How important is fuel economy to you?

[DaveB]

I think the fuel economy seems a little underwhelming to say it’s running an 8 speed ‘box, even considering the weight.

I had the trailer on the back of my Td6 Range Rover for almost 400 miles on Saturday and it did 22.3mpg. It’s almost 20 years old and has a 5 speed auto.

Fuel economy figures over short runs really don't mean a lot.
When I decide to go for a spirited drive in my car I get about 18l/100kms, 13 US MPG or 15.7 IMP MPG
Cruising on the motorway for 6 hours I typically get about 4.7 l/100kms so 50 US mpg or 60 IMP mpg
The best I can recall is 4.3 l/100kms
Average over the last 20,000 kms (12,427 miles) is 5.1 L/100kms or 46 US mpg or 55.4 IMP mpg
My car now has approx 117,000 kms on it and is a 2.1 Litre Diesel with twin sequential compound turbos 204 HP and 500 NM torque

How it is driven and over what type of roads has a huge impact

 

[Tinki]

i got close to 400 miles out of my first tank of diesel. i think it was something around 380 miles but the red on the screen annoyed me and refilled it .

 

[MrMike]

For me economy is more about range than saving $ in the sort term fuel cans will suffice until an alternative is made.

 

[Makers52129]

I currently drive a supercharged Ford F150 that gets 12.5 US mpg. So the grenadier would be a vast improvement!

 

[Tom109]

I’m not expecting high MPG, in fact, I imagine it will be very similar to my 1996 Discovery but a much nicer drive. My only MPG concern is range, and as MrMike says, jerry cans will suffice…

 

[DenisM]

i got close to 400 miles out of my first tank of diesel. i think it was something around 380 miles but the red on the screen annoyed me and refilled it .

How much fuel did it take to reach the "full" mark after 380 miles?
Once the engine / transmission are well run in, I wouldn't be surprised to see 30+mpg (UK) /8.5-9L/100Km at a steady 90 -95km/h.
I was a little gobsmacked to read elsewhere of others recording 166km/h (indicated) in their IG! Apart from a stretch of "C" class two lane (one each way) in the Northern Territory with an "open" speed limit... but where camels, wild pugs a d stray cattle are an ever present menace, the open road limit is either 100 or 110kmh. Exploring 160+ will guarantee you up to $2000+ fine, 8 demerit points, possibly licence disqualification...
One pharmaceutical company CEO some years back was giving free rein to his Bentley on a motorway south of Sydney... the police clocked him decelerating from 245kmh! He barely avoided a gaol sentence.Massive fine and lost his licence...
but I digress.... they didn't ask him for fuel consumption figures at "warp speed"

 

[sdh]

There’s a lot of criticism on Pistonheads re the Grenadier fuel economy, i suspect this will pop up in many of the upcoming reviews too. So how important is it?
For me it doesn’t make that much difference, not because I am filthy rich or own a refinery, but because for what I am going to do with the grenadier it won’t make much difference To the amount of fuel I’ll use.
Yes we’d all like a vehicle that can tow 3.5 ton at motorway speeds and get 50MPG but it doesn’t exist. What I have found is that once you load a vehicle up, especially with a trailer, physics takes over. There’s a certain amount of energy required to move a certain weight over a certain distance. So while the 2.2 TD I defender I had last was possibly better on fuel than my first 2.8 defender on a school run once you put a trailer behind it there was little difference. In fact the extra torque of a larger engine means you can run a higher gear.. I’ll bet if you towed 3.5 ton with a modern hybrid city car you’d find it did less than 15MPG.
Towing a 2.5 ton digger around will level up the fuel economy on most cars, there’ll be little difference between a 2.0l and a 3.0l its just physics. It will just be a nicer experience in the 3.0l.

Zero importance and also not because I own a refinery...vehicle capability and range are all that matters.
By contrast, I have an old 2010 BMW 335D, that is insanely overpowered and get's just under 40 mpg at 80 mph which is what I purposely drive when my design requirements are purely time...

 

[sdh]

I like the Irish approach to the fuel question. If you'd ask anyone, how much is fuel, they would say something like "50€, thats what I always fill up for" Serious. Commercial users aside, no one is aware of the actual cost of fuel.

On a 4x4, unless used on a daily basis for long journeys, fuel economy is irrelevant. It's a workhorse that needs to be fed. The more it works, the hungrier it gets. The BMW engines are not know to burn excessive fuel and if you are used to Toyotas you'll be in for a pleasant surprise. Economists or climate activists might want to choose a different type vehicle for their daily commute.

Being a transplanted (to America) southern Irishman it's good to hear that my response to "...how much fuel does your 1995 D90 Defender use..." is identical to your response. Of course it only has a 15 gallon tank so I guess fuel will "cost" less that when I have to fill the tank on my ordered Grenadier...

 

[acwiltshire]

Today did longest run 178 miles almost all motorway. diesel Fieldmaster still just 950 miles on clock. Drove as I always would and used power to do swift overtakes as required. 27.8 mpg. Happy

 

[YellowLab]

Today did longest run 178 miles almost all motorway. diesel Fieldmaster still just 950 miles on clock. Drove as I always would and used power to do swift overtakes as required. 27.8 mpg. Happy

Assume the Diesel model

 

[MRO]

Fuel economy on my diesel Trialmaster seems worse than others are getting. First 150 miles were 19mpg. Next 200 miles 22mpg. Doesn’t seem to deviate much from that whether 70mph motorway or 50mph country roads, all sparing with the right foot. I usually do slightly better than official mpg in other cars. (Have checked absolute fuel usage which is v similar to the display).

Any ideas?
Still tight drivetrain?
Off-road Trialmaster tyres?
Running in engine setting?
Something wrong??

 

[anand]

Forgive my ignorance as the majority of diesels we get in the US are larger trucks... But my only personal diesel experience has been with a 2015 Audi Q5 3.0L TDI and my '22 Sprinter (also a 3.0L diesel); but both of those didn't "come into their fuel economy" until having about 5,000-8,000 miles on the clock.

@MRO if you are at several hundred miles still, you have a lot to go.

Also, I think we should indicate if the results being talked about are from the HMI screen or actually hand calculated from distance/volume

 

[MRO]

Forgive my ignorance as the majority of diesels we get in the US are larger trucks... But my only personal diesel experience has been with a 2015 Audi Q5 3.0L TDI and my '22 Sprinter (also a 3.0L diesel); but both of those didn't "come into their fuel economy" until having about 5,000-8,000 miles on the clock.

@MRO if you are at several hundred miles still, you have a lot to go.

Also, I think we should indicate if the results being talked about are from the HMI screen or actually hand calculated from distance/volume

Thanks Anand but my point was that others seem to be getting 26/27 at low mileage, which is what I would have expected. Actual fuel usage seems to be around 5% worse than the screen having checked after a refill.

 

[YellowLab]

Forgive my ignorance as the majority of diesels we get in the US are larger trucks... But my only personal diesel experience has been with a 2015 Audi Q5 3.0L TDI and my '22 Sprinter (also a 3.0L diesel); but both of those didn't "come into their fuel economy" until having about 5,000-8,000 miles on the clock.

@MRO if you are at several hundred miles still, you have a lot to go.

Also, I think we should indicate if the results being talked about are from the HMI screen or actually hand calculated from distance/volume

I have the last of the BMW X5 3.5Ds model - highway driving I average 30 mpg and about 24mpg on more town driving

 

[Highwayman]

Thanks Anand but my point was that others seem to be getting 26/27 at low mileage, which is what I would have expected. Actual fuel usage seems to be around 5% worse than the screen having checked after a refill.

I have a diesel Trialmaster

Similar experience to yourself early on - circa 21 mpg, whether motorway or A roads. Now, after 4,500 miles, getting 25mpg on fast motorway (French and German motorways to Munich and back - 80+ mph) and A roads.

I always have climate control switched on and I always have stop start turned off.

Also use Shell V power (or similar)

Engine is now noticeably more responsive than when new

 

[MRO]

I have a diesel Trialmaster

Similar experience to yourself early on - circa 21 mpg, whether motorway or A roads. Now, after 4,500 miles, getting 25mpg on fast motorway (French and German motorways to Munich and back - 80+ mph) and A roads.

I always have climate control switched on and I always have stop start turned off.

Also use Shell V power (or similar)

Engine is now noticeably more responsive than when new

Thanks Highwayman, very reassuring. No complaints about my engine even when new, more performance always gratefully received though. 25mpg at those kind of speeds would be perfectly acceptable, about where I usually cruise too, just not while I am getting used to the steering.

 

[Cheshire cat]

Fuel economy on my diesel Trialmaster seems worse than others are getting. First 150 miles were 19mpg. Next 200 miles 22mpg. Doesn’t seem to deviate much from that whether 70mph motorway or 50mph country roads, all sparing with the right foot. I usually do slightly better than official mpg in other cars. (Have checked absolute fuel usage which is v similar to the display).

Any ideas?
Still tight drivetrain?
Off-road Trialmaster tyres?
Running in engine setting?
Something wrong??

My first couple of hundred miles showed up at just over 20 mpg. (Diesel) Have you done a calculation on fill to fill as yet? Compare the real miles to what shows on your gauge. For me, the gauge proved accurate but you never know. The best I have seen was 28 mpg, steady motorway driving at 65 mph on a dry day. Lowest now I have 3000 miles on the clock, seems to be 23 mpg on twisty country roads.

 

[Eric]

Fuel economy on my diesel Trialmaster seems worse than others are getting. First 150 miles were 19mpg. Next 200 miles 22mpg. Doesn’t seem to deviate much from that whether 70mph motorway or 50mph country roads, all sparing with the right foot. I usually do slightly better than official mpg in other cars. (Have checked absolute fuel usage which is v similar to the display).

Any ideas?
Still tight drivetrain?
Off-road Trialmaster tyres?
Running in engine setting?
Something wrong??

Stop monitoring it for 1000 miles, then see what happens.

 

[JohnHeagney]

Thanks Anand but my point was that others seem to be getting 26/27 at low mileage, which is what I would have expected. Actual fuel usage seems to be around 5% worse than the screen having checked after a refill.

I keep a log of everry fill up, it drives my wife mad.... On my petrol Fieldmaster, the computer over states by about 3.9%. The low MPG was towing a heavy trailer and car - at the 3.5 tonne limit, the last 1,500 miles have generally been at the speed limit apart from when I got caught by an average speed camera... Overall the MPG seems to be getting better as the engine loosens up and the Trendline is in the right direction!

 

[Eric]

I keep a log of everry fill up, it drives my wife mad.... On my petrol Fieldmaster, the computer over states by about 3.9%. The low MPG was towing a heavy trailer and car - at the 3.5 tonne limit, the last 1,500 miles have generally been at the speed limit apart from when I got caught by an average speed camera... Overall the MPG seems to be getting better as the engine loosens up and the Trendline is in the right direction!

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I'm with your wife on that one. At the end of the day it is what it is, and if it is not in your gift to change it, don't monitor it nor worry about it.