Hi all,
I know the last thing that people buy Range Rovers for is to save gas, and trust me, I didn't buy this thing to be frugal. However, I was going on a 1k + road trip with my wife and wanted to see just how "efficient" the beast was. It is a diesel after all, and diesels save fuel right?
Probably not your idea of a fuel saver though...
Car:
2009 Range Rover Sport (smaller "fake" Rover on a D3 chassis)
3.0 liter twin turbo V6 211 hp, 380 lb/ft torque.
Curb Weight: 5600 lbs (over 6,100 after me, my wife and our gear)
Misc:
20" Stormer rims with Nexen Roadian HPs (nearly brand new)
"Flashed" BCM (ride height manually adjustable)
97,000 km (60,000 miles approx.)
My current lifetime average is 18.2 mpg US (highly congested city driving, heavy A/C usage).
Anyway,
Here's the breakdown of the trip. Usually I adjust the ride height for that little extra something while I'm in the mountains for the maximum ground clearance when I really need it (hence the adjustable ride height). However, this time around I figured I could drop the suspension to pretty much the bottom (since I was on the freeway) and cut down the frontal area considerably. Better mpg
Instant Hypermiling Time!!
Aero "mods"
I dropped it until it was about 1.5 inch above the bump stops (not recommended, but fun and it feels very "sporty". lol
Masking tape over the gaps and half of the radiator grille (watched coolants temps closely, was okay).
Retracted mirrors.
Misc "mods"
Makeshift vacuum gauge (laptop interfacing with ECM).
Aired up the tyres to 50 psi (max is 54)
The trip was uneventful, so I wont describe how it went. Here's the results of how I did though.
***According to the "scangauge" for various speeds. All readings are readings taken at a constant cruise.***
My interface reads in Mpg UK FYI, and the speedometer reads in kph. As far as the history has gone, the readout MPG is accurate to within 1.5-2%. All speeds were taken in 6th gear except the 52 kph number.
100 kph (62 mph) = 39.87 mpg (UK) or 33.2 mpg (US)
90 kph (55.9 mph) = 40.47 mpg (UK) or 33.7 mpg (US)
80 kph (49.7 mph) = 43 mpg (UK) or 35.8 mpg (US)
70 kph (43.7 mph) = 45.4 mpg (UK) or 37.8 mpg (US)
Best reading: 52 kph (34.8 mph) = 49.6 mph (UK) or 41.3 mpg (US). Note: I had to pin it down in 5th gear to get it to stay at around 1,100 rpm to get this number.
Actual trip results
First fillup (mostly freeway, only two stops) = 39.8 mpg (UK) or 33.1 mpg (US)
Second fillup (70%? freeway, and riding the trails and having "fun" as well) = 29.4 mpg (UK) or 24.14 mpg (US).
Total mpg over the entire trip
33.3 mpg (UK), 27.7 mpg (US)
I'm pleased, especially considering it's a 3 ton dual chassis lump of SUV capable of climbing anything I throw at it. I'm also very please because my petrol US Rangie is averaging on the low side of 12 mpg overall, dipping into single digits for city commutes.
Just FYI for anyone interested.
*Misc shots of the dirty Rangie. The way I think they should be.
*
The S320 is my brother's, also a TD.