Looking for advice on efficiency

kiloalpha

I am going to drive everyday to work, one option is a 20 mile drive through traffic which will take me an hour and 10 mins could be upto an hour and 30 mins.
Second option is 35 miles via motorway in about 45 50 mins.
There is extra Mileage on one and too much traffic on other, so its a continuous stop and go.
Fuel efficiency and car wise what is better. I of course prefer 35 miles coz takes less time and quicker but for 15 to 20 minutes, I am also saving on 15 miles of drive.

Whats more efficient for car fuel wise and stress wise on engine.

Ebe_Scrooge

The motorway option is by far the best, based on your description. Gentle, steady motorway cruising is good for an engine, and for fuel economy. Town driving is bad. Fuel economy will plummet ( for a number of reasons, not least because - think of the number of times you're stationary, with the engine running, burning fuel but not going anywhere ).


Motorway cruising also puts an awful lot less stress on brakes, gearbox, clutch, suspension, steering, pretty much everything.


I think the motorway option is a no-brainer in your situation. If it was the choice between 20 miles of town or 50 miles of motorway, then it would be less clear-cut. But for you I'd be choosing the motorway.

kiloalpha

I did have a feeling for this, can you suggest a car that could give me better average, I am using a zafira 1.8 petrol manual, but i do get about 45 to 50mpg as I am a very conservative driver, I drive with a lot of caution. I was looking at the peugout 308's which claim to return 80 to 90 mpg.

AdrianC

Do you really value an hour and a half a day lower than a quid or three's worth of fuel?

kiloalpha

just to give you an idea i will drive about 400 miles a week that will be about 1200 miles a month and about 15k a year.

kiloalpha

Hi Adrian,

Money is very tight so trying to save every way possible, I sometimes dont take a bus and instead walk 3 miles and save 1 pound 50

Ebe_Scrooge

AdrianC wrote: »

Do you really value an hour and a half a day lower than a quid or three's worth of fuel?

Not sure what you're getting at there ? The OP said that the motorway option was faster ( despite being longer in distance ), and I reckon it would also be more fuel efficient ( obviously can't be sure without knowing full details ). But if that's the case then surely the motorway option is a win/win ?


I fully take your point about time being more valuable than a couple of quid's worth of fuel, can't argue with that. But if the motorway saves the OP both time and fuel then surely it's a no-brainer ?

AdrianC

Ebe_Scrooge wrote: »

Not sure what you're getting at there ? The OP said that the motorway option was faster ( despite being longer in distance ), and I reckon it would also be more fuel efficient ( obviously can't be sure without knowing full details ). But if that's the case then surely the motorway option is a win/win ?

I fully take your point about time being more valuable than a couple of quid's worth of fuel, can't argue with that. But if the motorway saves the OP both time and fuel then surely it's a no-brainer ?

Absolutely. But I'm suggesting the time difference is so large that it's not even worth trying to figure out the fuel.

AdrianC

kiloalpha wrote: »

Money is very tight so trying to save every way possible, I sometimes dont take a bus and instead walk 3 miles and save 1 pound 50

That does not sit well alongside obtaining a brand new car to save a few pence in fuel.

Ebe_Scrooge

kiloalpha wrote: »

I did have a feeling for this, can you suggest a car that could give me better average, I am using a zafira 1.8 petrol manual, but i do get about 45 to 50mpg as I am a very conservative driver, I drive with a lot of caution. I was looking at the peugout 308's which claim to return 80 to 90 mpg.

45 - 50 mpg ain't half bad, especially if that's what you're really getting. You'll not get anything like the advertised MPG on a new car, so I'd forget about expecting to get 80 MPG. Really, if your current car is mechanically sound, and returning a decent MPG, I'd advise against changing it. You'd have to be doing inter-stellar mileages to recoup the capital cost of buying a replacement car, even if it returned quite a reasonable increase in MPG.

Ebe_Scrooge

AdrianC wrote: »

Absolutely. But I'm suggesting the time difference is so large that it's not even worth trying to figure out the fuel.

Ah, I see - sorry, misunderstood you there. Couldn't agree more.