The Hindu Business Line : Drive right to gain fuel mileage

I purchased a second-hand Maruti Esteem three weeks ago at Bangalore. The car has been well maintained, but the car's fuel efficiency seems to have come down. This is my first car and the initial round of fuel filling and usage seems to indicate that the car's fuel efficiency is about 10 kmpl. But the original owner claims that the car used to give a mileage of about 14 kmpl. Can this be true? Also, I spoke to Maruti's showroom personnel and they too claim that the car is capable of a mileage of 13-14 kmpl. Can you please advise me on how to get the extra three to four kms of mileage?

Arunkumar Soundararajan

Indian car buyers have always been conscious of fuel efficiency. With the sharp rise in the price of fuel, particularly petrol, the urge to get more from every litre has only increased among car owners.

The fuel efficiency of cars is affected by a number of factors and varies from one driver to another, even if all the other parameters remain the same. This is because each of us tends to develop a unique driving style that is either mileage friendly or otherwise.

However, there are a few points that all drivers can and should remember to get the best mileage from their cars.

One of the most important ways by which you can stretch that litre of fuel is by driving right. Driving right will include changing gears at the right speed, which may be different from one car to another.

The best source of information for this will be the owner's manual. You also need to adopt an alert, defensive driving style. Showing your aggression on the road is not only unsafe but it also reduces fuel efficiency.

Accelerate gradually and raise the pressure on the gas pedal slowly to ensure smooth pick up and to avoid fuel wastage. Flooring the gas pedal will lead to fuel wastage in the engine, even in the most sophisticated vehicles.

A non-aggressive driving style will also ensure that you don't have to brake often in congested city conditions.

If your car has an engine rpm meter or rev counter, try to keep a watch over the dial pointer to ensure that you are within the economy range.

Most cars are most fuel efficient when driven within the 30-50 kmph speed range. Trying to stay within that range and in the top two overdrive (4th and/or 5th) gear slots will be the best way to improve mileage. But, with heavy traffic in the city, maintaining a constant speed may only be possible on the highway.

Within the city, finer aspects, such as, foreseeing road conditions and avoiding excess weight can make a lot of difference in the long run.

If you know the regular route of travel, learn to avoid quick acceleration and sudden slowing down.

If you are approaching an intersection or signal, stop accelerating well ahead of the spot and let the car roll to a stop. Avoid carrying unnecessary baggage, such as old tyres and wheels, that add to the car's weight and bring down fuel efficiency.

Avoid idling for prolonged durations and, even more important, avoid running the air-conditioner when the car is idling.

Whenever possible, avoid using the air-conditioner and roll down the windows instead. Bangalore's balmy weather during most of the year should offer enough opportunities to avoid hitting the air-conditioner button.

Two maintenance issues that you will need to look into immediately to ensure better mileage are a regular check of tyre pressure and wheel alignment.

Wrong tyre pressure can lead to a loss of up to six per cent of the car's optimum mileage. You can find the manufacturer recommended tyre pressure reading on the front door panel or in the owner's manual.

Wheel alignment is an important maintenance issue that could affect the fuel efficiency in older cars. You have not mentioned the age of the car that you have bought.

Any car over two years needs to go through an annual wheel alignment check. Wrong wheel alignment can affect mileage by up to ten per cent.

The bottom line is, regular maintenance and an economy conscious driving style will help you get the best mileage from your car.

Within the city, mileage will almost always be lower than the same car's highway average. One final point to remember — showroom personnel seldom tell the truth about mileage.

Queries may be sent to: q&a@thehindu.co.in or by post to Q&A, Business Line, 859/860, Kasturi Buildings, Anna Salai, Chennai - 600 002.

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