Date: Sat, 20 Jun 2015 09:24:32 -0400
Reply-To: Dennis Haynes <d23haynes57@HOTMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Dennis Haynes <d23haynes57@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: Driving style=fuel economy...Friday semi Modern comparisons
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Last February I rented a Dodge Ram 1500 crew cab pickup in Florida. That thing was doing 19 mpg around town and 26-27 mpg on the highway.
Dennis
-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of Don Hanson
Sent: Friday, June 19, 2015 9:45 AM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Driving style=fuel economy...Friday semi
My inline ABA VW (2.0L inline gas) powered tin-top 84 5sp has always given me excellent gas mileage...Latest averages I've recorded over my most recently driven ~20k miles puts my Vanagon fuel consumption right at 25mpg, recorded using an android app called "Fuelly"
http://www.fuelly.com/dashboard Not long ago I added an AWD van, GMC
Safari, to my fleet and began tracking that one with the Fuelly Android phone app also...
When I began driving the 97 GM AWD Van, I'd not owned or operated an
automatic shifter for many years. I have sort of 'learned' how to work
the auto tranny and my fuel economy has improved on the AWD auto van...Simply learning how the shifting is programmed and driving with that in mind to avoid needless shifting and kick-downs, etc...that has improved my fuel consumption in the GM van.
The main gas mileage factor is still 'vehicle speed', as I see it, after
analyzing the data, gathered with Fuelly phone app. The Safari delivers
pretty good economy now...18.8 mpg (average since I began driving it) for a beefy AWD van/truck, , capable of towing and hauling lots....But, for a few fill-ups, I drove it without regard for economy, cruising along with everyone else on the Interstate at 75-80 mph, speeding up to every stop sign, then braking, and passing with planted foot...., often on steep uphills and into Gorge headwinds........Driven like that, the GM van gets poor mileage..., and the VW goes from 25 mpg to about 20mpg...
That Fuelly app. quickly returns you a text with that fill-up's gas mileage, within just a few seconds of you entering your gassing statistics. It also gives you a cost per mile breakdown .... For more complete statistics you must go to the app. main site.......
In my case the Vanagon currently costs me $0.13 per mile and the Safari (working man's Syncro) come in at $0.16 per mile.
I've always tried to drive 'smart' and efficiently. The Fuelly
smartphone app is neat tool to help us with that.
Now the editorial comment: I still do not like driving an automatic transmission vehicle. However, for just $2k that GM van does quite a good
job, despite being an auto shift. It has a large towing rating, a durable
motor (240k on mine) and excellent traction.... Running down the
interstate with the AC on and the cruise control set at 80 mph or bashing through some rocky rutted-up creek bed,..it works .......and did I mention "cheap" to buy and fix?
Try the Fuelly app to improve your economical driving habits...and rather than a Syncro (if you aren't flu$h) you could settle for half a dozen (or more) GM vans ...they are OK.. of course, you might get mistaken for a Tradesman driving one.
DH
