I clocked up what I thought was a respectable 39.6 miles per gallon (mpg). Yet automotive engineer Anthony Sale drove the same Mini round the same track – at Millbrook Proving Ground in Bedfordshire – completed the course faster than me, and achieved an extraordinary 63.3mpg. In other words, I can get 60% better consumption, produce lower emissions and still drive faster. What's the secret?
www.guardian.co.uk/money/2010/may/01/save-800-pounds-year-petrol
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Well, having read this (and being a Guardian reader anyway..) the simple reason for such an 'extraordinary' 63.something, is that the journo is a bit of a wet not-really-interested-in-cars type who usually drives in an unsympathetic & uneconomical manner - after all it's not really cool to be 'in to' cars or driving at the Guardian one assumes.
The diesel MINI should hit mid-alte 60s on the suburban cycle & the 'realistic' testing ground (Millbrook) probably allows a reasonably intelligent & driving-savvy person get near that anyway.
I wouldn't be surprised if many people who buy ostensibly 'economical' cars, but have little driving technique or driving intelligence, get (and would get) similar results.
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It's a great way for the government to get us to drive more slowly by plugging these "tools".
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Isn't there some outrageously large percentage of car journeys which are less than 2 miles, or at least I seem to remember reading that somewhere? No vehicle will return its best economy in those circumstances. Probably not the least reason why there are so many fat people now too. They drive their chosen chariots with barely warmed oil to the front doors of the supermarket, load them up with more food and drive them back again to their dwellings full of labour saving devices to consume it while voyeuristically watching others competing in sports on screens.
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>> The diesel MINI should hit mid-alte 60s on the suburban cycle
Official figures: urban=60.1 extra-urban=80.7 combined=72.4
Based on these the 63 doesn't sound that great as you say. However I'm impressed by the figures, if they're realistic.
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I have a customer who has had two Mini diesels, a Cooper then a Clubman - neither have ever returned more than 50 mpg in normal mixed use. Itb been the topic of much discussion.
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>> - neither have ever returned more than 50 mpg in normal mixed use
oh well :)
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>>>neither have ever returned more than 50 mpg in normal mixed use. It's been the topic of much discussion.
I'm sure it has... as I've mentioned in another thread my C5 Tourer with the same diesel engine but weighing 300kg (now its warmer and the car has been run in for 4000mls) has settled to 53mpg. And I bet I have a higher average A/B road speed than them too.
Weird.
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'The way I see it' is that anyone can save fuel and hence money by driving economicaly - if they so choose.
If they are 'press on types' as Almond Croissant would say, then that's fine.
If you're a commercial traveller with an agency card etc., that's also ok.
When I was with Hometune the nationwide mobile car tuning outfit, we used to leave a little card hanging from the interior mirror (or choke pull) that stated (among other things) that to achieve maximum economy - pretend there is an egg under your right foot when driving.
Yes, I know it may sound a bit silly, but that's how I achieve 45 MPG from my 1.8 auto petrol Almera, whereas my wife can not achieve over 40 MPG from the same car.
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When I first got the Mondeo, I was a bit disappointed to see that I was only getting about 25 mpg driving around town.
It has now changed to about 30-31 mpg, which I put down to being a slightly better driver than I was (less heavy braking and a more constant speed etc).
However, you can imagine my delight when this morning I saw that my mpg was now 35, how ecstatic I was when I saw that I had managed to average 38 by this afternoon, and how disappointed I was when a mile later it was at 39, and I finally realised that the display was showing miles rather than mpg. :(
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>> I clocked up .......... 39.6 miles per gallon (mpg). ............ Anthony Sale ........... achieved ............... 63.3mpg. In other words I can get 60% better consumption ...........
Just using mental arithmetic alone, I calculate that Patrick Collinson clocked up 60% of the achievement of Anthony Sale, not 60% better. Patrick Collinson needs to go back to school for some arithmetic lessons.
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I think he was saying he *could* (rather than can)have got 60% more *mpg* (rather than consumption), on that basis I can't see anything wrong with his arithmetic, but his English is imprecise - more of a problem for a journalist I would say.
Last edited by: Manatee on Sun 2 May 10 at 08:50
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Think Egg! ... Try it for a few days - not just on the loud pedal, but on the anchors as well.
We could all do it for say 3 days and donate the money saved to David, our new leader.
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>> Think Egg!
Are you sure accelerating slowly improves consumption? Isn't it better to get up to steady speed reasonably quickly?
When I used to drive a Yaris with the trip computer set to instantaneous mpg, even accelerating slowing seemed to dramatically reduce consumption, so it seemed better to get it over with sooner rather than later.
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>>Are you sure accelerating slowly improves consumption? Isn't it better to get up to steady speed reasonably quickly?<<
Who mentioned anything about accelerating slowly? not me, I do (as you say) get up to a steady speed fairly quickly, driving egg-wise isn't about hanging about or being a mimser, I leave that to my wife.
To 'go to work on an egg' is to use the accelerator/brake with a very smooth action - as if there is an egg under your foot - simples.
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>> Who mentioned anything about accelerating slowly? not me
Ok, but I think if you tell people to drive as if there's an egg under the pedals, I bet that's what you'll get.
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>> I think he was saying he *could* (rather than can)have got 60% more *mpg* (rather
>> than consumption) ............
He said " My first test run was in a diesel-engined Mini Cooper, and I clocked up what I thought was a respectable 39.6 miles per gallon (mpg). Yet automotive engineer Anthony Sale drove the same Mini round the same track – at Millbrook Proving Ground in Bedfordshire – completed the course faster than me, and achieved an extraordinary 63.3mpg. In other words, I can get 60% better consumption, produce lower emissions and still drive faster."
Last edited by: L'escargot on Sun 2 May 10 at 09:37
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Anyone who achieves 39mpg isn a diesel engined Mini is a plonker..
So the answer to saving £800pa is not be a plonker..
I assume he drove part of the way with handbrake off and the rest on , slowed down for corners, accelerated hard afterwards and selected all the wrong gears.
Or never used 4th gear?
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I think you've put it more succinctly than I did - or dare I say it, been more economical!
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By driving gently [~60 mph on motorway], I often manage to better manufacturer's MPG figure :)
However, the saving is around just £20/month in a 1.3L petrol car with 2000 miles/month.
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Oh that awful phrase which usually gives advance warning of derision....."With all due respect" :-)
Anyway....WADR......if you don't drive very far in a year what exactly is the point in trying to save a few measly quid by driving as if you're following a funeral procession all the time? The only really appreciable and worthwhile savings to be made are on long open road or motorway runs where adopting a smooth driving style, using anticipation to minimise braking and keeping one's cruising speed within sight of the limit.
Driving like a mimser for 5 miles twice a day is not going to make anyone rich and may lead to clinical depression.
:-)
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>>Driving like a mimser for 5 miles twice a day is not going to make anyone rich and may lead to clinical depression.<<
Hehe! I used to see £5 as a bag of coal (going back a few years!) so if I could save £5 a week by driving more economically, that would give me a bag of coal which would last 2.5 nights.
When I was living in London, on the road all day, dashing through the tunnels to East London & back, I didn't give a clod of earth about saving fuel, or even the price of the stuff.
Although I don't drive like a mimser, and have even been known to over-take milk floats now & again,
I actually get a 'kick' out of seeing just how many miles I can squeeze out of a gallon of fuel.
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@L'escargot
I know what he said. I thought it would be obvious that I was inferring what he meant to say. Being so literal-minded must give you no end of trouble;-)
Did the automotive engineer not get 60% more miles per gallon than the journo, or did he not? In round numbers, 24 sounds like 60% of 40 to me.
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Individual's driving styles differ. The softer touch to the accelarator , the egg theory i am sure is a good thing to reduce fuel consumption. Taking into consideration how you apply the anchors also weighs heavily on consumption. We are of course talking of the world of hypermiling. Like you Dog it matters to me and any saving would be most welcome. It is a subject on its own is Hypermiling and we will see many posters in the future come up with differing ideas to help get more mileage.
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Well blow me down with a wet woodbine, I'd never heard of Hypermiling before - cheers Bretus.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypermiling
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>> I know what he said. I thought it would be obvious that I was inferring
>> what he meant to say. Being so literal-minded must give you no end of trouble;-)
I try and take what people say at face value and not put my own interpretation on what they say. Doing the latter can give you no end of trouble when you make the wrong interpretation.
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What are the chances that the journo took the car out when it was cold? The Passat can't manage 35mpg when the engine is stone cold, but warmed up it'll do 51mpg on the combined cycle.
It's exactly what I'd do if I was BP.
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Save £800 a year on petrol - kensitas
