When buying a new car from the likes of carshop.co.uk, the first thing many of us look for is the MPG figures. In a time of soaring fuel costs we don’t want to experience repeated trips to the petrol station, painfully watching our money drain from our wallets as the pump ticks over.
If we can get a car that achieves an MPG of above 60 on the combined cycle we can save huge sums of money. The Audi A1 1.6TDI is listed as obtaining an astounding 74.3MPG on the combined cycle, but how far can we presume these figures are accurate?
Audi is a brand renowned for stringent engineering and testing so as far as the tests go, we can presume the Audi A1 will be near enough the book figure. We must be aware that there are a number of variables in the MPG calculation.
The manufacturer puts the car on the rollers and carries out the tests under the gaze of the Vehicle Certification Agency, Directive 93/116/EC: https://www.audi.co.uk/footer/secondary/CO2.html
There are two cycles we now test under – Urban (top speed 31mph, average 12mph), and Extra Urban (top speed 75mph, average 39mph). The figures will be broadly representative of reality but then there are many variables, number one being the way you yourself drive the car.
The US Environmental Protection Agency introduced new “cycles” in 2008 to give a more comprehensive reflection of true MPG. These cycles included hard acceleration, high speeds, air conditioning and cold starts, all of which have a huge effect on MPG.
For example, if you horse an underpowered car, you’ll probably get less MPG than driving a car with a bigger engine.
The best way to get the highest MPG figures is to consider your driving style and seek advice from a site such as https://www.fueleconomy.gov/.
If you do a lot of motorway driving, you should plump for a car that cruises steadily at speeds of 60 and above and doesn’t need to be pushed too hard to accelerate quickly – look for cars like the Audi A1 1.6TDI at carshop.co.uk.
If you’re a minor road driver you might be best suited to a City Car with start/stop technology. Get rid of any excess weight, and if possible keep the windows up for aerodynamics. Keep tyres properly inflated and get a regular service.
