Got the chance of one cheapish in good condition.
Seems to be a big difference in what mpg people say they get.
Anybody got one or had one?
Cheers

Friend on mine bought one last month, now regrets it as its a tad thirsty! He is getting 23mpg urban

I have the 2.8 V6 and can just scrape 30mpg if I sit in 6th at a constant 70mph. Around town, low teens. They are not economical cars. Service costs are very high as well (being VW).

I had a 2.3 v5 bora for 6 months due to the company car allowance fuel rates HMRC set. It worked out better to have the big petrol. Driving steadily commuting from Sheffield to Preston over the snake pass, glossop and motorways I could do 37mpg average to a tank.

They do make a lovely noise and to achieve the above you have to resist the urge to hear it all the time!

I had several of these as company cars (I’ve worked for a Volkswagen dealer for many years) both the 150 & 170 ps models. If ever there was a car that desperately needed a 6th gear it was the V5 – they were very under-geared. I would drive home at 80 and they would be revving their tit’s off!! From memory I used to get about 28ish to the gallon if I drove fairly steadily, although admittedly that was on a brand new ‘tight’ car. To give you an idea, thats about the same as I used to get from my R32’s…. but without the performance. Sound nice when you rev them though!! 😀

They came in 2 flavours, earliest which had the V5 badge on the back all in silver were lower horsepower (150 I think) than the later ones which had a ‘red’ 5 (170 bhp). I had a ’52’ plate (later) for about 4.5 years and the long term average was 32.2mpg on the OBC. That was doing a 10 mile A road commute and occasional motorway. About 7k per year. I found it would only do about 29 – 30 mpg on a motorway run at 75 though.

Sounds great though and a little bit different to all the diesels.

I’d recommend one myself.

Edit – I was a bit slow. Performance wise, if you knew how to drive it, it was a quick Q car, but yes, did need a 6th gear – hence my motorway fuel consumption. (My 130 is much better on the motorway in comparison and I’m still averaging a long term 32mpg)

I had one of the later 170bhp models for 5 1/2 years from new. Overall I averaged about 26-28 mpg, which is about the same as I get out of my current 2.0 TFSI Quattro.

Engine sounded wonderful, ran out of puff a little as the revs climbed IMO, which was a shame because it was a nice free revving engine.

My worry would be the cooling fans. I went through 4 sets in 5 1/2 years and at the time VW knew there was a fault with their supplier but never changed it in the time I owned the car. Perhaps this has now changed.

My VW garage told me it was only a problem on the V5s. First time it happened on my car my local dealer had 10 V5s in the back waiting for new fans !

Cooling fans was a generic Mark IV problem (as was Coil Packs), my V6 had them both changed under warranty.

Oh yes, I had the cooling fan issue as well (forgot about that headache).

And various different types of faulty locking on the doors.

Awful MPG and bloody slow for it too.

Cheers for all your input. Food for thought. 😐

Only 150 bhp? Get the 1.8T GTI (also 150 bhp), and quite capable of 45 mpg at 70 on the mway. Also quite capable of <20 mpg on A-roads 😳

I had one of the 20v Seat Toledo 170 bhp V5’s and mine would happily do 30 pootling around town.

Could go down to 9 when booting it around the Evo triangle though. 🙂

I’ve got a 170 bhp V5 Golf at the moment as my only car and over the last 2 years I’ve averaged about 30-32 mpg. As long as you keep your right foot under control and stick to 70mph or below on motorways it’s really not so bad. Almost worth it for the engines soundtrack!

Totally agree with some of the folks above though, it’s crying out for a 6th gear!

I would avoid the older 150 bhp model or autos though as the fuel consumption is quite a bit worse. A friend has a Bora V5 150 bhp automatic model and reckons he averages 20-23 mpg!!

From that era, a 150bhp GT TDI would be my choice.

skywalker – Member
From that era, a 150bhp GT TDI would be my choice.

Each to their own and all that, but I really would have preferred to drive a tractor, than any of the older VW diesel engines. The newer ones, I assume common rail, are not much better, but I thought the older ones were shocking.

Were the V5 not made just to appease the Yank market as they saw the 1.8l GTi’s as being too small an engine, and being american it has to be big to be better, thus served no purpose in the UK?

When I bought my V5 many moons ago I had the choice between a 1.8t and the v5, I bought the v5 purely for the soundtrack !!!!

I, well my wife could get 35mpg out of it on a run on the mway.

changed a few things on mine to help it ……

changed the rear engine mount for a harder one to stop the slop in the gear change.

fitted a miltek exhaust which made the engine note even better.

had it remapped and then was running around 190bhp and gave even better fuel consumption.

If i could find one now with low enough miles on i would have one as a second car !!

also had 5 coil packs and the cooling fans done on mine too.

make sure you get one with the sports suspension to as its a boat without it !!

It is a 2000 X reg estate, so i think it is the 150 bhp model. 102000 miles, service history to 90000, so due a service. 12 months mot and 6 months tax. Swapping it for my 1998 T4 plus cash my way. I do not need the T4 anymore. The chap who i may do the deal with says £20 to a 100 mile driving normally.