Best car for MPG at 80 mph
Discussion
Just spent a couple of weeks with an Insight (yes I know, so lucky) and its very economical below 75mph, but once you start attempting a TD 85-90mph run it drops a lot, my Mondeo TD is more economical at higher speeds. Very good around town. Strange handling thing though, no steering feel at all but hurl it at a bend & you can make it oversteer substantially, which is amusing for a moment.
LukeBird said:
^^ Agree with macdon2000.
My housemate used to have a Mondeo TDCi.
Economy (at least via the trip computer) was very impressive. Very tall gearing, so perfect for the motorway.
Can be a bit too tall. Often have to change sown on inclines or if I want a bit of go at 50ish.My housemate used to have a Mondeo TDCi.
Economy (at least via the trip computer) was very impressive. Very tall gearing, so perfect for the motorway.
TYoo be honest for the £££ I can't fault it.
Not a 4 speed Astra, that much I know.GingerWizard said:
My EP3 Type R Civic does 26mpg average. 38mpg on the M-way if kept around 80. Chin up, because this thread depresses me.
See I don't understand this. I have an EP3 Type R, and with the absence of any kind of trip computer, I've worked out that at similar speeds I'm getting around 34 mpg. That's with almost no use of the v-tec. I've read all sorts of wild variances from owners' forums etc.Does anyone reckon a fuel additive would help, or would it potentially cause a f*ck up of some sort?
It don't have to be depressing as long as you realise that every engine/gearbox combo has a sweet spot where torque/power/revs/load are optimised. Funnily enough most makers map their motors to do just this at the Euro MPG test speeds of 50 km/h (31 mph), 62.6 km/h (39 mph) and 120 km/h (74.6 mph), which is why many cars are more economical at 75mph than 65. Try driving faster!
musclecarmad said:
carreauchompeur said:
I am finding this thread a little depressing. A8 struggles to get 30mpg on a run... Seriously though, anything over 50mpg impresses me no end!
max mpg is what you want from your daily runner.if i didn't go on long motorway trips i'd never fill my car up.
can get 650 miles to a tank of about £57 if i drive carefully - that takes some doing if you are doing little 5 mile trips and so on!
trouble is i can glug a tank in a weekend etc.
ks to it- I only do 6000 miles a year. Toys, luxury and a silky V8 are what we REALLY want from our cars 
Hopefully start using the '5 for most City duties which should help...I did my worse ever trip average on Sunday afternoon in my Honda Insight (mk1). Was in a bit of a rush so sat around 85-90 leptons, touch more in places and less in others. Central London M4 > supercruise on the M40.
Only managed 59mpg. Usually it will be 70mpg tank averages. An american team has the 1.2 TDI lump in an insight with the IMA system still working thanks to an adapter plate and clever electronics! Best of both worlds i guess, afterall this car std will do 112mph with a 67bhp motor (IMA doesnt work after 100)
Odd car in that it likes 60mph and will do that touching 100mpg in sections. Doesnt feel that happy between 65 and 80 but after that it seems to settle with more momentum to sit with the Audis.
Only managed 59mpg. Usually it will be 70mpg tank averages. An american team has the 1.2 TDI lump in an insight with the IMA system still working thanks to an adapter plate and clever electronics! Best of both worlds i guess, afterall this car std will do 112mph with a 67bhp motor (IMA doesnt work after 100)
Odd car in that it likes 60mph and will do that touching 100mpg in sections. Doesnt feel that happy between 65 and 80 but after that it seems to settle with more momentum to sit with the Audis.
JonnyVTEC said:
I did my worse ever trip average on Sunday afternoon in my Honda Insight (mk1). Was in a bit of a rush so sat around 85-90 leptons, touch more in places and less in others. Central London M4 > supercruise on the M40.
Only managed 59mpg. Usually it will be 70mpg tank averages. An american team has the 1.2 TDI lump in an insight with the IMA system still working thanks to an adapter plate and clever electronics! Best of both worlds i guess, afterall this car std will do 112mph with a 67bhp motor (IMA doesnt work after 100)
Odd car in that it likes 60mph and will do that touching 100mpg in sections. Doesnt feel that happy between 65 and 80 but after that it seems to settle with more momentum to sit with the Audis.
It had crossed my mind as a possiblity - IIRC Harry M of Evo fame was praising its parsimony a couple of months ago. Slippery is good, eh?Only managed 59mpg. Usually it will be 70mpg tank averages. An american team has the 1.2 TDI lump in an insight with the IMA system still working thanks to an adapter plate and clever electronics! Best of both worlds i guess, afterall this car std will do 112mph with a 67bhp motor (IMA doesnt work after 100)
Odd car in that it likes 60mph and will do that touching 100mpg in sections. Doesnt feel that happy between 65 and 80 but after that it seems to settle with more momentum to sit with the Audis.
That and lightweight at 840kg.
I was stopping at a mates so sleeping bag etc stuffed under the cargo box and it made a bit of difference to noise, i think one problem is the battery exhaust vent under floor leaves a bit of a noise path as in rain you can certainly hear whats going on underneath more so than a typical car.
My Girlf likens it to an aeroplane as its just a bit of wind and lots of tyre roar, no real engine noise to hear. Pretty loud and can shift about when you overtake lorries. Theres next to no soundproofing so im sure it can be improved but if you were doing lots of high speed miles it might get a bit tiring IMO.
Keeps you entertained when people keep looking at you though!
Extra Urban is 94mpg on the Insight. I think an Audi A2 1.4 could be a good call, more refined than an Insight and available in RHD! unlike the 1.2 '3-litre'
I was stopping at a mates so sleeping bag etc stuffed under the cargo box and it made a bit of difference to noise, i think one problem is the battery exhaust vent under floor leaves a bit of a noise path as in rain you can certainly hear whats going on underneath more so than a typical car.
My Girlf likens it to an aeroplane as its just a bit of wind and lots of tyre roar, no real engine noise to hear. Pretty loud and can shift about when you overtake lorries. Theres next to no soundproofing so im sure it can be improved but if you were doing lots of high speed miles it might get a bit tiring IMO.
Keeps you entertained when people keep looking at you though!
Extra Urban is 94mpg on the Insight. I think an Audi A2 1.4 could be a good call, more refined than an Insight and available in RHD! unlike the 1.2 '3-litre'
Edited by JonnyVTEC on Monday 13th September 14:50
A few weeks ago I drove 130 miles at a constant 80mph and averaged 65mph (trip computer). This was in a 59 reg VW Jetta 140TDI, non bluemotion.
My own Bora (130bhp) would have averaged 55 on the same journey.
I "proper" bluemotion must be amazing. The quoted mpg for extra-urban driving is 83.1 for BlueMotion 1.6 Golf, although that would probably suffer at 80mph.
My own Bora (130bhp) would have averaged 55 on the same journey.
I "proper" bluemotion must be amazing. The quoted mpg for extra-urban driving is 83.1 for BlueMotion 1.6 Golf, although that would probably suffer at 80mph.
carreauchompeur said:
I am finding this thread a little depressing. A8 struggles to get 30mpg on a run... Seriously though, anything over 50mpg impresses me no end!
I'm pleased with 15 mpg on a run. I was impressed when the (admittedly gutless) diesel Laguna estate we hired did ~40 mpg pretty much completely flat-out, fully-laden, from Stockholm to Calais. Mondeo TDCi did even better at 85-90 mph from Antwerp to London.
My 1.0 Citroen Ax must have done at least 60mpg when I had it, I remember driving london to huddersfield on about a tenners worth of petrol!
The diesel does 100mpg according to Wikipedia.
"In 1989 a naturally aspirated diesel AX, using the 1360 cc all aluminium alloy TUD engine, managed a figure of 2.7 litres per 100 kilometres (100 mpg-imp; 87 mpg-US)totalling over 1,000 miles (1,609 km) from Dover to Barcelona."
The diesel does 100mpg according to Wikipedia.
"In 1989 a naturally aspirated diesel AX, using the 1360 cc all aluminium alloy TUD engine, managed a figure of 2.7 litres per 100 kilometres (100 mpg-imp; 87 mpg-US)totalling over 1,000 miles (1,609 km) from Dover to Barcelona."
Couple of thoughts. Is the title of this thread really the question you want answering? I say that because reading between the lines I think you want to know which car will give you the best mpg if you drive it with no regard for fuel efficiency.
At a constant 80mph you'll get about 45mpg from just about any 4 door saloon or hatchback. We've all got stories of journeys where our trip computers showed awesome mpg, but the reality is that most of the time it's pretty average. And I'm saying that as someone who is obsessive about mpg. You may get a little more if you get a tiny diesel with a long top gear, but the extra gains will be marginal and it will be very wearing to drive long distances.
So, my advice is choose the car you like and get the diesel version. If you want to get better mpg then drive slower. By going slower you'll save money and arrive far less stressed.
At a constant 80mph you'll get about 45mpg from just about any 4 door saloon or hatchback. We've all got stories of journeys where our trip computers showed awesome mpg, but the reality is that most of the time it's pretty average. And I'm saying that as someone who is obsessive about mpg. You may get a little more if you get a tiny diesel with a long top gear, but the extra gains will be marginal and it will be very wearing to drive long distances.
So, my advice is choose the car you like and get the diesel version. If you want to get better mpg then drive slower. By going slower you'll save money and arrive far less stressed.
Edited by SonicHedgeHog on Monday 13th September 16:01
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