Obviously ive been depressed about the 30-35 mpg my Carina is returning in normal driving after the easy 55 mpg I used to get from the Charade so I decided to run a little experiment and I followed just a few of the more easily applied economy tips.
The one that really stood out to me was the coasting, which in an auto like mine works very well as there isnt much engine braking to speak of. Ive found that I can coast for half a mile at a time in places that I never really thought to and loose very little speed, maybe 5 mph.
Its amazing how much you stay on the throttle when infact you dont need to at all.
Ive also been trying very hard to limit my throttle openings more and while it takes a little bit longer to get up to speed, once im near the limit, its quite easy to maintain the speed without much throttle at all. My car will roll along at 62-65 even up and down moderate hills with barely a touch on the throttle.
Im going to read the handbook in a minute to work out what the ideal crusing speed is ( max torque ). This will be useful on long journeys.
The result though of just these ametuer changes and a little effort - 47 mpg brim to brim. I could quite believe that because that is a mix of A-roads, country lanes and town work. Im hoping to break the 50 mpg barrier on a run up to Newark at the end of the month. Ive been unable to find official figures for the auto, but the manual is supposed to do 51.4mpg at a constant 55 mph when brand new, so if I can beat that ill know Im really getting somewhere.
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