What is the first and the most common question does a friend ask when you just bought your new car??.
What is the first question that crops up when you check out the specifications of a new car in India??.
One need not think too much to answer this question as the foremost attribute of checking or buying a new car is none other than the Mileage of the car. In India, there is no doubt that Mileage is one of the most importat factor when any consumer considers buying a car, be it for a family car or a sports variant. The Indian psyche with respect to the cars and any new releases revolves around the mileage that a car gives for its price. The power specifications, the engine specs and even the interior features / looks generally take a beating if the car offers a competitively better mileage than its counterparts.
Mileage rules the priority list in India and thus it is all the more important to examine some valuable tips that can help your car achieve a significantly better mileage.
How to get a better mileage
->The first and foremost point to achieve a better mileage in any kind of vehicle (petrol or diesel) is that one needs to avoid Aggressive driving (hard acceleration and braking). Any hard acceleration is going to put an extra demand on the car and this leads to increased burning of fuel . In any Indian cities, it is never feasible to accelerate as one obviously knows that he / she will anyways stop at the next signal . Hence any sudden acceleration would only burn our pockets in most of the Indian cities. A quantitative estimate from a study quotes that aggressive driving(speeding and rapid acceleration and braking) can reduce as much as 33% on Highway driving and 5% in city driving.
-> Though one cannot avoid idling all the time , excessive idling during a traffic stop is going to give you only 0 km/litre mileage. So even if you drive the most fuel efficent car or if you even own a hybrid, unnecessary idling is only a killer of mileage.A point to note that microhybrids/ start stop system s in some vehicles that automatically shut the engine off during idling claim to improve mileage as much as 8%. (Click here to read the Scorpio’s Microhybrid system).
->Another common way that most of us are aware is that underinflated tyres reduce the mileage of your vehicle. kindly check the manual of your car for the correct tyre pressure values and periodically check the same. it is advisable to get your car’s tyres checked atleast once in a month.Oiling your engine (Replacing your engine oil at regular intervals )also helps in improving the mileage.
->To get more out of your petrol or diesel fill , it is advisable to fill your fuel during the mornings for the simple fact that the density of the fuel is higher during the mornings which would mean that a higher quantity of fuel for the same volume(litres) goes into your car. Although the difference is negligible, it could significantly change your mileage figures in case you fill large quantities at a single go.
->It is also important to note that cars turn into fuel guzzlers at high speeds on the highways. If you generally travel above 80 to 90 km/hr, your car would definetely end up giving a lesser fuel mileage on highways as more fuel is re quired to maintain higher speeds. An associated point is that in the city , switching on the Air conditioner would reduce your mileage but on the highway, it is still better to switch on the AC and keep all the car windows closed to get the best mileage figures. Because travelling at highway speeds with open windows would cause significant air drag , thereby reducing your mileage.
->Some other points to note is that cold weather reduces the engine efficency and hence warmed up engines are more fuell efficent.Further if your car service is due , it is better to get the service done at the right intervals as a mistuned engine would further deteriorate and reduce the mileage drastically.In addition it is important to note that cars actually reach their correct mileage after driving 3000 to 5000 kms.Clogged air filters(specially in diesel engines) would further reduce mileage as fuel remains unburnt due to insufficient air.
->Other miscelleaneous tips include planning your trips intelligently. i.e plan a single multipurpose trip than going for several short trips to finish your work.Avoiding carrying excess baggage that is generally not used as this can simply add to the weight and cumulatively push up your fuel usage. A few extra Kgs of deadweight would mean more money coming out at a filling station.
Last but not the least one ,could always use the public transport when it is convenient and carpool whenever possible to reduce the overall costs .
The average mileage of some prominent car models in India.
1. Ford Ikon Tdci Diesel ( 15 -16 kmpl inside city and 20 on highways)
2. Maruti 800,Alto ( 14-17 kmpl inside city and 20 on Highways)
3. Swift Vdi (Diesel) ( 14- 16 Kmpl inside city and 18- 20 on highways)
4.Honda City (15-18 kmpl )
5.Tata Indica Diesel ( 12-15 kmpl)
6.Tata Indicab (13 -15 kmpl)
Check this link for carpooling in Bangalore.
Commute easy Bangalore
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Wow..Awesome blog. The best part of this blog is that it is recommendable to Indian roads and vehicles. I own a Wagon R. I purchased it in seconds. It gives only 9 Km pl. I don’t have much knowledge about car services. I want to improve its mileage. Please suggest me what I should do.
Hi Prajwal,
Thanks for the feedback..
Please make sure that you service your car at regular intervals,, i feel Wagon R must give you a better mileage than the 9kmpl.. Also it helps if you can got to the Maruthi authorised service dealer and tell him this problem,. I feel they will tune your engine for a better mileage..
Frankly speaking 9kmpl is a bit low for a Wagon R.. .. please get back to me in case you have specific doubts other than the points written in the article for better mileage…
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