Originally Posted by BrandonT
A lot of these modern cars have variable cooling. I know my BMW M235 did. On the highway it run 235 degrees, but when I put it in Sport and hit the track it would actually drop to 225. So it would run a higher temp under low load for fuel economy, but drop down when really under load. Maybe VW does this too?
No, it's not that technical on the MQB VWs. It gets hotter with RPM is really all it is - steady 2.5-3K highway driving will send it up, slower around town driving where you are at lower RPM will let it drop. The gauge is off a sensor so the values are real, not an estimate as someone above suggested.
A lot of these modern cars have variable cooling. I know my BMW M235 did. On the highway it run 235 degrees, but when I put it in Sport and hit the track it would actually drop to 225. So it would run a higher temp under low load for fuel economy, but drop down when really under load. Maybe VW does this too?
No, it's not that technical on the MQB VWs. It gets hotter with RPM is really all it is - steady 2.5-3K highway driving will send it up, slower around town driving where you are at lower RPM will let it drop. The gauge is off a sensor so the values are real, not an estimate as someone above suggested.