[phamilyman]

In April, I brought home my Ford Aspire. While I missed the mad diesel torque of my 2008 Swift VDi, and felt happy at the potentially lower pollution, the FE was shockingly low. Mind you, I've always been a spirited driver. While I don't speed beyond 90-100, I was very quick to get there, even in my VDi. The net result was a mileage of 13-14 kpl in Chennai and 17 kpl in Gurgaon.

One key equipment in the Aspire was the Real Time Fuel Economy (RTFE) indicator.

See bottom part of this image from the official review:


Hard acceleration at low speeds showed me an instantaneous FE of as low as 2.2 kpl. First few tankfuls barely gave me 10-10.2 kpl. I had resigned myself to a low FE regime till I took the first long drive in the car.

On a drive to the hills, I started late morning, so I was driving fairly sedately - think 85 kph for 200km because of speed traps at regular intervals. My mileage for that section was so good (~20 kpl) that the environmentalist inside me completely changed my driving style.

Even now, I regularly maintain a constant speed wherever possible and avoid hard acceleration that was my hallmark in the VDi. The net result? Excellent mileage and a 15-20% lower carbon footprint.

A recent trip to Jaipur (complete with hill driving in Jaipur and crawling within the city) returned an impressive 17.85 kpl. My city mileage has also improved to 11.5 - 12+ at all times.


I chalk this up purely to the RTFE. I struggled with low mileage on my CBR as well (often 32-36 kpl on highway runs at 90-100 kph speeds) but only after getting the RTFE and realizing the impact of the slightest acceleration, have I been able to become a more conscious driver.

What about you all? Has the RTFE in the current generation cars changed your driving style?

PS: The app I use is Fuelio. BRILLIANT. Highly recommended. Multi vehicle capable. Syncs to dropbox.

[Thebat]

Wonderful post phamilyman. I drive a 2015 polo tdi highline which also has a real time indicator showing fuel consumption and yes, I have changed my driving style drastically after I started noticing it. But there is a catch, sometimes we can become so obsessed in gaining as much mileage as we can from every last drop of fuel that we might be more attentive on the MID rather than the road.

[ghodlur]

Originally Posted by phamilyman

What about you all? Has the RTFE in the current generation cars changed your driving style?

In my case it was the other way around. My driving habits ensured that I get a real good FE. I have always been a sober driver generally do not exceed 65 kmph in city conditions and 90 kmph on highways. One thing I am very particular about is sudden braking unless its emergency. I start to slow down the speeds from a distance rather than wait till the end to hit the brakes. This driving style has ensured that the DTE reading after refuel always reads above 900. I have also seen the DTE hit 1200 during the drive instantaneously some times.

BTW I drive a diesel car and below is the best mileage achieved till date in city driving conditions.

[blackwasp]

Originally Posted by phamilyman

What about you all? Has the RTFE in the current generation cars changed your driving style?

Yes. Totally. Mileage has been something that I'm very sensitive as I drive a turbo petrol. And just getting that 2 kmpl more than the usual means that I can go a bit more further at the same cost.

Money is always tight - especially when want to purchase something that you end up burning. To maximize the drive distance, I resort to sticking to 2,250 rpm (This will vary by car). I didn't mention speed here as even on ghat roads in 4th gear, the car gives good FE. Good FE doesn't necessarily mean going slow.

Speeding - constant accelerating and braking leads to a lot of fuel wasted and stress. There's absolutely nothing to be gained in city driving. On the highways, speeding (= less FE) doesn't lead to much time savings as well

Here is an article I came across that shows time gains by speeding (= less FE) - not much IMHO.

Originally Posted by johannskaria

With four people and their luggage, the speedometer readings were unbelievable. And even after driving our hearts out we managed to get 14+ kmpl for the whole trip.

This is what displaying RTFE does.

PS: The app I use is Fuelio. BRILLIANT. Highly recommended. Multi vehicle capable. Syncs to dropbox.

I used a couple of apps, but with frequent refueling, I've stopped keeping a record. Seeing the amount spent on fuel so far - its about 1/4th the value of the car - makes me think hard if I should take the car out or not the next time.

Originally Posted by ghodlur

I start to slow down the speeds from a distance rather than wait till the end to hit the brakes. This driving style has ensured that the DTE reading after refuel always reads above 900.

+1. Braking not only improves your FE, but also gives a smoother ride to the passengers. Further, your brake pads last long.

[arun_josie]

Linea displays Real Time Fuel Economy (RTFE) too, but I have never bothered to study on what number it displays during the drives. I have seen it going up to 50Kmpl in slopes when no input given to the accelerator.

Slightest acceleration in any car should give a better Fuel Efficiency. Off late I hear that engaging Cruise Control in top gear gives better Fuel Efficiency too.

And for me, driving for fuel efficiency on highways becomes very boring. So, I keep varying the speeds to keep myself interested

Coming to your question, RTFE has not changed my driving style.

[dre@ms]

Till now have checked my mileage only through RTFE. I get higher mileage when the Economy mode lights up, even when cruising at 100. In some cases when it doesnt light up, accelerate down and then up to match the correct RPM and he lights up.

Best mileage till date was 18.5

[benzinblut]

Nice thread. Voted for "I don't care".

Swift Vdi 2014 (with Race-Chip) was the first car I owned which showed FE figures. Must admit, the FE figures made me a bit conscious. But I noticed that it made a small difference to my monthly fuel bills. In return the big grin on pushing it gave me a big grin on my face every time. Stuck to my driving style and I am a happy man when I drive.

I got myself a sparingly used pre-worshipped S-Cross 1.6 alpha a few months ago. Do I need to say any more?

EDIT: Before the Swift I used to drive a pre-worshipped Optra 2.0 diesel.

But I do maintain the FE figures religiously. What an Irony.

[GTO]

Voted for NO.

I've never been one to care about fuel economy, no matter which car I drive. Thus, I don't even have the FE screen selected / displayed when I'm driving. The rare times that I've checked the FE numbers have only been to post on Team-BHP so that it helps others.

[Rajeevraj]

Voted for No. My usage is not very high and squeezing out a couple of kmpl more would not make any significant difference. When the car was new, I did keep a watch on the average indicator to ensure there was nothing abnormal. But don't recall ever looking at the real time indicator.

And also in general I am a sedate driver anyway. So one more reason to not bother to keep track

[clevermax]

Voted Yes.

I don't keep an eye on the real-time FE, but the overall FE of the trip. Became a more sedate driver over the years and one of the reasons is the FE indicator.

This mostly applies when I drive my own car. I don't worry about FE when driving someone else's car.

[SmartCat]

Looking at the real-time and instantaneous FE indicator number gives you an idea about what effects fuel efficiency of a car (Eg: how you accelerate) on a highway drive. It was very interesting to watch the numbers change for the first 3 months. But then you realize that, on a typical long weekend holiday trip, you spend -

- Rs. 4,000 on fuel with normal driving & Rs. 3,600 on fuel with FE conscious driving
- Rs. 10,000 on hotel booking
- Rs. 3,000 on tolls, tips, food & beverages

Then it strikes you that how you drive (to get maximum FE & save Rs. 400) really doesn't matter in the overall scheme of things.

[ashis89]

I voted No.

The fact is RTFE does impact my driving and sometimes I have been motivated to reach some magic figure. I voted No because it makes my drive boring. I simply switch off the display and enjoy my drive.

My car doesn't have a RTFE display but I get to experience that in a Baleno which I drive frequently, in city and on long highway drives.

My driving has given me good FE. I say this because I can't see a significant change in trip FE (~1 kmpl) when I switch off the RTFE and start enjoying the free revving engine.The minor drop in FE is a small price to pay for my happiness.

My normal usage is 1.5-2 tankfuls of petrol every month and I check the FE on every tankful. But it doesn't motivate me to improve that figure for the next fill.

Originally Posted by smartcat

Then it strikes you that how you drive (to get maximum FE & save Rs. 400) really doesn't matter in the overall scheme of things.

Exactly my observation. It has been 10% or lesser in terms of additional expenses, be it city or long highway drives. And I have noticed this over the years, across cars and bikes. So I chose to forgo this gain, assuming it to be part of "Trip cost" or "monthly fuel expense".

[shajufx]

Voted for No. Being with the 7th car in 14 years and the 1st Diesel in life, I really dont know what to look for ! I notice these figures when I do full tank (always) and religiously enter the numbers into my fuel app. A full tank shows me 750 kms to empty but I never got more than 13 kmpl till date although company claims 20+, could be in the German country sides I never look at these numbers while on the move, always love to hear the engine roar, always on SPORTS mode and always with an addiction to move ahead of a slow moving engine.

Because
1. I drive only on weekends
2. no work related drives
3. no peak time rushing attempts
4. a full tank lasts me 45 days
5. I put all of it as company expenses

[Eddy]

I find RTFE to be a distraction while driving. Anyway, I know that I am a sedate driver so I check FE only at the time of a refill when I reset it to zero.

[ghodlur]

Originally Posted by smartcat

Then it strikes you that how you drive (to get maximum FE & save Rs. 400) really doesn't matter in the overall scheme of things.

Respect your opinion but you are looking at the short term gain. The more you drive FE conscious, the more your savings would be as an habit I mean to say. I am of the opinion that any small amount you save will make more inspired for the next drive. I generally tend to gift my son or wife a small present with the amount I save on fuel, that for me makes my drive worth. Plus family is assured that the drive is a lot more safer when I have put on the fuel saving hat because speeds will be within limits and control, there will be no edge of the seat moments.

I am given to understand that the Real Time Fuel Economy rate is calculated based on the last 500 kms driving pattern.