Why, after all this time am I still disapointed when I find the truth about MPG ? (1 Viewer)

Jaws

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Sep 26, 2008
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I really must be some sort of idiot..
Time and again I am told one thing by a dealer only to find the truth is not even close..

And WHY do dealers tell such lies ( latest one from the people I bought this new van from.. Oh yes, its a great van. We actually used it a couple of weeks ago to take the family to Cornwall ...... Well mate, you did it without any water on board, a duff electrical system and two VERY bald front tyres ! )

Every person I have spoken to re the Chieftain said I should see about 24 to 25 MPG..

After checking it fairly exactly ( fill up to brim, do 200 miles then refill to brim ) I find the average is 20.45 MPG ( in all honesty about what I was actually expecting ! )

Will try bringing the speed down to 52 MPH and see what I get at that ( previous test I had the cruise control set to 58MPH which, once again according to Autotrail dealers, SHOULD be the optimum speed for economy with the 6 speed box. )
 
Aug 27, 2009
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I really must be some sort of idiot..
Time and again I am told one thing by a dealer only to find the truth is not even close..

And WHY do dealers tell such lies ( latest one from the people I bought this new van from.. Oh yes, its a great van. We actually used it a couple of weeks ago to take the family to Cornwall ...... Well mate, you did it without any water on board, a duff electrical system and two VERY bald front tyres ! )

Every person I have spoken to re the Chieftain said I should see about 24 to 25 MPG..

After checking it fairly exactly ( fill up to brim, do 200 miles then refill to brim ) I find the average is 20.45 MPG ( in all honesty about what I was actually expecting ! )

Will try bringing the speed down to 52 MPH and see what I get at that ( previous test I had the cruise control set to 58MPH which, once again according to Autotrail dealers, SHOULD be the optimum speed for economy with the 6 speed box. )
Contrary to common belief, cruise control is not the most economical way to drive. Even more so in head winds and in hilly areas.
 

DBK

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Given the size and weight of your MH I would have thought the MPG you are getting is about right. You might get a bit more if you don't use the cruise control and go up hills a bit slower but not much.

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Tootles

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Very much like the add's for 12 volt fridges. ' This refrigerator only draws four amps per hour at 12 volts'. Yes, if left with the door open on the Lyell Glacier in midwinter. In your MH, (depending on the ambient temperature), it's probably in the region of 6 to 8 amps. :Sad:
 

scotjimland

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Every person I have spoken to re the Chieftain said I should see about 24 to 25 MPG..

Hmm.. no idea why, but some people lie about MPG.. it's fairly common for people to exaggerate or massage the true MPG figure.. not just motorhomes also cars.

for example. you see claims of + 20 mpg equivalent for LPG conversions on RVs .. that you know do less than 10mpg on petrol..
the figure is massaged.. LPG is not half the price of petrol and it's only 80% as efficient.. the true figure is probably closer to 15mpg equivalent to petrol.
Just my opinion, but I think people lie to justify an expense that they will probably never see a return on.. they don't want to appear to have made a bad choice..

Same with large motorhome owners who claim high 20s mpg.. Admitting you only get 17 - 19mpg may sound to others that they made a poor choice..

Back to your van.. as said.. cruise control is not an economical way to drive.. I reckon 20 is about right for driving at that speed with cruise engaged. .. you may get a bit more by slowing down a tad and not using cruise control in hilly roads and or windy weather.. but not a lot more.
 
Mar 29, 2011
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I always think its a amusing when someone spends 60-80k on a motorhome and then travels at 50mph on the motorhome and the only reason can be is to maximise the MPG and save a few coppers on fuel :ROFLMAO:

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Mags52

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Jun 2, 2010
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I always think its a amusing when someone spends 60-80k on a motorhome and then travels at 50mph on the motorhome and the only reason can be is to maximise the MPG and save a few coppers on fuel :ROFLMAO:

Except it's not coppers and the less you spend on diesel the more you can spend on wine. :Smile:
 

electricscott

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chill-out john life is too short, as you get older this experience will tell you to at least check the tyres on the vehicle you about to purchase :Doh:
 

Wildman

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I always think its a amusing when someone spends 60-80k on a motorhome and then travels at 50mph on the motorhome and the only reason can be is to maximise the MPG and save a few coppers on fuel :ROFLMAO:
This is the attitude of someone with money, it is forever cropping up. Having spent all of their hard earned cash on their motorhome of choice a LOT of people are left with nowt to put in the tank, don't judge everyone by the depth of your own pockets. At 17mpg my last motorhome a 508d coachbuilt was too expencive for me to run. Our current van also a Merc is now doing 24-25mpg measured over journeys of 2500 miles tank filled to tank filled. It makes a difference. An "A Class" is like a brick and the optimum speed is 55mph. When on holiday, the journey is the holiday so why rush it.:thumb::thumb:

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Last edited:
Mar 3, 2013
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My husband...........guilty :ROFLMAO:

(Although we didn't spend quite that much on a van)




QUOTE=Merc0385;1023084]I always think its a amusing when someone spends 60-80k on a motorhome and then travels at 50mph on the motorhome and the only reason can be is to maximise the MPG and save a few coppers on fuel :ROFLMAO:[/QUOTE]
 

DBK

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At the risk of taking the thread off subject (never happens here) I agree a true 55mph is a good economical speed but the problem on motorways etc is it is about the same as the trucks are doing so you can end up with trucks inching past you all the time.

I prefer something a little faster than the trucks.
 

cruiser

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when I brought mine 24 years ago they told me it would do 25 to the gallon.when it was run in.but a Talbot salesman in france said only when run in.and has it has not done 100.00 miles it still has been run in.so I only get 20 mph.still only got 24.000 miles to go.:RollEyes:

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Bailey58

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Well I've compared our mileage on the trip computer and against the fill ups since new and we're definitely getting 50 mpg. Admittedly I'm steady on the throttle and stick to motorways where we can and even then only do about 55mph. I reckon I'd get 55 mpg without the dome. Great vans these Baileys. :Smile:
 

Forestboy

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Never ceases to amaze me either the number of people with 3 litre engines or tag axles claiming to get 30 mpg. :ROFLMAO:

Well I don't and never have the best mines ever done is just under 25 and that's driving steady my normal driving style drops it down to 22/23 but it is a bit smaller than yours. When I had the WOW remap it was down another 2 or 3 :cry: probably the biggest myth of all "go faster more power & more mpg" :ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO:

Recently bought Jan a new Skoda Fabia same salesman bullshit "oh it'll do 60 mpg" yeah right if you drive it 30 mph everywhere it might do 50 mpg otherwise its under 40 mpg. It's still a cheap little car to run but does nowhere near the sales pitch claims, yet there'll be people out there who'll swear it does, otherwise they'd have to admit they were wrong :Eeek:
 
Mar 29, 2011
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At the risk of taking the thread off subject (never happens here) I agree a true 55mph is a good economical speed but the problem on motorways etc is it is about the same as the trucks are doing so you can end up with trucks inching past you all the time.

I prefer something a little faster than the trucks.

I usually do 60-64mph so that I can avoid the trucks and I see newish motorhomes surrounded by trucks on the motorway crawling at 50-55mph and I just could not do it to save a relatively small amount of money, most of these are just away a reasonable distance for the weekend so the saving would be minimal. still everyone has there choice::bigsmile: and yes I am driving a brick at 20-22mpg and I have to avoid cruise up hills in a strong headwind otherwise its down to 18mpg

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DBK

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Well I've compared our mileage on the trip computer and against the fill ups since new and we're definitely getting 50 mpg. Admittedly I'm steady on the throttle and stick to motorways where we can and even then only do about 55mph. I reckon I'd get 55 mpg without the dome. Great vans these Baileys. :Smile:

50/55 mpg? Might be worth checking your sums with something like this: http://www.mpg-calculator.co.uk/
 

OllieUK

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I only drive my motorhome on flat roads when there is no wind.. I'm getting 70 - 75mpg it gets better if I roll downhill maybe 80mpg.. :ROFLMAO:
 
Sep 3, 2013
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I noted Udo's fuel consumption when we drove him back from Germany last year as 19mpg.

I've taken a few readings since then and it wasn't much different.

My driving style has relaxed a bit since, though. I've realised that pushing these old Mercedes diesel engines isn't really good form, so I've slowed and relaxed far more.

Having a regularly used Webasto eats a little into the fuel usage and disturbs the economy figures somewhat, but I just don't care now.

It is what it is. I know he's in good health and I've stopped driving him too hard. By virtue of his age and low power, I don't have much choice than to try to keep up with the modern truck. I don't always manage, though. Udo slows down a lot on hills and that's just the way it is. I could press harder, but often I don't feel like it. Good old Udo. He's a plodder.

I've made diesel engines go fast before and have no inclination to do the same with Udo. He's big and heavy. Fact. He won't go quickly or sip fuel. Fact. But his trump card is momentum. Get some of that and he rolls along nicely. Rather satisfying.

But I bought him for a good price and he's not depreciating, so that's OK. Nothing (hopefully) lost there.

My regular everyday car has nearly 500bhp. That satisfies my power / speed / acceleration / waft fixations admirably.

Udo's the antithesis of that and a rather welcome one, too.

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Sep 3, 2013
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Sadly, no. A modified 4.2 Supercharged Range Rover.

I also own a 5.5 E55 Estate, though. Less power but much quicker.
 
Mar 29, 2011
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Thanks for that, very useful and I was wrong. It shows me 52.33 mpg on there.
:thumb:

Is this dream world or wat, you really get more than my Kangoo estate and the fiesta I had before that, you must have a fault with your milometer,
 

pappajohn

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Thanks for that, very useful and I was wrong. It shows me 52.33 mpg on there.
:thumb:

whats the year, base make/model and engine size/designation ?

Official government consumption figures lie.....but they are always optimistic and cant be realised on the road.

So....if the official figures say 52mpg then so be it....but i doubt it

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Nov 11, 2013
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The biggest liars about fuel consumption are Volkswagen. I was pestered for ages a few months back by the local dealer to change my VW Golf GTD for the latest model, which he assured me was far more fuel efficient and sent me brochures from VW confirming that I would see 70mpg plus on a long run. I doubted these figures but the latest Golf (Mk 7 I believe) seemed like a very nice car so I bought one. What a pack of lies! No matter how we drive it it returns much worse mpg figures than our previous Mk6 Golf, and a quick scan of the Golf forums confirms that VW have lied through their teeth about the economy! It also doesn't have several of the specified bits and bobs it should have because VW couldn't get the parts (!), but we just cant be bothered arguing with anyone any more (it took them 6 weeks to provide a 2nd key as they lost ours before delivery), but fortunately it is really a very nice car.
 

chrisgreen

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Well I've compared our mileage on the trip computer and against the fill ups since new and we're definitely getting 50 mpg. Admittedly I'm steady on the throttle and stick to motorways where we can and even then only do about 55mph. I reckon I'd get 55 mpg without the dome. Great vans these Baileys. :Smile:
55 MPG?:ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO:
 
Jun 30, 2010
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OH Dear, Silly me:Doh:

I thought this thread was about the stuff they put on chinese nosh to make it tasty:Doh:

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Jul 24, 2009
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As with all vehicles, quoted MPG figures are achieved on a rolling road where there is no wind resistance present. When out on the open road a motorhome has all the aerodynamic qualities of a very large barn door. Our Frankia does about 23MPG solo and 18 with the trailer. I drive according to the time available not the petrol consumption.

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