MPG not as described

zotar

Hi all

I am new to all this- so hello!

After a really awful year, which included our first baby passing away- we thought we would treat ourselves to a car to chear us up. I have been after a small 4x4 for some time for various things I do and settled on a Suzuki Grand Vitara. It is a petrol model that was described as doing and average of 31 MPG and up to 37 MPG on a long steady run.

After two weeks of having it it has averaged 24 MPG and even only motorway driving at a steady 70MPH it only did 24 MPG.

This is nowhere near what it is meant to do- and I know it depends on the driving, but this was us trying to be as careful as possible.

Had I known it was this thirsty I woulod not have gone near it and bought a more frugal model. This is worse than a Range Rover!

I have contacted the dealer who is going to test it- but I have told them I don't want the car and am happy to swap it and purchase a more economical even it that means paying more.

Any idea what rights I have here- I think it is basically not as described.

Any help would be good to save another thing happening in a bad year!

motorguy

When you say 'not as described', described by who?

if they physically put it in writing that the car would average 31mpg then you would have a case perhaps. OR if it was written into the advert.

4x4's are notoriously sore on fuel. I'd an X5 diesel and it was taking fuel at the rate of £500 of diesel a month before i threw the towel in.

Rangies and big engined petrol 4x4s will average around 10-12 mpg if its any consolation.

Try to work something with the dealer to get a deal on another car i guess.

TVR2

My Mum's Subaru Outback will do 33mpg according to Subaru, but even with my Mum's dordling driving style it never betters 27mpg - annoying...

wealdroam

OP, which engine?

Manufacturer's mpg figures are only good for comparing one vehicle against another.
They are not a statement of what you can reasonably expect from any particular vehicle.

Gloomendoom

The problem is that the fuel consumption figures quoted are usually from government tests. They are not guaranteed by the manufacturer and don't necessarily reflect what you will get in real life.

vikingaero

24mpg isn't unknown for this type of car. On most manufacturers figures I recommend taking the combined mpg of 31 and deducting 10% for real world figure = 27.9mpg, which isn't a million miles away from 24mpg. The problems are: (1) It's a petrol, (2) 4x4 running gear to cart around, & (3) barn door aerodynamics and frontal area.

Can you give us more info? Is it the 2.4 petrol automatic? Is it new or 2ndhand? Does it have pimped out wide wheels? Serviced? Have you checked the tyre pressures? Are you running aggressive 4x4 Mud & Snow tyres?

forgotmyname

Long steady run downhill you will get 37mpg. Maximum mpg maybe 4th gear at 40mph. Not always
top gear.

Below a certain rev range you will actually be using the throttle more to compensate for too little power.

If that makes sense... eg..

If your travelling at 70mph and approach a steep hill the car starts to slow, It needs more power so you push
the throttle down further to compensate. It would be more fuel efficient to drop a gear and reduce speed slightly.

If you think it's bad now wait until winter really sets in, You may struggle to keep it above 20mpg.

Marv02

Yes, your right... 31MPG... When it was new. Lol. I guess the dealer just wrote down the details he found on the broacher or something. But there are many factors to look out for here:

1) Tire Pressure. - Check that ALL your tires are equally under the same load, as a matter of fact, read the side of each tire and it should tell you what pressure they are supposed to be at. Go to a petrol station and fill those bad-boys back up. (believe in me when I say that it makes a HUGE difference)

2) Car Load. - Start emptying out everything in the car that is not needed. And I mean everything... Then try again.

3) Service. - You're car needs to be regularly serviced... Don't buy into dealers lies that they have been, most dealers just swoop over the basics and claim its in tip top shape. Take it to a mechanic or quick fit to check for wear and tear.

4) Speed & Start/Stops. - You need to understand that these cars, when getting a MPG test done by the manufacturers, are done on a closed race track, with a professional driver. You said you do around 70MPH. I bet you any money if you drop down to 65MPH (the speed the highway MPG is conducted) you would see a noticeable increase in MPG. Another thing to consider is stop/starts. When manufacturers test the city MPG, they do it averaging 28MPH, but non-stop, around a race track. So if you stop/start a handful of times per journey... This will definitely effect your end results.

Lets take for example my 1999 MK4 Golf Diesel. (110BHP remapped > 140BHP) this car should supposedly do 41.5MPG in the city, and 65MPG on the motorway. Now, this may be true, but not for London's standard its not. In the city, I do around 35MPG and on the motorway I do around 55-60MPG, this is due to the stop starts in the city, and the fact that I can't resist going over 65MPH.

Give the above some thought, if you still want to trade it in, then let the dealer know. But he may point out some of the things above, and they could pinch a few hundred quid out of you for this "test."

Hope this helps.

Gloomendoom

Marv02 wrote: »

4) Speed & Start/Stops. - You need to understand that these cars, when getting a MPG test done by the manufacturers, are done on a closed race track, with a professional driver. You said you do around 70MPH. I bet you any money if you drop down to 65MPH (the speed the highway MPG is conducted) you would see a noticeable increase in MPG. Another thing to consider is stop/starts. When manufacturers test the city MPG, they do it averaging 28MPH, but non-stop, around a race track. So if you stop/start a handful of times per journey... This will definitely effect your end results.

The tests are all done in accordance with European Testing Directive 93/116/ec. They go nowhere near a test track as the tests are all done indoors on a rolling road. A correction factor is applied to allow for differences in aerodynamic drag.

Norman_Castle

1) Tire Pressure. - Check that ALL your tires are equally under the same load, as a matter of fact, read the side of each tire and it should tell you what pressure they are supposed to be at. Go to a petrol station and fill those bad-boys back up. (believe in me when I say that it makes a HUGE difference)

The same tyres on different vehicles will need different pressures. Read the owners handbook to find the correct pressures.

3) Service. - You're car needs to be regularly serviced... Don't buy into dealers lies that they have been, most dealers just swoop over the basics and claim its in tip top shape. Take it to a mechanic or quick fit to check for wear and tear.

If you feel your car needs servicing please read this, http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/watchdog/2010/09/kwik_fit.html
before considering Kwik Fit.

funkycoldribena

This is why the vast majority of 4x4s on the road are diesels.
The days of 4x4 petrol models are over.