Sport Mode returns better MPG??

There was a thread on here in which someone mentioned that driving the Evoque in Sport Mode (to avoid confusion, selecting 'S' on gearbox rather than selecting Dynamic mode) returned better MPG than having the car in 'Drive'...of course, this cannot be the case so I set out to discredit it...but as it turns out, it is true!

I recently covered 1,500 miles in 'Sport' returning 30mpg...the previous 1,500 miles done in Drive returned 29.2mpg...this is good news, because the driving experience, throttle response, and gear changes are much improved in 'Sport'.

The driving done during each period was very similar, but there are some points to note of course:

1. I drive the car quite hard and as such, maybe this suits 'Sport' better than 'Drive'...if one was to drive in a more Range Rover fashion, maybe Drive would return better results

2. I have now done 7,000 miles and it's possible that fuel economy is improving as time goes by, and as such the 2nd 1,500 miles was maybe bound to return better economy than the first 1,500 miles

This is in no way a scientific test but I would suggest that based on the results, the fuel economy in both modes is very similar (close enough to make no difference)...so I shall be driving in Sport mode from now on as the driving experience of the car is so much better, no matter how you drive it.

There is one remaining question, is there any other potential harm being done to any of the components of the car by driving in 'Sport' all the time? (one for the clevel people on here)

And another question, what impact does Dynamic setting have on economy...anyone done a test?

P.S. All above based on SD4 on 20" wheels

I have found exactly the same thing in an SD4 (and I mentioned it previously lol). I have no idea what the logic behind this is but I seem to get about 2mpg better in S regardless of driving conditions. This makes no sense to me but that is what the car is doing!

(16-04-2012 09:28am)Token Wrote:  There was a thread on here in which someone mentioned that driving the Evoque in Sport Mode (to avoid confusion, selecting 'S' on gearbox rather than selecting Dynamic mode) returned better MPG than having the car in 'Drive'...of course, this cannot be the case so I set out to discredit it...but as it turns out, it is true!

I recently covered 1,500 miles in 'Sport' returning 30mpg...the previous 1,500 miles done in Drive returned 29.2mpg...this is good news, because the driving experience, throttle response, and gear changes are much improved in 'Sport'.

The driving done during each period was very similar, but there are some points to note of course:

1. I drive the car quite hard and as such, maybe this suits 'Sport' better than 'Drive'...if one was to drive in a more Range Rover fashion, maybe Drive would return better results

2. I have now done 7,000 miles and it's possible that fuel economy is improving as time goes by, and as such the 2nd 1,500 miles was maybe bound to return better economy than the first 1,500 miles

This is in no way a scientific test but I would suggest that based on the results, the fuel economy in both modes is very similar (close enough to make no difference)...so I shall be driving in Sport mode from now on as the driving experience of the car is so much better, no matter how you drive it.

There is one remaining question, is there any other potential harm being done to any of the components of the car by driving in 'Sport' all the time? (one for the clevel people on here)

And another question, what impact does Dynamic setting have on economy...anyone done a test?

P.S. All above based on SD4 on 20" wheels

I think you may have 'hit the nail on the head' regarding your driving style suiting 'Sport' mode best. Sport mode changes up more quickly, and avoids 6th. gear, so, maybe, these gear changes are occurring at times more appropriate to your intentions. I think you are also correct that 'granny-style' driving might be better in normal 'Drive'. I tend to drive in a way which is anything but sporty, and am probably nearer to 'granny mode', and, consequently, get better mileage than either of your results. I am therefore probably better off in 'Drive' myself. However, I am sufficiently intrigued as to give 'Sport' (which I've never even tried!) a go for a while, and see how it goes! One thing is for sure, it won't do your car any harm other than any long-term implications of pushing components that bit harder, but you are doing that in 'Drive' anyway.

DonnyDog, you might be selling yourself short on describing your driving as 'granny mode'. The reason I say this is, I am quite a quick driver where as my wife is quite slow, but I continually achieve better mpg than she does. I think this is due to lifting my vision and reacting to driving conditions earlier, therefore reducing the amount of braking, therefore increasing mpg.

I don't believe good driving technic with raised vision and smooth driving necessarily makes you a 'granny mode' driver. Varying the speed of the vehicle using acceleration sense will vastly improve mpg.

In relation to 'sports mode' returning better mpg, I'm amazed. Sports Mode should be holding the lower gears for longer and therefor driving with higher revs. I don't see how this equates to improved mpg.

DD, I never had you down as a member of blue-rinse brigade.

Using the brakes wastes fuel and is a sign that you are driving too fast for the conditions and not anticipating what the road speed should be......................... IAM lesson 1







Oh and I don't always adhere to it and gave up on IAM about 30 years ago, never took their test even though I had about 5 lessons from them

I had recently posted that I achieved better mpg in S mode, replies were quite negative. I am therefore pleased that others are experiencing the same!

I also posted a reply in agreement with you L as I found the same thing, but have reverted to using D!

(16-04-2012 12:11pm)BTS18 Wrote:  DonnyDog, you might be selling yourself short on describing your driving as 'granny mode'. The reason I say this is, I am quite a quick driver where as my wife is quite slow, but I continually achieve better mpg than she does. I think this is due to lifting my vision and reacting to driving conditions earlier, therefore reducing the amount of braking, therefore increasing mpg.

I don't believe good driving technic with raised vision and smooth driving necessarily makes you a 'granny mode' driver. Varying the speed of the vehicle using acceleration sense will vastly improve mpg.

In relation to 'sports mode' returning better mpg, I'm amazed. Sports Mode should be holding the lower gears for longer and therefor driving with higher revs. I don't see how this equates to improved mpg.

You may be right, I suppose 'gentle' is a better way to describe my technique, even though, like you, I may 'gently' exceed 70 mph occasionally! It is very much all about anticipation, and also accelerating and decelerating gently. I drive in a way that I feel is good for the car, brake wear, gearbox, etc., and high mileage invariably accompanies that mode.

(16-04-2012 12:49pm)XFullFatTim Wrote:  I also posted a reply in agreement with you L as I found the same thing, but have reverted to using D!

Any reason for that Tim? I went back to D for a short while but noticed fuel consumption increase.