DRIVING TECHNIQUES
1 GENTLY DOES IT?
Most people know that, as a general rule, the easier you are on your car, the better it is – not simply for fuel economy but also long-term reliability. While modern cars aren’t generally as responsive to economical driving techniques as the carburettor-fuelled cars of yesteryear, driving at a gentler pace still generally uses less fuel. It also causes less stress on car and driver, and rarely adds significantly to journey times.
2 YET, GIVE IT SOME STICK
There again, an occasional blast can be beneficial to clear out the cobwebs of a car that spends most of its life pottering around town and rarely reaches full operating temperature.
Additionally, the Diesel Particulate Filters (DPFs) fitted to some Euro 4 and all Euro 5-on diesels need a regular decent run occasionally (above 40mph for 20mins) to burn off trapped soot.
3 FRUGAL FUN
Reading the road more intensively so you don’t unnecessarily brake only to needlessly accelerate to re-establish your speed again can become quite an enjoyable exercise, especially when motoring cross country.
Many years ago, fuel and oil giant Mobil ran a special week-long economy run over some of the toughest roads and bleakest weather (CM used to participate Ed.). Far from being a serene Sunday stroll, it was more like a 1000-mile road rally so not to incur a time penalty, and yet some astonishing fuel returns were achieved because there is an art to driving economically without adopting a dawdling pace. The last time it was run in the mid-1980s a Mini City achieved almost 65mpg, a Ford Sierra 2.0GL more than 45mpg and even a V12 Jaguar XJ-S managed to return virtually 23mpg!
4 KEEPING THE MOMENTUM
The key to economy driving is to keep the momentum going by treating driving like a motorised chess game and when you need to accelerate merely tickle the throttle rather than flooring it. That’s not our view, but also that of three-times F1 champion Sir Jackie Stewart who adopted a similar smooth analytical approach when racing… For instance, it’s best to pick up speed before tacking hills so wide, wasteful throttle openings can be avoided. And isn’t it silly to rush up to a red light when by backing off a bit – it might just change by the time you arrive at it?
5 A HARD SLOG
It’s a common fallacy that the key to economy driving is to select top gear as soon as possible. On the right roads and speeds, certainly, but slogging along in top gear regardless can prove less economical due to the throttle openings required. In fact, it can be a better policy to downshift for a few seconds on a
