MPG (2 Viewers)

Mar 3, 2013
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What MPG should we expect from a Euro 5 130 on a Fiat Ducato? Overcab 3500Kg, 7 metres long 2013 model. Dealer says his hire vehicles, same van are just shy of 30 mpg ours is averaging 24.2. Both the computer and manual calculations are the same. This mpg does not vary on long or short trips travelling at 55 mph roughly on long trips. We did expect more. It drives beautifully and has a lot of torque without having to push it. Bit disappointed I suppose.
 

DuxDeluxe

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I think that 24 mpg is about right. Would love to see how the dealers hire vehicles get that mileage, or indeed, how he knows..............
 

Merle

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It must depend on the speed you accelerate at to a great extent, and how quickly you change up through the gears. Low revs = good consumption figures. Try having a look at the economy run figures and driving techniques used on them, even back in the 1960's 70's when general car consumption was far lower than today they were achieving extremely high results

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N&K

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We have a Fiat 130 engine on a Ducato MPG does not vary much on ours...24 mpg sounds OK to me.

We've never had 30 mpg, no chance unless your're driving on a flat road in Holland with no corners and a tail wind.::bigsmile:
 

TheBig1

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I have the larger 160 engine in mine and the best I have ever seen from it is 27mpg, but more generally 24 - 25. There is no way a loaded motorhome with the fiat engine could regularly and reliably return 30mpg without being precisely tuned and running on a rolling road. the shape and weight add so much drag it would require considerable power to overcome it.

the bottom line though is that if you worry too much about the mpg you would be better selling the motorhome, buying a toyota prius and going on a cheap package holiday 2 weeks a year. the motorhome lifestyle should be free from such worries as the journey is a major part of the adventure

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OP
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MichelleRyall
Mar 3, 2013
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I have the larger 160 engine in mine and the best I have ever seen from it is 27mpg, but more generally 24 - 25. There is no way a loaded motorhome with the fiat engine could regularly and reliably return 30mpg without being precisely tuned and running on a rolling road. the shape and weight add so much drag it would require considerable power to overcome it.

the bottom line though is that if you worry too much about the mpg you would be better selling the motorhome, buying a toyota prius and going on a cheap package holiday 2 weeks a year. the motorhome lifestyle should be free from such worries as the journey is a major part of the adventure

I agree, just don't tell the OH :roflmto:
 

N&K

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the bottom line though is that if you worry too much about the mpg you would be better selling the motorhome, buying a toyota prius and going on a cheap package holiday 2 weeks a year. the motorhome lifestyle should be free from such worries as the journey is a major part of the adventure

Well said.. TheBig1 ::bigsmile:!!

If my MPG starts with a "2" then I'm happy :) and if starts with a "1" then its windy outside or I'm driving up some big hill in the Alps or Pyrenees where the fuel is a lot cheaper than the UK so who cares ::bigsmile:

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duane0001

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the bottom line though is that if you worry too much about the mpg you would be better selling the motorhome, buying a toyota prius and going on a cheap package holiday 2 weeks a year. the motorhome lifestyle should be free from such worries as the journey is a major part of the adventure[/QUOTE]

NO
I dont agree with this at all
We all like value for money, and how to get more MPG out of your motorhome is a valid Question,
A new motorhome wont do as many MPG until it has done a few miles
Fiat got between 10 and 15 more MPG out of a Fiat Panda just by fitting low rolling resistance tyres and low viscosity oil
 
Nov 6, 2008
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Is now not the time to say mine does no less than 38MPG (Fiat 120)
And I have done a journey at 43MPG

And I can sit beside someone on the sofa with our legs outstretched, and two people can sit on the swivelling recliners opposite with their legs outstretched, and people can still walk between us and not fall over our legs. Whilst at the same time someone can be cooking in the kitchen, 4 persons can be sat at the dining table, one person can be in the shower, one on the toilet, one having a shave at the bedroom sink, and two people can be lying down on the king size bed, and we still wouldn't be in each others way. But, I have to pay for this space with a consumption of around 16 mpg (5.7L V8). So, horses....................................

Craig

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TheBig1

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Is now not the time to say mine does no less than 38MPG (Fiat 120)
And I have done a journey at 43MPG

ok but that is not in a fully loaded 7m coachbuilt with overcab is it?

the fiat panda may do greater mpg but you cant do the multitude of things we do in our motorhomes especially not in luxury. try fitting low friction tyres to a motorhome and putting in thin oil, bet you wouldn't be too happy with the results or the cost

value for money is valid, but spending a small fortune on a motorhome then stressing over saving pennies per mile difference just doesn't make sense at all. In the real world anything better than 24mpg is a bonus and just sweetens the adventure. I bet not many worry about the MPG that the jet aircraft flying them away on holiday achieves. its just not something you consider as youve paid upfront and its just part of the cost.
 

duane0001

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ok but that is not in a fully loaded 7m coachbuilt with overcab is it?

the fiat panda may do greater mpg but you cant do the multitude of things we do in our motorhomes especially not in luxury. try fitting low friction tyres to a motorhome and putting in thin oil, bet you wouldn't be too happy with the results or the cost

value for money is valid, [HI]but spending a small fortune on a motorhome then stressing over saving pennies per mile difference just doesn't make sense at all.[/HI] In the real world anything better than 24mpg is a bonus and just sweetens the adventure. I bet not many worry about the MPG that the jet aircraft flying them away on holiday achieves. its just not something you consider as youve paid upfront and its just part of the cost.

Pennies! Really?
The Fiat Panda is a car, I was just pointing out what can be achieved with so little,
And a 7m motorhome fully loaded should not be doing much less on a run then a 5.5m fully loaded motorhome, they both weigh around the same (3.5T) yes you have an overcab bed and a bit extra drag, Driving style is by far the biggest factor in MPG,
 

SUGGY

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Just back from the Stratford show , 2003 Fiat Ducato 2.8jtd set of from home with full water 160 ltr and fuel , just got back n filled up 34.7 mpg keeping to 57mph on the sat nav 60 on the clock .best we managed before was 35mpg in Holland .
 

lorger

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we have the fiat 130 on a 2010 and we get an average of 27 MPG the worst i have ever had with it is the high 26's and this is on A roads, on the motorway it can be over 29 if i just cruise. We have had it since January this year and when i phoned the previous owner before buying from dealer he told me it had been chipped/remapped by fiat when new so maybe this explains it

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Teepee

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I've had different vehicles over the years, never once have I tried to work out mpg. If you enjoy driving it who cares, if it needs fuel fill it up. Pence per mile equals stress just drive and enjoy it. People drive the way they drive, if everybody drove the so called economy driving way we'd all be doing 30 mph everywhere. More stress just enjoy.
 

Snowbird

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I would have thought that a motorhome would be the last thing in the world anyone who is bothered about MPG would buy. Certainly fuel economy is a factor when buying an every day driver like a car, but a motorhome is a hobby and means of holidays and getting away from the stresses of every day life. If you are going to be stressing about fuel economy every time you are out in your motorhome then perhaps its time you looked at a different hobby. I understand that some small campervans are very frugal compared to large motorhomes. People buy them for the same reasons that people buy a Mercedes car or a Smart car. Some prefer comfort over economy. It all comes down to choice at the end of the day and like most things with a motorhome...Its a compromise. I dont think there are many that will do anywhere near the average for a car of 10000 miles per year, so it does not really matter if the motorhome does 24 or 34 to the gallon. If you did manage to do the 10000 miles per year, would you want to do it in comfort for the extra 122 gallons of fuel, as that would be the difference. If I was covering that sort of mileage in my motorhome then I know which I would choose :Cool:. In the last year we have been to Germany twice, Benidorm once, Dordogne and Brittany, as well as several trips around the UK and we still have not done 10000 miles.
 
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MichelleRyall
Mar 3, 2013
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WOW, woke up to a whole host of varying responses. I am not particularly concerned about whether we get 24 mpg or 30 mpg. My husband was interested to see if that was about right as we were led to believe it should be more and was wondering if the computer was correct or if the engine was not running correctly especially as there was virtually no difference between laden and unladen either. Interestingly the digital speedo readout is also about 10% out as well. At the end of the day as a lot of people have already said, motorhomes are luxury items and to be enjoyed. I hope I have many more years to enjoy travelling around the world, although possibly not driving myself as I use too much fuel :ROFLMAO:

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Chris

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We have the same engine on an 8m van.

According to the computer it has averaged 22.9 since new.

I don't know how accurate that is.

Apart from the longer trips for holidays we try to use it more locally these days if we can for just weekend trips.

It's difficult ( for me) to ignore the economics when fuel is over £6 a gallon.
 

Teepee

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We have the same engine on an 8m van.

According to the computer it has averaged 22.9 since new.

I don't know how accurate that is.

Apart from the longer trips for holidays we try to use it more locally these days if we can for just weekend trips.

It's difficult ( for me) to ignore the economics when fuel is over £6 a gallon.
Now there's a thing, we were ripped off big time when we went from gallons to litres. We are paying more per litre than we were per gallon.
 
C

Chockswahay

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We have a 130 Euro 5 Panel Van Conversion. Only done 1500 miles so far but it is averaging 32 mpg. I keep cruising speed to 55 mph and accelerate gently. I use the cruise control often too.

What I HAVE noticed is that the 'instant' mpg shows a much lower reading if I stay in a lower gear for too long. This van is quite quite different from a car. It seems very happy to stay between 1200 and 1800 revs and indeed holding on to a gear for too long just wastes fuel.

I have been very surprised at how comfortable the engine is when driving in a high gear at low revs. I make a point of driving in 6th gear from about 35 to 40 mph upwards (on a flat road 30 mph is quite easy).

I have not driven many of those miles on motorway so I am happy with the results. On our journey back from Islay last week we managed 36.8 mpg.

I dunno if any of this helps as my van is smaller and lighter than a coach built but hey, the engine is the same!

If you drive in a relaxed and gentle fashion I think you will be rewarded with good results.

For me personally, I would be happy with anything over 25 mpg so 30 plus makes me a very happy boy!

(in my simple mind I know I can go 100 miles for £20 ::bigsmile:)


Enjoy your MH, the fuel bill is the least to worry about :winky:

::bigsmile:::bigsmile:

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Snowbird

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One more thing to remember is that manufacturers MPG figures will never match your real life ones. Theres will be in an empty panel van. Motorhomes by there very nature will never be empty.
There is also another way of saving fuel, and that is do as many of the Germans have been doing for years. Fit a long range fuel tank and whilst in Europe, take advantage of cheap fuel.
 
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Chockswahay

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Err.............we intend to do 12 to 15 thousand miles per year so mpg is very important to us (why give money away?) :Smile:
 

Chris

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Err.............we intend to do 12 to 15 thousand miles per year so mpg is very important to us (why give money away?) :Smile:

I agree. I used to have a real gas guzzling Jag but swapped it for a pretty crap Renault Megane diesel which is very efficient.

It gets me from A to B in about the same time but in less comfort.

My firm pays my fuel expenses but I resent The Treasury milking my use of fuel so I would guesstimate that my spend on fuel now is about 30-40% less than it was 3 years ago.

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Aug 30, 2012
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I agree that fuel consumption is a important factor when choosing your white tin can whats the point in buying something you could never afford to run
When we looked around at first we looked at big yank RVs and yes we could buy one but would be restricted in where we could go due to cost of fuel
So we choose our van it will do 22 if I push it hard and on a very good day 30
It suited our idea of what we thought was reasonable and could afford to run and enjoy


Personally I think 25 to gallon is not bad or £6
Now if we lived in a world where fuel was £2 a gallon it would be another ball game
Why do we pay £6 per gallon for something that cost less than £1 to make make
O now I remember we voted for them the
Robbing lousy slimy cheating stinking rotten (and for 2 more pages) GITS:thumb:
 
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I have an MPG computer on board, and if I were to watch it constantly, I would be in coronary care. Pulling the trailer up hill will see it in single figures, downhill, in the 70s.
So, I have found the best thing to do is to switch the computer to temp and compass only, and fill up when I need fuel.
I must add that running on LPG is far easier on the wallet.
I do agree we all like to save money, but, we also like comfort, and our chosen hobby uses fuel, and there is nothing we can do to eliminate that. I do not concern myself too much about MPG, as I do not use the RV as much as my old CRV. I put way more fuel in the Honda than i ever do in the RV.
If a nice comfortable touring holiday costs X pounds, so what?
My daughter is a teacher (school holidays only), and finding a nice holiday in the sun is going to cost her, and her husband, and two children £4,000 for two weeks! And that is cattle class!
My RV is going to Spain this autumn, and will remain there for the foreseeable future, to enable us to all go on 'holiday' when we want to.
Cheap holidays are a thing of the past, whichever way we chose to travel.

Craig.
 

DuxDeluxe

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I gave up worrying about MPG a Long time ago - just a bit careful with the right foot and VERY careful not to let the engine labour at low revs (3 litres with DMF.........)

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