Owners Forums for Ford and Volkswagen MPVs / SUVs

Was the average speed,weather etc comparable between the 2 journeys? How much extra fuel use was there?

Would you say air con was used more this year due to the high temps in July? If so on a long journey that could cause it as air con can increase consumption by up to 20-25%

The heating function just uses engine heat, so would use less fuel than the air con working hard in hot weather to keep it cool (the fan itself would add a little, but not enough you'd really notice its insignificant). You should be able to switch the a/c function off though - I think using econ if you have the climate control does this. Depends how much the heat/noise with the windows open bothers you. A low charge on the A/C will also make it work harder if its running low on gas, you'd usually start to notice this if the performance of the A/C is progressively getting worse (not getting as cold).

The controls may be slightly different given you have a late mk2 Alhambara, but in any case you should be able to disable the A/C from working somehow with the controls, which would allow you to monitor and see if there is any difference.

Only other thing i can think of is if the clutch (assuming its a manual) is slipping slightly, though would expect you'd have noticed if it was.

I'd agree with you there, but the usage seems a bit high, may be as simple as the aircon needing a recharge as its low and working harder than it should be. Though it may just be down to the hotter weather as well, real way to tell is try the same run when its a more reasonable temp and compare. I leave mine set on as well on the Galaxy when using it and just adjust it to suit.