I've read so many threads lately, with interest, about fuel economy on here and over the last couple of years in the BR as well.
I'm intrigued to know why so many of you seem to have what I would term an executive car, top of the range, fairly new and then worry so much about saving miniscule amounts of fuel.
Syrely the specs were checked before buying?
The choice you made was to buy a car that suited you and one you could enjoy driving, so why spoil this experience by accelerating away slowly?
What happened to the 0-60mph you researched?
Again I read about coasting and I'm mystified:)
To me, that's what you do on a Thursday before payday when you can't afford to fill it up:)
Or it's 'silent sixth' or 'Aberdeen overdrive' in a lorry but that certainly isn't fuel related!
The CRV isn't as good on fuel as the Mondeo, or the Xantia before that but we knew that before we bought it and decided we could live with it.
Neither of us are prepared to spoil the overall experience of driving it though, just to save miniscule amounts of fuel.
Please feel free to try and explain to me why you don't just go out and use that clutch to change gear, give the gearbox the sort of workout it deserves and floor the accelerator now and again?
Pat
|
...Please feel free to try and explain to me why you don't just go out and use that clutch to change gear, give the gearbox the sort of workout it deserves and floor the accelerator now and again?...
Because there's too many damn lorries in the way. :)
|
Now there's another thing that happens:)
Sit close behind a lorry and slipstream to save fuel. That's ok providing you don't use the old excuse that we're holding you up!
Pat
|
...Sit close behind a lorry and slipstream to save fuel...
Did that for a few miles on the A1(M) once.
Worked a treat, except to get a really good tow, I had to be too close to the lorry for my comfort.
|
>> Now there's another thing that happens:)
>> Sit close behind a lorry and slipstream to save fuel. That's ok providing you don't
>> use the old excuse that we're holding you up!
>>
When you slip stream each other it is fine, it is when you race each other on a dual carriage way like the A303, one lorry doing 56mph and the other 56.1mph, 5 miles later, just as the overtaker is about to pull in front and release the 10 mile queue of frustrated car drivers, the two wagons come to an incline and the superior torque of the one that was being overtaken comes into play meaning that it now starts to pull back on its would be assailant - aaaaaahhhhhhh!
;-)
|
Come on Cheddar, that's out of order.
We left those days behind in the old BR, when a lorry driver was unable to post on any subject without it being turned into an attack on overtaking.
And far better it's been for it as well.
Pat
PS How many times have you thanked the lorries for slowing you down at the badly placed speed cameras on the A303 though? :)
Last edited by: pda on Sat 22 May 10 at 07:32
|
>> Come on Cheddar, that's out of order.
>>
Pat, I did sign off with a ;-).
|
>> Now there's another thing that happens:)
>> Sit close behind a lorry and slipstream to save fuel. That's ok providing you don't
>> use the old excuse that we're holding you up!
If the backs of lorries were painted with a nice Matisse, or some other work of art that would be fine.
Why do you lot drive lorries that are so ruddy boring, or even damn ugly?
|
>> Why do you lot drive lorries that are so ruddy boring, or even damn ugly?
It's the pitting effect of cars that were unable to stop just ruins the paintwork, the back of mine looks nice with a stencilled reminder to check your tyres.
|
>>
>> If the backs of lorries were painted with a nice Matisse, or some other work
>> of art that would be fine.
>>
How about an HD LCD screen of the road ahead?
|
That's already been done somewhere but I can't find it at the moment cheddar.
Pat
|
...If the backs of lorries were painted with a nice Matisse, or some other wok of art that would be fine...
The girl band Atomic Kitten had large likenesses of themselves painted on what was presumably their tour lorry.
I didn't mind being stuck behind that, in fact, I enjoyed it.
|
|
Within my price range, I went for a combination of the biggest (petrol) engine size, the most suitable car size, and the highest specification I could get in my chosen brand. I drive the car spiritedly, enjoy the car's goodies, and don't worry about the fuel economy ~ or the CO2 emissions.
Last edited by: L'escargot on Sat 22 May 10 at 07:19
|
|
My car does two tanks per month. When both my kids go to the same school in September I suspect that my fuel economy will double to one tank per month. That's all I care about, not mpg.
|
Can't remember the last time I took any interest inthe 0-60 times, Pat, virtually all modern cars have sufficient acceleration from rest, its overtaking times that are more important...
Personally I look at interior space, accessability, combined mpg and spec (for certain things I "want" such as air-con, front electric windows, interior grab handle over front passenger door and cruise)...
|
Tanks, hmmm, hey the FocuST must be more economical than the diesel Mondeo because it only costs £55 to fill up against the Mondeo's £65.
Actually the FocuST does well over 30mpg on a run, not bad considering the combination of TD like stonk from 1000 rpm and warp factor acceleration available when you want it.
It doesnt like hitting a Badger a 30mph though, sadly the Badger was much worse off.
|
I can't help but get 34mpg out of the new Octavia 2.0 Tsi. Thats with copious amounts of unnecessary acceleration - you don't buy a warm hatch then drive it like a pensioner...
I do drive the BMW pretty gently quite a lot but fuel economy's a secondary bonus, the real reason is i don't want to spoil the silent comfy armchair ride with fast directional changes. Silky smooth in everything is the order of the day. Although it does get booted away from the lights, or up a motorway sliproad every so often - you don't buy a torquey inline-6 to never enjoy the torque...
|
>> ............ drive it
>> like a pensioner...
I assume that was meant in a derogatory sense. There's lots of pensioners in this forum. We could even be in the majority. What have you got against us?
|
|
You just wait till L gets that early morning Mods job.
|
...What have you got against us?...
Erm, that you think someone who uses a harmless phrase has got something against you.
|
>> old people smell <<
Don't be thick - old people have got no noses.
instantrimshot.com/ <-- click the link then hit the on-screen button.
Last edited by: Lygonos on Sat 22 May 10 at 09:34
|
"instantrimshot.com/ <-- click the link then hit the on-screen button."
Fantastic. I'm having that.
|
I have a customer who spends £5000 a year on fuel and rising. He can afford it, but that doesnt mean that if he could shave some off that, he wouldnt. Course he would.
Coasting, well thats something new to me, but based on the improvements ive seen, it could save me £500 a year in petrol, which to me is alot of money and worth saving if it requires little effort.
|
>> He can afford it, but that doesnt mean that if he could shave some off that, he wouldnt. Course he would.
This presumes that people can easily change their behaviour - as with smoking, obesity, beating the wife, etc. Driving more fuel efficiently requires more than simply the knowledge of how to do it - it requires application.
If he was that bothered surely he'd have bought the Charade ;-)
|
|
I dont mean by driving differently, but he has owned diesels in the past, he is just having a mid-life crisis I think and the car he wanted is petrol only. So his next car might be a big-engined diesel rather than a V8 petrol. Doing the miles he does that would yield a big saving without any change in driving style.
|
Every car change will costs 000s so the fuel savings are comparatively small.
I think psychologically, people notice when they are spending £100 a week, every week, more than writing a cheque for XXXXX quid every couple of years.
Many people can make somewhat irrational decisions on big purchases as the result of relatively small changes in running costs (eg. road tax hikes), while believing they will be saving money.
Once the numbers have been crunched, unless you are covering bazillions of miles it usually works out best to keep your original vehicle (unless it's about to die).
Subconciously or conciously, however they appear to justify it, most people get a new car because they want a new car.
|
Good points made by Pat at the start. I buy each car with eyes open as to its likely fuel consumption and drive it freely within reason. My last car was a petrol Mondeo estate that struggled to get much over 30mpg. Pointless to drive it at 40mph just to save a few mpg.
My current diesel was bought knowing it would do 50mpg plus driven keenly and it does... it might do 56mpg if I never touched the throttle but what's the fun in that. Fuel consumption was a large part of the buying decision as the £70 monthly saved over the Mondeo funded about 25% of the lease cost.
If like Stu I bought an older generation mid size petrol auto I'd expect 30mpg and anything over that would be a bonus.
|
|
True, I was expecting low 30's, but hey, if I can coax alot more out of it, thats a second holiday this year :-)
|
>> >> ............ drive it
>> >> like a pensioner...
>>
>> I assume that was meant in a derogatory sense. There's lots of pensioners in this
>> forum. We could even be in the majority. What have you got against us?
>>
Craig just knows deep down that we are better, more expeienced drivers.
|
...Craig just knows deep down that we (pensioners) are better, more expeienced drivers...
I shall be taking the CC3 for a little run around 'my' part of North Yorkshire later today.
The roof will be down and I will be driving the car like the most pensionable pensioner it will ever be your misfortune to come across.
|
>> Craig just knows deep down that we are better, more experienced drivers.
>>
You've got it! It was obviously jealousy over our lower insurance premiums.
|
What have you got against us?
>>
Usually a front tyre against your mimsing back bumper. ;-)
Last edited by: Harleyman on Mon 24 May 10 at 00:14
|
|
If you want space and luxury you buy a big luxurious car. If you want performance you buy a powerful car. If you want economy you buy an economical car. It seems simple to me.
Last edited by: L'escargot on Sun 23 May 10 at 09:44
|
|
More like simplistic. No car is focused on any one characteristic anymore these days. Even Ferrari are reducing CO2 on their cars and improving economy. The only defining points nowadays seem to be the number of seats and outright performance desired. Everything else is persued regardless of the stated purpose of the vehicle.
|
"No car is focused on any one characteristic any more these days."
I agree broadly: most of us want a bit of all of the main virtues - performance / economy / space / value for money / holding value etc. We won't get everything we want, but this perhaps points to the reason why Skodas are so successful currently, as they make a better fist than many others of getting the balance right.
|
> Skodas are so successful currently
I didn't really notice it before, well i did, but it was all mk1 Octavias used as taxis!
Now i've had my eyes opened, the Skoda Octavia (non taxi) must be at least twice as popular as the VW Golf.
|
haha :-) i'll (hopefully) be old one day and benefit from the insurance premiums and no doubt i'll switch sides and be putting some whipper snappers right on their excessive road speed and constant hurrying and blood pressure.
Secretly, what i'm really jealous of is the 40mph everywhere guy -- he has not a care in the world.
Decided today that after one of my cat's arrived back with a claw hanging out of his paw that maybe being a cat wasn't the perfect life after all... aspirations to be a 40mph mimser for me now!
Last edited by: Webmaster on Fri 28 May 10 at 11:54
|
Fuel economy and performance are very largely the same thing. More than adequate torque, sympathetically used, will boot any car down the road very briskly, and the upchanges can be early and gentle.
I get a bit annoyed in London when I haven't done a bit of top gear overrun for more than a couple of minutes.
|
Fuel Economy V Performance - Iffy
