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Results of fuel economy on long trip.

Wombat

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Following up as I said I would in a previous post about the fuel economy figures for our VX-II Lumina with the ecotec and auto.
We left Bundaberg at 4 am, and with only a few stops along the way to have a look here and there, drove virtually straight through to Barcaldine. The distance travelled was about 910km, arriving at 3pm. We headed over to Longreach, a few days later went down to Blackall for a look, back to Barcy, and then back out to Rockhampton for a couple of days with my brother, then to Biloela via Mt Morgan for a day or so and then back home via Calliope and the main highway.

Anyway, on to the figures. Surprisingly, the petrol prices out west were not all that much more than we paid here...they were about 133c a liter in Barcaldine and Longreach, and 131 back in Rockhampton...definately not what I was expecting as we are paying around 129 a liter here in Bundy at the moment.

The car was loaded with a mediaum sized load of stuff in the boot, and just me and the Minister Of Finance aboard. We used the cruise control on all but the really hilly sections of the highway. We stuck to the speed limit, be it 100 or 110 once we got further inland. The damn roads were so straight-to-the-horizon out there that you could have virtually lashed the steering wheel to straight ahead, set the cruise control, and gone to sleep for an hour or two...:)

When we got back home today, we did up the final figures.
Total distance travelled: 2852 km
Total fuel used: 251.69 liters
Total cost: $299.49

Average fuel consumption (average mind you) was 32 miles per gallon...oh allright, "8.82lt/100km", if you must...
On a purely-highway run, the figures would have been much higher, but as I said, we stopped here and there for photo shoots and to poke around some interesting spot, and I admit I did give it some welly going up and down some interesting ranges on the way back, such as heading from Rockhampton up to Mount Morgan, and also some places in between there and Biloela where we stayed to visit family.

Basically, we have a large comfortable car, which is capable of better fuel economy than any four cylinder car I have ever owned, apart from the understandably-fuel-sipping 1953 Austin A30 or possibly our current "fun car" which we have recently bought, a 1957 Morris Minor sedan. Why would you want to squeeze yourself into some tiny tinny economy box which would have a quarter the space, half the comfort, and nowhere near the roadability on a long highway trip, just to save a small amount of money on fuel (and when you take into account the stress on a small underpowered car when loaded up and driven at high speeds for many hours at a time, the difference wouldn't be substantial)?

Couldn't be happier.:thumbsup:
 

Hairy Eater

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thx for that info... on my next holiday it will be my first out of town drive in my Commie from Mt Isa to Brisbane via coast road... But my Minister For Finance will insist on having the air-con on.... did you have the air-con on ?..
 

burnz

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i usualy do melboring return
ave fuel used 8.9/100
 

Cal.oz

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I recently did Adelaide to Canberra. did approx 1200km, cruise control on, and was getting 9.4l per 100km, thats with the Gen III
 

Wombat

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Actually yeah, we did have the air con going, just fiddled with the temperature to suit the time of day. Real early or real late, it got cold, but I didn't actually turn off the air con button (we just have the normal air conditioning, not "climate control"). In the daytime, out there, it got up to about a pleasant 24 to 26 degrees, so the air con was on coldish.
We've actually found that most modern cars like our VX are so well sealed, that even in the middle of winter, you need the air con on a little bit because they tend to get stuffy inside if you just try and let the air "flow through".

We've found virtually no difference between air con on and air con off. Compressors aren't like the old days, and are much more efficient and virtually no power drain. maybe on a tiny four cylinder they would make a difference, but not on anything large.

You'll have a great trip up the coast road and in to Mt Isa!!
 

burnz

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Wombat said:
Actually yeah, we did have the air con going, just fiddled with the temperature to suit the time of day. Real early or real late, it got cold, but I didn't actually turn off the air con button (we just have the normal air conditioning, not "climate control"). In the daytime, out there, it got up to about a pleasant 24 to 26 degrees, so the air con was on coldish.
We've actually found that most modern cars like our VX are so well sealed, that even in the middle of winter, you need the air con on a little bit because they tend to get stuffy inside if you just try and let the air "flow through".

We've found virtually no difference between air con on and air con off. Compressors aren't like the old days, and are much more efficient and virtually no power drain. maybe on a tiny four cylinder they would make a difference, but not on anything large.

You'll have a great trip up the coast road and in to Mt Isa!!
yeah im hardpressed to find a difference in extra fuel consumpion when using aircon.
 

WinterVX

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Drove to SA earlier this year using the air con most of the way.....

600km one way trip...used just under 3/4 of a tank

yet to see what happens with the air con off tho, shouldnt make too much
difference driving at hwy speeds one would think.
 

minux

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good post wombat, i must mention i have been using the SS to run to melbourne and pack last 2 weeks, averaging 8.29 litres per 100km. SO i am very happy y:)
 

VTSSDUDE

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Yeah, I can't people actually refuse to use air-con, like seriously even if it did save you fuel, what $2 worth.
 
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