Kia Rio diesel returns 88.3 combined mpg

The driver training specialist IAM Drive & Survive is offering weekly motoring tips to drivers from its head of training, Simon Elstow. This week, Simon is advising on saving fuel and money and how green driving will save you up to 15% on your fuel bills:

• Keep your vehicle moving for as long as possible, even in traffic queues. This is far more fuel efficient than stopping and starting your vehicle, so slow down earlier, to avoid braking harshly and too often.
• Your cruising speed has a major impact on the fuel economy of your car or van so stick to the speed limit. This offers a good compromise between economy and getting somewhere on time. There’s a significant saving made by doing 70 instead of 80 – and you also avoid any risk of speeding fines.
• Reverse into parking bays when parking. If you do all the manoeuvring with a hot engine you can drive straight off when you come back and warm the engine up more quickly, thereby saving fuel.
• Check your vehicle regularly to ensure it operates efficiently and in particular check the condition of your tyres, and measure tyre pressures when they’re cold.
• Remove all unnecessary weight from your vehicle, including roof racks, car clutter and heavy items in the boot. The more weight you carry in the car, the more fuel your vehicle will burn.
• Keep the inside of the front and rear windscreens squeaky clean. Traffic fumes form a film on the glass which attracts moisture and makes them mist up easily – a clean screen will rarely mist up, so you won’t be using the heater and air-conditioning to clear them.

Elstow said: “We’ve all got better things to spend our money on than petrol. This will help you save cash and reduce your carbon emissions.”

Great advice from the IAM’s Drive & Survive, however choosing a fuel efficient car can also save you hundreds of pounds in fuel bills annually.

For example the new Kia Rio 1.1 CRDi 1 EcoDynamics 5-door hatchback returns a staggering 88.3 combined mpg and only emits 85g/km of CO2. The combined mpg of 88.3 is a remarkable performance and you can search for the most fuel efficient new cars using our Vehicle Type Shopper and see the vehicle lease rentals too.

Jaguar XF 2.2 Diesel

A Jaguar XF 2.2 Diesel, driven by a British team of drivers, has just crossed 11 States in North America covering 2,884 miles, three time zones and returning an average 62.9mpg over the epic journey. This journey is the equivalent of driving from London to the Sahara desert and the Jaguar XF only required four stops for fuel.

The XF 2.2 Diesel was a right hand drive model and the car maintained an average speed of 53mph from coast to coast, visiting the busy roads exiting New York, encountered road works, high winds and a climb to 7,275 feet above sea level.  The car however has all the attributes of a luxury Jaguar car and seats five adults in comfort, is equipped with leather trim as standard, reaches 0-62mph in just 8 seconds and on to a top speed of 140mph where permitted.

Paul Alcock, XF Project Manager was on the trip throughout and commented,”This project was designed primarily to test the potential economy of the XF 2.2. The incredible figures achieved by the car were accomplished through making every element of the new XF as efficient as possible – from its aerodynamics to its four-cylinder 2.2-litre diesel engine linked to an eight-speed gearbox. The whole XF team is incredibly proud of what’s been achieved and it’s a graphic demonstration of the strength, engineering integrity and efficiency of the car”.

Ford 1.0-litre EcoBoost engine

Ford has unveiled their new 1.0-litre EcoBoost engine that will debut in the UK in the all-new Ford Focus next year, giving the Focus class-leading fuel economy and low CO2 emissions. The new 1.0-litre,  three-cylinder EcoBoost is Ford’s smallest petrol engine and delivers 125PS with 114g/km CO2 with turbo-charged direct injection plus this unit returns 56.5 combined mpg.

The same engine, with 100PS and 109g/km CO2, will feature in the all-new Ford Focus, Ford C-MAX, Grand C-MAX and the new B-MAX which enters into full production in the middle of 2012.  The new engine will be built in Craiova in Romania, and capacity for Europe will be up to 700,000 units per year with annual production of up to 1.5 million worldwide. 

The 1.0-litre EcoBoost delivers a performance  more akin to a 1.6-litre engine but with significantly improved fuel economy and lower CO2 emissions. Stephen Odell, Ford chairman and CEO Ford of Europe, said,”The new 1.0-litre EcoBoost engine is a true collaboration from start to finish, with expertise from Ford specialists  across Europe leveraged in designing both the engine and the cutting-edge facility in which it will be produced”.

Mr Odell went onto to say,”This will be reflected in the class-leading European CO2 emissions of the new 1.0-litre EcoBoost Ford Focus when it debuts in early 2012; low emissions that will be achieved alongside the spirited and refined performance that customers expect from Ford”.

PetrolPrices.com

If you have ever wondered where you can find the cheapest prices for diesel or petrol in your area than do sign up to PetrolPrices.com. It’s free to get an account and you can search by postcode to find the cheapest fuel available in your area.

This can save you a lot of money as petrol and diesel prices will vary by different petrol branded stations and by location as well. PetrolPrices.com has petrol prices for over 10,000 stations and receives approximately 8,000 daily updates, ensuring their data is accurate and up to date. By using petrolprices.com to check the price of petrol across stations in your local area, you could make substantial savings on your motoring costs.

Thatcham has announced the certification of a device that will help prevent the mis-fuelling of diesels which is becoming a growing problem. According to research by The AA, over 150,000 cars are filled with the wrong fuel every year.

The Tullman Design “Diesel Key” is the first device to gain a TQA certification (Thatcham Quality Accreditation) having met the tough standards set by the insurer’s research centre. The “Diesel Key” device,which replaces the fuel cap, provides an addition to the filler neck and has been designed to prevent an insertion of an unleaded fuel nozzle.

Used Car Fuel Economy

The Transport Minister, Sadiq Khan, has launched a new Used Car Fuel Economy Label providing clear “at a glance” information on running costs. This initiative follows on from the successful new car fuel economy label.

The colour-coded label provides easy to read information on a car’s make and model along with its CO2 emissions data and over 1,000 dealers have signed up with the Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA) to take part and display the label on cars they sell.

Greener Tepee

The new Peugeot Partner Tepee class leading MPV has now got “Greener” with a new Euro 5 petrol engine offering a 12.5% reduction in fuel consumption and a 15% reduction on CO2 emissions.

The Partner Tepee S model will now be powered by a 1.6-litre 120bhp VTi Euro 5 petrol engine, previously seen in the 207 and 308 model range. Using their class leading Variable Valve Lift and Timing injection (VTi) technology plus an inlet valve lift system, Peugeot is also using these two innovations to improve the engine’s thermodynamic efficiency and further reduce fuel consumption and CO2.

Suzuki plans to show two new fuel efficient cars at the 41st Tokyo  Motor Show later this month. The Swift Plug-in Hybrid is ideal if you are travelling low mileages of around 12miles every day and has been designed to run on electric power.

Suzuki Plug-in

The other car is the SX4 FCV (Fuel Cell Vehicle) which combines a high performance fuel cell with a high pressure hydrogen tank plus a light compact compacitor. This combination allows Suzuki to offer reduced cell loading and the car is being tested on public roads in Japan.

The Tokyo motor show starts on the 21st October and will run until the 4th November.

Honda at Swindon

Honda has rolled the first British-built Jazz off the production line at their Swindon factory. This five door super-mini is one of Honda’s most successful selling cars with over 70,000 sold in Europe every year.

The demand for the Jazz is also likely to increase as both company car drivers and private motorists move away from driving big “gas-guzzling” models and look for small, fuel efficient vehicles.

David Hodgetts, Director of HUM said,”This car is incredibly popular with customers and it has won countless awards for quality and reliability. Shifting production to the UK is a real vote of confidence in all our Associates here in Swindon,and recognition of the high standards which we have been able to achieve at the plant”.

Lexus RX 450h

The luxury Lexus RX 450h SUV achieved an average 54.75mpg on the FleetWorld/ALD MPG Marathon. That is pretty good going for a vehicle that weighs over two tonnes and is powered by a 3.5-litre V6 petrol engine, as well as the Lexus Hybrid Drive powertrain.

The results were achieved by Lexus’s driving team of David Crouch and Richard Lacey and this excellent fuel performance coupled with a low CO2 emissions rating of only 148g/km make the Lexus an appealing car leasing package.