Death to "distance per tankful"

[Snowman]

Gee, I’m lucky to see 380 km.

[safristi]

...PER HOUR  !!!!!!!   

[random006]

I no longer fret about such things.  Life's too short.  I know I get approximately the following:

Summer
Highway only:    700 Kms per tank
Mixed driving:   450 Kms per tank


Winter
Highway only:    550 Kms per tank
Mixed driving:   380 Kms per tank


The only thing that will set my "worry" meter going is a low tank and being in the middle of nowhere, especially in winter.  I've seen a few gas stations close during bad snow storms.  That's why I simply pull into the nearest station when I get down to 1/2 or 1/4 tank as a rule.

[Shnak]

and that's with what, a 80L tank? 

[random006]

and that's with what, a 80L tank? 

Yep. 

Like I said, I don't fret about it because it is what it is.  However, efficiency will figure highly in my next car, when the time comes.

[UmroAyyar]

My and my wife get sort of panic stricken when the needle goes below the 1/4 mark.  Specially on the highway.

[sirAQUAMAN64]

I nearly always drive till it's bone dry before refueling. Along the highway stations are relatively easy to find, and I like seeing how far I'm going on my tank to guage how well my car is running, and well, just because I've gotten in the habit.

I still get between the 820-1,100 range normally depending on how cold it is and my amount of city driving.

I've rented, borrowed, and driven other vehicles and I don't know how some people can afford to drive what they do. And if they can afford it, why they'd want to. 100kms after refuelling, my guage hasn't begun to move yet, but on other vehicles I could be a 3/4 already. Crazy.

It's going to be rough and take some adjustment for me to go back to a gas vehicle, that's for sure.

[JohnM]

No sooner do I wish for a hybrid Fit than I see a news item on CNN.com saying one should be in North America in somewhat over a year.

The price premium will be about $2k.

Will place order Monday.

John M.

ps  now, if only Kim Basinger would blow a tire while driving by my house.  I'll stock up on higher class beer in anticipation.

[Brigitte]

if only Kim Basinger would blow a tire while driving by my house.  I'll stock up on higher class beer in anticipation.

Sounds like you're hoping she blows more than a tire.   

The whole gas mileage thing has always been a matter of perspective, and driving habits.  Before my office moved, I was doing about 7L/100 km on a tank, but I only lived 8 km from work (in stop and go traffic).  But, I only needed to fill up every 2.5 weeks or so.

Now, the new location is almost 20 km away, but I'm getting better gas mileage (some stop and go, but mostly 80-100 km/h cruising), so I'm filling up about every two weeks.   Not a huge difference to my wallet, really.

I always reset my trip odometer every time I fill up, just to get a good sense of how far I'm getting on a tank, and how well my car is running (just like SirAm).

[Benhaze]

Have anyone noticed you can go so many KMs before the fuel gauge drops below the Full mark? And it makes you feel pretty good, doesn't it? Well the car manufacturers know that and some do it intentionally just to make you feel that way about your car. You may also noticed your gauge drops quicker under 1/2 a tank...

Also since "America" ( ) -as they like to call themself- is so prone to sue for just about anything (...), the Big3 are usually very conservative so guys like snowman driving to Tombongtou ( ) doesn't get stranded, turn the low fuel light on way early and/or won't indicate how much fuel is supposed to be left in the tank. My wife used to drive an Alero and nowhere could you find any indication of how many liters of fuel were left when the indicator came on in the owner's manual... And that is also why I can drive about 30-40 Km after the low fuel light goes on in my Grand Cherokee if my better-half doesn't see it, that is... 

[ovr50]

I cannot recall ever having had a vehicle where didn't get a lot more kms on the top 1/2 of the tank than on the bottom 1/2. And I too always set my trip odo back to zero when I refill so I always have a good indication of just where I'm at tank-wise. 

[si]

Some good comments here.  I personally can see 300km to 700km per tank depending on how I drive and what I drive.

The only way to properly evaluate fuel consumption between a few vehicles is to fill all the cars up to the first 'click' at a gas station, drive a long loop (each car driving the same course at the same time, driven in a similar style using the same gas-crunching features like A/C), and all returning back to that exact gas station and seeing how much fuel it takes to the first click.  (as seen on DrivingTV)