French Diesel!!!

[Garfield]

I personally cannot explain this, but we drive solo with roofbox to Andorra every year from N Yorks via the Channel Tunnel and from Whitby to the tunnel we get about 40mpg+, on the dual carriagways/motorways we cruise at an indicated 80mph where the fuel consumption readout remains staedy at about 41mpg but as soon as we cross the channel and fuel up in France the mpg starts to fall even though we set the cruise controlat the same speed.

As MPG appears to fall by about the same percentage as the difference in fuel cost, next year we'll fuell up in the uk before entering France and see what happens

 

[SteveW77]

Funnily enough, I always find the complete opposite, My fuel return figures always improve when I am in France.

Steve W

 

[ProfJohnL]

Save some more by sticking to the UK speed limits 70mph!!!.

 

[KeithJ]

Hi Garfield

I always get a worse fuel consumption on French motorways compared to the UK as you get a continuous high speed run. On British motorways speed is so often restricted because of traffic density and roadworks that it actually helps fuel economy - especially with a roof box.

Incidentally, in 25 years of (solo)winter ski trips, on the occasions that I have used a roof box, fuel consumption has worstened by 25% or more when travelling at speed in France. It is even significantly worse with skis on the roof without a box.

On trips up and down the M1 I get much improved fuel economy now due to the long stretches of 50mph limit through road works.

Keith

 

[SteveW77]

Obviously, the deciding factor here is speed. As I am on holiday when I am in France, I don't go charging down motorways at 80 mph or above, I trundle along at about 60 mph and I don't leave my roof box fitted, I remove it as soon as I reach my final destination.

Steve W

 

[emmerson2]

My Range Rover averages 12mpg in this country. On every trip to France since we've had the car, it averages 14mpg .

Driving habits are the same, so the only thing I can put it down to is less traffic, less hold-ups.

 

[mark_374541174]

when we use to travel to south of france with the kids and there 2 bikes on the roof. Mpg dropped to by 5mpg. In the end we never bothered to take them it was cheaper to hire bikes for 2 weeks when we got there. Car and caravan were more stable without them to

 

[JohnGriffiths]

I'm amazed anyone manages to use cruise control in this country for more than a minute or two, yet I have left it on, untouched in France for over 100 miles. Because of this I've never managed to compare mpg, but I suspect the higher speeds and considerably hillier motorways to balance out the constant acceleration/ slowing of this country.

 

[joeby]

i kept my speed down to 60 mph or just over from Swansea to Reading a distance of about 140 miles , kept in 6th gear as much possible ,driving solo in Ford Mondeo 130 TDCI estate and returned over 63 MPG ,and the fuel tank was reading almost full

 

[Guest]

We've always got better MPG in France on long distance running both solo and towing. Always put it down to Autoroutes having less hold up than British M's.

I did about 150k's on the A81 to Stuttgart in around 5O minutes and still got about 20MPG

 

[marlot]

i kept my speed down to 60 mph or just over from Swansea to Reading a distance of about 140 miles , kept in 6th gear as much possible ,driving solo in Ford Mondeo 130 TDCI estate and returned over 63 MPG ,and the fuel tank was reading almost full

After measuring the real consumption, I only use the on-board MPG display as a very rough approximation - most of them seem to be about 10% optimistic.

But then, as a manufacturer you wouldn't want to set them pessimistic would you!

 

[Garfield]

We've just got back from this years ski trip and can conclude that it's nowt t' do wit diesel!

The roof box exaggerates any aerodynamic effect and on busy but fast moving roads there is a significant slipstreaming effect even at a safe distance from the car in front

Home to dover, uk fuel, busyish roads 80mph most of the time = 40mpg

Calais to Andorra, empty roads, French fuel, 80 mph all the way = 34mpg

Andorra to Switzerland, busyish roads, Andorran fuel, 80 mph all the way =38mpg

Dover to home in the early hours, uk fuel, 80mph all the way = 33mpg.

 

[forestgump]

speed /octane /price do you fill up by the

 

[Glensmate]

Joby - I hope you didn't spill your coffee or drop the newspaper whilst you took that photo!!

Watch out for the 50mph average speed cameras on the M4 from Newport to the Coldra!