Fuel economy on Renault Scenic 1.6RXE automatic (2001) - info required please!

LCFC_Foxile

Hi fellow Moneysavers,

I've been reading with interest the tips posted here about about better/safer driving, & whilst I've been following these for the past 6 months or so, I'm still finding that fuel economy is still around the 34 mpg-mark (according to my dashboard display).

My outgoing journey is around 17 miles in the morning usually between 8am & 9am between Datchet & Barnes Bridge, mainly along the M4, until the Hogarth Roundabout.

My return journey is around 16 miles, as I use the 'short-cut' which runs alongside the Thames (Hartington Road to Strand-On-The-Green), & then along Lionel Road (by Kew Bridge station). This journey is usually significantly quicker too, since it goes along an unobvious route, & also I manage to miss heavy traffic most of the time.

(I've tried coming off J1 on my way into work in the morning , & it's a nightmare, purely because of the traffic that you encounter then at the Chiswick Roundabout).

Anyway - my question is, does the mpg sound right? My outgoing journey rarely hits 50-60 mph along the M4, & on many occasions, is down to crawling/total stand-still, as anyone that has travelled along there at that time will testify.

Obviously, when I'm in London, it rarely goes above 25-30 mph (if I'm lucky!).

On my return journey, I'm able to hit 60 mph for pretty much the whole of the motorway-section of the journey. If i were a betting man, I would say I get better fuel economy on my return journey, than my outgoing journey.

I had a fair bit of work done on the car at the back-end of last year (cam-belt replaced etc), so I was hoping with that, & better driving, my mpg would get better.

Any tips welcome!

Cheers,

Mistryman

PS. In an ideal world, I would be using SWTrains day-in, day-out to go to work. However financially, trains work out twice as expensive annually as driving, so at this moment in time, it's not an option I'm afraid!

custardy

whats the book figures on mpg?

LCFC_Foxile

Hi custardy,

Nothing in the book with that info (just tips on how to drive economically).

However, this review seems to suggest 34 mpg is as good as it gets (see the paragraph that begins : "The fuel economy is very good for a car of this size..." :

http://www.dooyoo.co.uk/cars/renault-scenic-in-general/404150/

So it looks like I'm doing as well as I should be.

Have any other owners of the same car managed to do better? Is it possible to do better on the journeys that I mainly undertake?

Cheers...

Alias_Omega

Its a big heavy car, and a petrol one.

It does what it does im afraid, and with the ever increasing costs for fuel, its going to get worse.

If you want high mpg, then buy a diesel.

BenL

I'd say that is very good for a 1.6 (smallish) mpv with an autobox.

Autos are less economical than manuals and lose power/economy through the auto box.

I'd try a calculator on a website using info from yuor fillups rather than the dash display (figures may go down though)

vikingaero

MPG sounds right for the conditions
When you arrive at a set of lights which has just turned red then push the gearstick from D to N. Do this also when you're at a standstill on but obviously not when you're moving in slow traffic.

tomstickland

Couple of things stacked against you:
auto box
large frontal area of vehicle
largeish mass
small petrol engine

LCFC_Foxile

Thanks chaps - it appears I'm doing all the necessaries in trying to squeeze as much out of the petrol I fill the car with.

I suppose the other weird thing I've noticed about the dashboard display, is the fact that I 'seem' to use less fuel for the same journeys, than when the fuel tank is nearing empty.

I'm assuming this is down to the fact that the car has to constantly make recalculations regarding fuel left in the tank, mpg, & so on.

Hintza

To get an accurate figure you need to fill the car to the brim and note the mileage. Then when you fill it up again note amount of fuel and mileage again. You can then calculate your real fuel consumption. Do this over a prolonged period of time and you will get a very accurate reading. Economy should improve in the summer with less drain on the electrics.