I had my car serviced (by fiat) 2-3 weeks ago. Since then my ave mpg has dropped from mid 40's to mid 30's. I don't think my driving has altered at all. Could this and the recent service be connected? Any thoughts?
Could it be because the air con was working harder during that very hot spell a week or so ago?
On a related theme, I had to make my regular 65 mile commute at a brisker-than-usual pace last week (all but 3 miles on uncrowded dual carriageway, mainly in 6th, and nothing above an indicated 77). I reset the trip at the start, and my mpg for the journey was 31. That's a new low for me. At that pace, my old DS3 (petrol turbo, 155 hp) would have comfortably given over 40.
My TA Cross is a thirsty wee thing. Average is 33mpg
My TA Cross is a thirsty wee thing. Average is 33mpg
I'm assuming you didn't have any accessories fitted (eg. Roof bars), the drag from those can knock off a couple of mpg if they're not the WingBars/Whispbar variety....
I travelled down the M4 to London, and back, today, so I checked the mpg at 70mph with/without AC on.
(I didn't bother measuring with the ECO button on - that's just a button for when my wife or daughter is driving).
Driving for about 20 minutes at close to 70 mph, with the aircon on, fan speed 2 and windows closed, gave about 49 mpg.
Driving for about 30 minutes at close to 70 mph, with the aircon off, fan speed 2 and windows closed, gave about 55 mpg.
These mpg figures varied with uphill and downhill stretches, so they are not exactly comparable, but they indicate about a 10% effect on mpg at 70 mph, due to the aircon.
I have to say that I was surprised that the difference was so high. I have not seen any significant effect with the AC on the Multipla (although this is a 1.9 JTD).
The test was with a TA Lounge, not a 4x4, with 1600 miles on the clock.
I'd be very interested to hear about that modification.....