, sometimes 4th...i try to put it in 5th to save fuel but that's clearly not working lol!
thanks johnny, i'' ring them tomorrow to see what they suggest, shame it's not near by - means more fuel!!

daveyjp

Our Aygo is a 1.0 litre, it does a 2 mile stop start journey every day, barely getting into 3rd gear and the mpg is never less than 45mpg. Mid 20s from a 1.0 Vauxhall suggests a problem - either with the car or the maths.

I had a 1.8 Focus which did 25 round town!

daveyjp

bexyboo1312 wrote: »

I am in 5th gear most of the time, sometimes 4th...i try to put it in 5th to save fuel but that's clearly not working lol!
thanks johnny, i'' ring them tomorrow to see what they suggest, shame it's not near by - means more fuel!!

And that is probably part of your problem. You are probably in the wrong gear, this labours the engine and you use more fuel.

Try running in 3rd in 30 limits - you'll have more control and you should use less fuel. You'll also do fewer gear changes so will save wear and tear on the clutch.

Our Aygo in 3rd is good from 15mph to 80mph, in flowing traffic round town once in third gearchanges are hardly necessary.

bexyboo1312

Using 3rd, it whines like a b*tch!! It doesn't struggle in fifth, which then I could understand it using more fuel, its quite comfortable at it, i'll look at using a lower gear (if i can bare the headache!).
I know the aygo's / c1 /107 are good on fuel, but they're not really comparable to a corsa, because they are ALOT smaller and not as heavy etc....i had originally ordered the 107 but went against it as was just that bit too small.

On the motorway the car is fine, getting about 45mpg (not great but not bad)?

Cool_Username

As daveyjp has said 5th gear is no good for travelling at slow speeds - particularly in a car with such a small engine.

daveyjp

I can assure you it will struggle in 5th at urban speeds. Modern cars are very good at hiding it with clever ECU programming and using extra fuel.

The Aygo is only about 100kg lighter - hardly enough to make a 20mpg difference.

bexyboo1312

But i don't understand that, I use 5th - sometimes 6th depending on the road(!!) in the toyota auris (1.3) if i don't the husband moans and that gives about 40mpg round town
In any event, i've filled it up so will try it this week in a lower gear...thankyou