Drive To Save Money

I love a challenge, especially when there is a prize and kudos at stake. I recently attended the launch of the Mini Cooper diesel. This car's biggest claim to fame is that it is the most fuel efficient car in Australia, consuming 3.9 litres every 100kms. To put this into perspective, the Toyota Prius (hybrid) needs about 4.4 litres of fuel to go the same distance. Our challenge was to crawl our way through heavy city traffic, open it up on the freeway and cruise on the winding roads of the Yarra Valley and return it to the city. The winners were the team who used the least amount of fuel.

I'm chuffed to say that it was my partner Chris Mullett (from Eco Car Magazine) and I that won, convincingly. Chuffed because the competition was stiff. Motoring journalists can be very competitive. Our average fuel consumption over the 180 kilometre journey was only 3.5 litres per 100kms. That's better than their official figures. While I am aware of driving techniques that save fuel, Chris gave me some technical guff which really made a lot of sense. Here's a quick rundown of what we did to minimise our need for fuel.

1. No unnecessary idling
2. Smooth acceleration and braking
3. Changed gears between 1,000 and 2,000 revs
4. Drove in the highest gear possible
5. Cruised up slowly to a set of red lights to try and avoid stopping, where timing allowed
6. Used the downhill momentum to propel us up the next hill
7. Changed lanes to keep moving
8. Avoided carrying unnecessary items
9. Didn't use any air conditioning
10. Travelled a maximum speed of 80kms

I must point out that we did nothing illegal or dangerous. I value my life and the points on my licence too much.
Here are some principals that are pretty easy to remember if you want to save fuel.

1. The harder you put your foot down on the accelerator, the more fuel you'll use.
2. The more you stop and start, the more fuel you'll use.
3. The higher your engine revs in a gear, the more fuel you'll use.
4. The heavier the load, the more fuel you'll use.

It was a really interesting exercise to do. I am usually so focused on where I am going and what I need to do for the day, that I rarely focus on how I actually drive a car. If you are like me and enjoy a challenge, I highly recommend that over the course of your next full tank of fuel you try some of the techniques we tried and see how much you can save on your fuel bill. Go on, give it a go, the worst you'll do is save money!