Thanks to all MS members who helped me to finalize on Wagon R and to enhance my driving skills and car maintenance with their valuable tips and tricks.
I am driving a Wagorn R Lxi since Jan’07 and have completed 20, 000 Km till date, most of the driving was on Mumbai – Pune express high way/ Pune – Bangalore mega highway/ or National highways(https://m.mouthshut.com/16 rel="nofollow" target="_blank" >@16, 000kms).
One can find lots of interesting reviews on the Wagon R features and comparisons with other cars in contest; I’d like to share my experience on the millage, especially for the long distance travelers, who frequently travel on the highways. I have achieved a millage of 22.4 kmpl w/o A/c(during winter) and with A/c ON and fan speed at level 2 a millage of 19.4 kmpl till date.(I calculate millage tank full to full, use Speed petrol and have maintained the millage records for every refill)
With my limited 3yrs car driving experience(2yrs on Wagon R and 1 yrs on Maruti 800 A/C and occasionally other three digit BHP cars, I have listed down following tips that has helped me to achieve the excellent millage).
Driving style – It varies from person to person. I keep following checks while driving.
Speed, right gear at right speed-load combination – I have to cross a major ghat, if I have to travel towards Kolhapur(Bangalore Highway, I avoid the Katraj ghat by taking the bypass road) and one major Khandala ghat towards Mumbai. Here its important that one don’t stretch the car on fifth gear just to avoid the gear change and to maintain a high speed on ascending roads and don’t forget to get back to fifth gear on descends(most of the time we concentrate on the traffic and to keep pace we tend to overlook which gear we are in, 4th or 5th on these winding curves). As most of the driving is on the highway I strictly stick to an average speed of 75kmph. To make up the time loss(as 75kmpl avg speed is considered as slow speed on express highway). I generally don’t take pit stops(unless and until necessary or for sight seeing during rainy season). I carry all the necessary food/snacks and drinks in the car as this is a ‘Wagon’ with loads of space and with 4 adults and a kid inside the car you don’t feel the fatigue or cramped for at least 250 kms(that’s my destination distance).
Road conditions, the number of passengers: Road condition is excellent on highway. Once in a while we also take the National highway to go to Sholapur/Nasik, these roads are not as wide as mega highways and don’t have multi lanes, but one can maintain a decent speed with minimum gear change, avoid unnecessary overtake on these single roads for safety purpose. I travel with my spouse, my son(6yrs old) and my parents, most of the time. Also carry a good amount of luggage.
Use of A/C: I generally prefer to start early in the morning so that with minimum fan speed a comfortable level of coolness can be maintained, where the situation is unavoidable and have to travel in the afternoon, I keep the fan speed on level 2 and don’t cross 95kmph limit, as beyond 95-100kmph with high fan speed for a long stretch, millage is definitely affected.
On frequent steep ascending roads where you cannot go beyond 3rd gear, for e.g. Matheran, Mahabaleshvar try to use partial A/c, with this you don’t loose the pick up-millage, can maintain a good speed and the coolness in the car is not affected.
- Finally the fuel(Quality and Quantity) – There are good reviews in MS which helps us to take care at the petrol pumps which describes the Do and Don’ts at the petrol pumps, the tips and tricks used by the pump owners, like how to look for tampered meters what time of the day to go for full tank fillup and the reason behind it.
Here I’d like to tell you that, don’t open the lid unless you check the ‘Zero reading’ and please don’t be in a hurry, on your slightest distraction these people can cheat you(I don’t mean to say that all fuel stations and guys over there are cheaters, but generally on highways and busy place this cheating practice exists, by man or by machine).
Ø If you have a bike ahead of you, then these bikers generally fill petrol of Rs 50-100-150, so make sure the meter reading is set to ‘zero’, as we fill full to full @20-25Lts at a time, the 1 lit difference shall hamper millage by 5%.
Ø If there are 2 guys at the terminal, one will try to distract you, so please pay attention to the ‘zero reading’
Ø Don’t pay attention to the guys selling some car cleaners/fresheners till the petrol tank lid is shut. These people will distract you and while talking to them these sales men will always be on the other side, which is the opposite side of the petrol terminal.
Ø Don’t be the fist customer at any petrol station in the morning; these people have a tendency of removing the petrol from the pipe when they close the station at night(from the nozzle head to the terminal/pump exit point). So for the first customer, the initial petrol goes in filling the empty pipe). I have observed these mal practices and also altered the customers. When I go for a morning walk @6am, I spend some time at one state highway petrol pump, with my friend in kolhapur where I have seen these tricks/malpractice.
Ø Please collect your credit/ Debit cards back
Other than the driving skill to achieve a good millage, there are couples of very good reviews on car maintenance which are helpful to maintain a good condition and achieve better millage.
Millage in Pune city > 17kmpl with A/C. Do’s >Shut down the engine at red signals(more than 30secs), keep the A/C at minimum or shut down the A/C at red signals, keep the idling to optimum-1000 to 1100 rpm(Lxi does not have a Tacho meter so its upon individual and the car condition to judge it, you should not feel the zip at the initial pickup or listen to the engine/ cabin noise it should be calm – in my case I need to touch the gear stick to feel the vibration to check if the engine is ON). Avoid sudden acceleration from zero or very low speed. Waiting and searching for parking space delays with A/C ON too affect the millage.
Sometimes I too feel to, drive at speeds excess of 120kmph on these highways; then for speed and safety(ABS, Air bags etc); I use my cousins Innova or Lancer.
Energy saved is Energy produced. Happy driving!