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If someone is considering a K04 vs K03 car regarding fuel economy, I think it may be more appropriate to buy a completely different kind of car and one which delivers serious fuel economy. GTI's/Ed30's etc are designed to be enjoyed without too much concern about the mpg.
I beg to differ on this one Robin
The FSI technology (direct injection etc) has been designed in to aid fuel economy and reduce emissions (among other reasons)
If you think back to the original MK1 GTI, people loved it for its "reasonable fuel economy" which is why it was such a hit - performance AND economy
Upon talking to R-Tech Nick, he explained (in more detail than I can understand
) that the TFSI basically runs super lean on light throttle (creating loads of NOX for the CAT to remove) for long periods. . . All in the name of fuel economy
which is why quite a few of us have managed 40+mpg on those boring motorway runs
Graeme