Lockdown MPG

[Blatto]

I've posted quite a few times on the mpg of my Fiesta ST-Line X 140 (MK8) and my previous MK7.5

Up until the current Covid Lockdown I was travelling about 70 miles a day to work and back.

My 2019  MK8 has now covered just over 9000 miles from new, and before the lockdown I was getting about 47mpg average (calculated by brim to brim method), it was showing 50-51mpg on the dash readout.

Compared to many who post here I seemed to be getting better mpg than most, which I attributed to driving style and the lack of short stop start journeys.

My driving style hasn't changed but my car usage has, for the last 2 months it's  been just for the necessary weekly food shop at the local supermarket. About 4 miles each way of mostly town/roundabout driving.  I was expecting the mpg to plummet into the low 40's/ high 30's due to the shorter trips where the car is not fully up to temp and lots more stopping and starting, but the dash readout over these past 2 months is showing 49mpg (I reset it 2 months ago) which I'm guessing is about 44 real mpg . I haven't needed to top up yet as I had a full tank before the lockdown started so have not had the chance to do the brim to brim method.

But if that figure turns out to be correct I'm quite surprised it's not dropped a lot more.

N.B. I do not use the Auto Stop/Start feature or the eco mode as in previous tests I've found they made little or no difference to mpg but made the driving experience less enjoyable.

Anyone else kept an eye on their mpg with the different driving conditions during the lockdown?

 

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[Daggerit]

Mine hasn't really changed and is still sitting at high 30's / very low 40's at best.

I don't drive like a boy racer and change gear generally between 2.5k and 3k revs, so nothing too crazy at all.  I use cruise control a lot where I can to stop tickets and also unnecessary speeding up and slowing down, leave stop/start on and don't have extra weight in the car or run the AC often at all.

I bought the 1.0 Ecoboost because I expected significantly better economy than my Audi S4 estate that I chopped in for it, but looking at the figures, I really should have kept that car since it was much faster and only got 5mpg less for the same trips!  And that's measured on the Audi versus indicated on the Fiesta too, so it's probably even closer... 

[Blatto]

1 hour ago, Daggerit said:

I don't drive like a boy racer and change gear generally between 2.5k and 3k revs, so nothing too crazy at all.  I use cruise control a lot where I can to stop tickets and also unnecessary speeding up and slowing down, leave stop/start on and don't have extra weight in the car or run the AC often at all.

I'm not driving that slowly either. During my normal commute I would be doing an indicated 75mph (ish) on the motorways where possible and 55-60 on the A- roads.

Generally changing up about 2000 rpm unless circumstances require a bit more acceleration. I rarely take it over 4000 rpm unless a really swift overtake is called for.

I don't use the cruise control that often but when I do I find it makes my mpg worse. I use the aircon when the ambient temp is over 20 C or if it's cold and damp in the winter months and occasionally turn it on to keep things circulating if I haven't used it for a while.

The only thing (other than my beer belly) adding weight to the car is the Space saving spare wheel option. I've not weighed it but I'd guess it's adding 20 Kg or so, along with the Scissor jack and tools supplied with it.

 

 

[Daggerit]

All reasons why I'm surprised my mpg is so much lower.  I accept that I live in a city where there are a decent number of hills, but since it's a return journey I'd have thought it would even out a little bit...

I'll maybe try to not use the cruise control as much and see if that makes a difference.  I doubt it would in the 30-40mpg zones, surely, but I'll give it a try when I'm next heading out.

[DG97]

Mine has gone up a little bit to 44mpg from around 39-40. Obviously empty roads contribute to that as otherwise they were full of traffic. I think the key change is that during lockdown I’ve driven more “peacefully” and have enjoyed the more economical journeys than my usual daily driving which isn’t boy racer but it’s not conservative either. 
 

In terms of getting better mpg? If I was looking for a new car right now, I’d just buy a proper hybrid (not the mild hybrid rubbish stuck in a Puma) as I’m confident I could get 50mpg compared to the usual 39-40 I get now.

 

[TomsFocus]

My MPG is an indicated 49 on the 2.0 TDI.

Would expect around 57mpg at this time of year normally...averaging 7 miles a week, all town.

[Daggerit]

Mine has gone up a little bit to 44mpg from around 39-40. Obviously empty roads contribute to that as otherwise they were full of traffic. I think the key change is that during lockdown I’ve driven more “peacefully” and have enjoyed the more economical journeys than my usual daily driving which isn’t boy racer but it’s not conservative either. 
 
In terms of getting better mpg? If I was looking for a new car right now, I’d just buy a proper hybrid (not the mild hybrid rubbish stuck in a Puma) as I’m confident I could get 50mpg compared to the usual 39-40 I get now.
 

Don’t even know about hybrids for the cost offset. Had an A5 2.0TDI here a while back that I used and was getting >50mpg for the same journeys as my Fiesta.

Annoyingly, my wife’s Skoda Kodiaq 1.5 TSI gets better real world mpg than my Fiesta.


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[Blatto]

14 hours ago, Daggerit said:

I'll maybe try to not use the cruise control as much and see if that makes a difference.  I doubt it would in the 30-40mpg zones, surely, but I'll give it a try when I'm next heading out.

I'd suggest using the speed limiter rather than cruise control in the 30-40 mph zones.

[Daggerit]

I'd suggest using the speed limiter rather than cruise control in the 30-40 mph zones.

I don’t know how they differ for holding the speed, but surely they’d be similar? I’ll try it though and see what happens!


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[Blatto]

3 hours ago, Daggerit said:

I don’t know how they differ for holding the speed, but surely they’d be similar? I’ll try it though and see what happens!
 

The difference is the Limiter does not hold the speed, you need to do that with the throttle, it just stops you from going over the speed limit you have set.

That way you can come fully of the throttle when you need to slow for any reason and it doesn't cancel when you brake.

It gives you more control over how you slow down and accelerate than the cruise control which will help in saving fuel if you use it correctly.

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[Matthew McGuinness]

5 minutes ago, Blatto said:

The difference is the Limiter does not hold the speed, you need to do that with the throttle, it just stops you from going over the speed limit you have set.

That way you can come fully of the throttle when you need to slow for any reason and it doesn't cancel when you brake.

It gives you more control over how you slow down and accelerate than the cruise control which will help in saving fuel if you use it correctly.

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My lockdown mpg has averaged at 38 mpg, with me doing around 10 miles a week. But last weekend i reset it because i went for a lets say 'Spirited' drive, but still managed to get about 39 mpg.

[Daggerit]

The difference is the Limiter does not hold the speed, you need to do that with the throttle, it just stops you from going over the speed limit you have set.
That way you can come fully of the throttle when you need to slow for any reason and it doesn't cancel when you brake.
It gives you more control over how you slow down and accelerate than the cruise control which will help in saving fuel if you use it correctly.
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Ah, see I would likely just set it and keep my foot on the gas so it would actually be holding the speed...

With the cruise I tend to deactivate it long before I hit the brakes and use a lot of engine braking as well rather than just leave it activated right up until I actually have to use the brakes.

Genuinely try to be economical! Hahaha.

Like I say, in my wife’s big Kodiaq with a bigger and more powerful engine that has to work harder to accelerate the car I reliably manage better mpg than in my car...


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[Blatto]

1 minute ago, Daggerit said:

Ah, see I would likely just set it and keep my foot on the gas so it would actually be holding the speed...

You can apply full throttle and it won't use any more petrol than required to keep the speed you have set.

The advantage is you don't have to keep resetting it again like you do for the cruise control after you have braked.

Also being able to come fully off the gas (thereby using no fuel) to adjust your speed to the traffic and then reapplying gas at your required rate will save fuel

 

[auldreekie]

38 minutes ago, Blatto said:

You can apply full throttle and it won't use any more petrol than required to keep the speed you have set.

The advantage is you don't have to keep resetting it again like you do for the cruise control after you have braked.

Also being able to come fully off the gas (thereby using no fuel) to adjust your speed to the traffic and then reapplying gas at your required rate will save fuel

 

Does the speed limiter reset after ignition is switched off so you keep having to set speed each time you get into the car? 

I've never really used it for local driving, OSD (Office of Stupid Decisions) in my local council have set 95% of the city to 20mph. 

[Daggerit]

You can apply full throttle and it won't use any more petrol than required to keep the speed you have set.
The advantage is you don't have to keep resetting it again like you do for the cruise control after you have braked.
Also being able to come fully off the gas (thereby using no fuel) to adjust your speed to the traffic and then reapplying gas at your required rate will save fuel
 

Yeah I’ve used it before, but to me, it holding a maximum speed would be the same as cruise holding a set speed surely?

I know what you mean about resetting it but I don’t really mind just pushing the resume button once the car is up to speed.

Don’t really think that’s the cause of it though because I drive using the cruise with the wife’s car too and it’s still better. So don’t know if there’s a silver bullet really, but would be great if someone found something that I hadn’t thought of. Hahaha.


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[TomsFocus]

1 hour ago, Daggerit said:

Genuinely try to be economical! Hahaha.

There's ya problem!  

Just drive 'normally' and you'll probably find it works out about the same, but with less stress!  It's much more about where you drive than how you drive in my experience.  The Kodiak (and anything VAG) has tonnes more money put into R&D than a Ford, economy is generally better in 'equivalent' VAG cars in my experience because they can afford to map them properly.

[Blatto]

4 hours ago, Daggerit said:

Yeah I’ve used it before, but to me, it holding a maximum speed would be the same as cruise holding a set speed surely?

It would be the same if you are driving at a constant speed for long periods eg. on a motorway at 70mph, with cruise control maintaining that speed or with your foot on the gas with the limiter it would be the same. But, if you are driving in 30-40mph areas it's likely that there's more traffic and you'll need to constantly vary your speed. In that situation the Limiter would be more appropriate and potentially more economical.