40.9 mpg is the best i could achieve

[Bashy]

Originally Posted by Rolvo

Yep, I guess GeorgeandKira's right, we diesel dogs do have all the fun! My fun is a 2002 V70 D5, 240K on the clock, auto box, climate control left on all the time. My wife travels badly, high speed especially bad, so even on my own I've now got a bit of a habit, on a motorway run, of sitting to the left with the lorries, cruise control somewhere between 56 and 60mph, and watching the average mpg figure get better and better.
I've had it well into the 60s mpg many times. And yes, the readout on mine is accurate - I've cross-checked more than once by doing a fuel-vs-mileage check between full tanks.
Here's an honest tale (and petrol cats will hate me for this), I once did a 90-mile early-morning run, full tank to start, all but the first few miles on a motorway at 50mph and a few gentle hills. When I stopped, the readout said 84mpg average and miles-to-empty 1,255. Unbelievable but true!
Previously had a 1998 V70 2.5 petrol, struggled to get 40 mpg, even with all the boring driving style as above, in fact I don't think I ever did manage it.

Driving at 56-60 on a motorway will return higher mpg for sure, to be honest, i wouldn't feel safe travelling with the lorries at that speed, plus, i would see issues like being slowed down all the time due to having to wait to pull out to overtake cause the other lanes will be full, this, in turn, can hurt the mpg cause of having to accelerate back up to your cruising speed.

Also, 85 miles on a motorway from a reset will be highly unrealistic, whilst it will be accurate as far as your car says it is, its far from a realistic average mpg, why, cause as soon as you come off that motorway and hit urban, that mpg score is gonna drop like a ton of bricks

[stuart bowes]

Just lift your foot off the pedal, infinite mpg lol I used to like those mpg needles you got in bmw's, oh look I'm doing over 80mpg (breathe lightly on throttle) ok now I'm getting 8

[Rolvo]

Originally Posted by Bashy

Driving at 56-60 on a motorway will return higher mpg for sure, to be honest, i wouldn't feel safe travelling with the lorries at that speed, plus, i would see issues like being slowed down all the time due to having to wait to pull out to overtake cause the other lanes will be full, this, in turn, can hurt the mpg cause of having to accelerate back up to your cruising speed.

Also, 85 miles on a motorway from a reset will be highly unrealistic, whilst it will be accurate as far as your car says it is, its far from a realistic average mpg, why, cause as soon as you come off that motorway and hit urban, that mpg score is gonna drop like a ton of bricks

Er, an average is an average, whatever the distance. I was just making the point about what these engines can achieve.

Not sure what would feel unsafe about travelling at lorry speed. Maybe another point missed - the idea is to travel at their speed, not be constantly overtaking them. You should experience it. (My other car's 60 years old, so when I'm in that I don't have much choice!)

[stuart bowes]

I'm also struggling to really believe you saw an actual average of 85mpg, I have to be honest

Originally Posted by Rolvo

on a motorway at 50mph

not being funny or anything but I would literally be fuming if I got stuck behind someone doing 50 on a motorway .. if it was an old car which was incapable that's one thing, but come on, be reasonable ..

well there's two other lanes I guess for us whippersnappers but let's not forget, sitting with the lorries all day you're slip streaming a 20(?) tonne brick with a front area of about 4 or 5 square meters, so clearly if you do that your mpg will be crazy.. (it's not much different to saying 'I got a tow home the other day so now my weekly mpg is 250mpg') but then.. did you ever actually reach your destination, or did you get there and say righto, time to go home again.. no, but seriously you do have to weigh efficiency up against a decent ETA

also, each to their own obviously but personally the list of things I would rather do than own a diesel is long and includes things involving my testicles and a rusty bread knife

[stuart bowes]

as to what would feel unsafe about travelling with the lorries?

I know, by and large they are excellent drivers so let's not start saying anything bad about the HGV men, backbone of Britain and so on

but then there's the foreign ones who don't really know the roads and what if one decides to play with his Ipod

nope nope nope nope nope sorry I'd rather just stay well away (10 years?? should be fu"£$ hanged)

[Rolvo]

Nice of you to disbelieve me Stuart. I know what I saw, no reason to lie.

I like your assumption that I'm old. A bit like your assumption that I slipstream the lorries. Did I say that? No. Do I do that? No.

Is it okay for me to assume that you have never travelled in the inside lane of a motorway? And that you have an irrational fear of lorries and an irrational hatred of diesels?

By the way, I fully agree that being stuck behind someone unnecessarily doing 50 on a motorway is infuriating. The 50 mph was, as I said, early morning, very early in fact, world still in bed, empty 3 & 4 lane motorway. So no, I wasn't upsetting anyone, wouldn't have done it otherwise, thank you for not considering that.

Bashy started this thread as a bit of fun, light-hearted observation, "seeing what MPG I could achieve". So why shaft it with personal sniping?

[Bashy]

Just want to re-point out that the best I saw on a flat straight was about 44mpg instantaneous at about 69mph, I expected closer to 50 to be honest but that actually ties in with my 40.9over the 80 miles round trip.

I want to also point out that at about 40mph in 6th gear
I saw instantaneous of around 80mpg,this was when using cruise control.

So, if someone resets the counter on the motorway and travels at around the 50mph, I can see it showing a very high average mpg, try it, when you're travelling at 50 for a while on a flat road, reset the counter, you will see it show very high average mpg

[stuart bowes]

well I'm sorry you took it personally dude, but I'm not suddenly going to change an opinion because it upsets someone

you like driving slowly in a diesel, I don't, let's not start a war over it eh there's far better things for both of us to do I'm sure

[stuart bowes]

Originally Posted by Bashy

when you're travelling at 50 for a while on a flat road, reset the counter, you will see it show very high average mpg

of course, that's absolutely true but it's not real honest average is it, like you said the minute you change lane, or get off the motorway, it immediately drops back down doesnt it. I could get up to 90, reset the counter, let off the pedal and just let it coast for 300mtrs and get huge mpg but it's meaningless

Well I don't have a counter.. but I work it out weekly from the petrol receipt and the mileage which gives a true real world average

[Rolvo]