Its not everybody’s favourite news to see the price for petrol and diesel go up, but we have to make the best of what is available. Also, it is still pretty damn cheap compared to what’s available in Europe and the Indian sub-continent.
So to make life easier we have compiled a top 10 list on how to reduce fuel consumption and they are:
- Be easy on the throttle. It’s important that you don’t stomp the throttle everything you see a stretch of open road. Infact, in a TopGear episode when a Toyota Prius, which is amongst the world’s most economical hybrid vehicles, was driven at its quickest around a track …and a BMW M3 was used to keep up with it. It was found that the Prius consumed more fuel than the M3. So it’s not what you drive, but how you drive.
- Secondly, try to maintain a constant speed. Most cars achieve their best fuel economy at a speed between 80 and 100 km/h at the highest gear. If your car is equipped with cruise control this will enhance it further.
- Drive in top gear. The aim is to keep the revs as low as possible, so drive your car in the tallest (top) gear possible, without stalling.
- Keep the tyres in the optimal tyre pressure which is usually 32 PSI. Please, check your car’s tyre specification and manufacturer to identify the recommended tyre pressure for your car.
- Switch off the engine at the traffic light, if you know the “red” is going to last for atleast 30 seconds.
- Keep the car light! Remove all unwanted items from the car; items you may have left behind after a picnic or moving houses.
- Drop the transmission into neutral while approaching a signal light or traffic. This will drop the engine speed (rpm) to idle and at idle it consumes the least fuel. Only …remember to shift it back into ‘D’!
- Plan your trips such that you only take out your car when traffic is light. For example, driving out in Dubai between 7 and 9 am and 5 and 7 pm isn’t recommended unless you have to. The engine sips a whole lot o fuel in stop-start traffic.
- If travelling with a companion car over long distances, keep the other car as close as possible. This allows your car to run in the slip stream of the car ahead and the car ahead benefits from reduced drag. But for safety’s sake remember to keep a two-car distance, especially at speeds above 120 km/h.
- Set the climate control to a temperature between 22 and 24C. Setting it at ‘Low’ not only makes the cabin uncomfortable, it doesn’t help fuel economy either.
Besides these points, you can also choose to purchase or rent either of the following:
- A diesel car like the Indian-owned Land Rover Defender or one among the many cars that Porsche offers.
- A hybrid like the Lexus Ct 200h.
- An electric car like the BMW i8 or i3
