Economy driving: Peugeot 308
July 4, 2008 by Karl Peskett
The tank was filled to the brim, so that an accurate reading could be taken. Zeroing the trip-meter gave us a starting point for calculations.
We then set off, resisting the urge to drive like a normal motoring journalist would. Damn, it’s hard….
The trick to driving economically is consistency. If you’re smooth, you’re going to be much better off than having a constantly flexing right ankle.
So you need to look ahead to ascertain what the traffic is doing, in which case you can preselect gears, and judge your braking. The more you can keep on the roll, the better off you’re going to be.
The 308’s chassis also helps here, as it will corner without scrubbing off too much speed. There’s little understeer evident, which means the back will follow the front without resistance.
Sharp turns can be negotiated without losing momentum – this helps on the consistent speed front.
Not rocket science but knowledge that is sadly lacking in many drivers. The key is that it takes a lot of energy to get the car to increase speed – especially from 0km/h.
The number of people I see stopped at a red light, move forward a bit, stop, forward a bit more, stop… or fly up to a light that has just changed green, only to stop behind cars that haven’t moved yet, it’s just not that hard to see what is happening ahead.
Very hard for me because I like flexing my right ankle. Lol
But it’s very true. Most driver only see 5m ahead of them while they are driving. That’s why it takes them little concentration and they think that driving is easy.
All motorist should ride a bike for 1 year before they are allowed on the road, just to make them realise how much concentration you need to drive a car (although not as much as a bike).
Milar I think you have nailed it.
Most drivers are in a flurry from green light to the next red. I usually get uncomfortable when someone else is driving me. They often brake late at lights, sometimes only for them to turn green seconds later! We seem to want to remove any space between ourselves and the car in front so no one will try to push in. The go-go-go mentality actually causes more stress, uses more fuel and doesn’t reduce much time from the trip.
Another great article CA, keep the driver education coming! The ignorance on our roads is overwhelming and the government obviously doesn’t care about it. Their idea of driver education is a stick: points and fine!
How about an article about merging? Wouldn’t life be easier if everyone knew how to merge……. Indicators anyone? They are “confimicators” in Queensland, if used at all. What about people indicating right when entering a roundabout, only to go straight!?!?
I was caught behind one of these drivers yesterday. The a$$hole stopped 4 car lengths behind the car in front of him, and wouldn’t move forward even though he could see he was blocking me from turning left up a side street.
I should have nudged the moron with the Jackaroo, but I don’t do stuff like that :)
So, guys, live in the real world and don’t take the crawling up to the lights too far, please.
Perhaps he was thinking “who is this moron in a jackaroo”? Many drivers become indignant around 4wds, they assume the worst.
Of course a little reason and courtesy goes a long way. If someone is aggressive then I’m not going to go out of my way for them, but more often than not I’ll try to make peoples lives easier. From my experience there are some real cowboy 4×4ers who think that bigger gives them right of way. This ain’t Dallas Texas! Of course you would be Reckless1 by name and not nature right?
Great article as usual guys. I did think that there are a lot more tips that you could give though. Are these going to be brought up in future articles? I hope so as this sort of stuff could really help people with fuel consumption, as well as being better drivers in general.
I’ve just refilled the Golf after 910 kilometres, which gives me 5.9l/100, which includes lots of turbo tickling.
One thing I do in my suburban driving is engage the cruise control. Many of my friends do the same, more wouldn’t even think of it or be bothered, and a handful who still live with the eighties belief that you only use it in the country tell me how mad I am because it might get stuck and I’ll Crash The Car.
Not only does it help maximise fuel economy with its computer controlled inputs, it keeps me legal and it keeps me sane whilst the flashing brake lights and frantic lane swapping viewed through my windscreen provide ample evidence of other drivers jockeying for positions not able to be ultimately gained.
Ya just gotta luv guys like Cameron, who know it all.
Keep your 4wd hating to yourself, bud.
“4wd hating”?
Actually, I really like 4wds, they can be heaps of fun and are fantastic for camping. I just don’t like them in suburbia where they take up more road space, do more damage to the roads and sometimes have agressive “bully” drivers (which I know come in all types of cars).
There have been studies that have proven it is cheaper to have an ordinary car and hire a 4×4 for 2 weeks in the year. Makes sense to me – exactly what I’ll be doing for Fraser Island next holidays.
For the record, I certainly don’t know it all! There are certainly lots of good drivers behind the wheels of 4×4s. Its just my opinion that I’d rather not have them in the cities.
If you find yourself impatient in traffic, it sometimes pays to question why you are feeling that way. I sometimes get impatient because I allow myself to run late, which has a good easy fix!
On a lighter note: “everybody driving slower than me are stupid and should get off the road, everybody driving faster than me is a maniac!”
Cruise may be more economical in a diesel due to the greater torque at lower RPM but I have found in all petrol cars so equipped that I have owned that the cruise is often all or nothing especially in hilly terrain i.e the cruise floors the accelerator once u are climbing a hill to maintain the set speed. In manual mode driver anticipates the increase in gradient ahead building speed to maintain momentum and allowing the vehicle to travel slower than the set speed if economy is the goal. I limit cruise use to the flat.
Agree Cameron the world need less tailgating.
I reckon tailgating would have to be one of the main accident contributors.
Another helpful fuel-saving tip is anticipating the road ahead. If you see a green light in the process of turning red, ease off on the accelerator and gently brake to a standstill. Shifting to neutral and letting the car roll may yield better economy, but generally not recommended for safety concerns as the engine is not able to assist in stopping the car.
In manual cars, shift gears quickly, but not to the extent that the engine will struggle to carry speed by starving it from the necessary revs. A lot of drivers tend to shift right away and mash the throttle at the higher gears thinking they can save more fuel. Engine wear is increased here, thus more stuff to pay for. Simply allow the motor to be comfortable.
There’s also a problem with most motorists when red lights turn green. They tend to accelerate rapidly to the maximum speed. A gradual build of speed will certainly help maximise fuel.
In the real world, we can never achieve the best economy possible, but we can certainly make the most of our tank with respect to our respective motoring environments by driving proactively, that is, knowing what lies ahead, knowing our cars well, and looking after our own well-being and that of others.
I got to thinking today (yes it does happen occasionally) just about everybody complains about the cost of fuel, yet on my trip home tonight in peak hour traffic, its amazing to see how hard people drive when they can, only to jam the brakes on 30M when they catch up to the traffic. Many drivers are phobic that someone will pull in front of them so they stab at the accelerator to keep the gap closed.
This observation, which we are all familiar with led me to run a little experiment. I accelerated at a solid but not fast rate, the traffic seemed to surge away from me. Only 4 people in a trip of roughly 20KM jumped in front of me. I watched them to discover they were not to stay there long. The same drivers were all zipping between lanes as soon as it seemed they found a way forward. Of these drivers I recognised one about 5 k further up the road. I then slowly rolled past him only to see him changing lanes again.
I’m sure if everyone took the slower approach they we’d all dramatically reduce fuel consumption AND travel time.
Next time you are in peak traffic, give it a go!
I read that the new 308 will have a BioFlux engine too that is going to run on ethanol. It’s a good thing that Peugeot is thinking also to a eco engine like this.
@Realcars: I thought distractions and driver fatigue were the leading causes of car accidents, then drunk driving and speeding… can’t remember seeing tailgating anywhere on the scale.
@Ivan: interesting idea about the bikes, suspend all of the country’s driver’s lisences until they complete 1 year of bike riding.