Autocar India & Ford Fiesta achieve 33 kpl?

[condor]

Picking up from where they left off in 2006 ?

Check our previous thread on this, titled : "Ford Fiesta enters Limca Book of Records"

[diabloo]

I think you the person to tell this:

Why an average Fiesta owner never claims an FE of more than 20Kmpl, forget 33Kmpl?

Originally Posted by drifter

First of all, this was done on a public road and boys 46.6kmph is the average speed, which means we were doing a decent pace on the highway. Its all about driving technique and yes we did keep the AC switched off.

Originally Posted by drifter

Just for comparison, the support Endeavours managed about 15kpl with AC.

[drifter]

Simply because we are impatient. We accelerate even when we know we are going to brake ahead. We don't anticipate the traffic and road conditions. Mostly we light foot which is also not done correctly.

Drifter

[PatienceWins]

Originally Posted by drifter

Simply because we are impatient. We accelerate even when we know we are going to brake ahead. We don't anticipate the traffic and road conditions. Mostly we light foot which is also not done correctly.

Drifter

Its hard to believe when it comes from AutoCar/ Ford and there are vested interests.

How come not even a single Fiesta owner has claimed fuel efficiency of more than 20 kmpl? There are many light footed owners on the forum with good driving skills.

They should let customers drive different cars in the same segment from A to B within a specific time frame and quote the figures. This is nothing more than a marketing gimmick!!

Originally Posted by AirWind

This is unfair/biassed - period; Autocar being an (unbiased?) automag, should have used all cars in this segment to prove the product rather than conduct something fishy. Guess, Ford pays Autocar dearly to promote its product, expect something from Overdrive soon....

Seeing all this dirty stuff, I have stopped buying any of these auto mags - all crooks in business and none to regulate!

These automobile magazines are biased towards certain models. I rarely buy these magazines after getting into Team-BHP.

[vasudeva]

Of course, these figures are achievable. But the last time they did it was when Fiesta was going down after the initial hype. Again in 2008, when Fiesta is not selling well. What does that say about the FE of Fiesta (achievable but definitely not under 99% of driving conditions) or Autocar (largely paid fluff).

[vnabhi]

Why blame Autocar or Ford? Maruti used to indulge in the same game.
When I bought my WagonR way back in 2001 (there were few buyers then, as it was an odd shape and had a fuel guzzler image), I got 12 monthly issues of Gateway magazine free for a year. Almost every mag had a write up of WagonR mileage meets in various cities all over India. They were giving awards to whoever got the best mileage in the test runs on a designated route. Most of the awards went out to people getting 25 to 26 kms per litre.
I was kind of surprised as I never got more than 15 in Vizag city driving, and more than 17 on the highway, despite light-footed driving and good anticipation (I tend to use the brakes as little as possible).
When I moved to Hyd, I met one such person who had partaken in such an adventure.He spilled out the beans---the track through Hyd was on the least congested roads, and on a Sunday, when traffic is always thin. He and his pal drove a WagonR at 50 kmph constantly, with all the glasses rolled up, and AC off. He says he got 24.5 kmpl.
So the point is,when Maruti does such stuff, it is not objected to, but when it is another brand, it is condemned. Talk about herd mentality---Maruti gaadi and Nokia mobile . Anyways, this is my personal opinion.

[varun.ppl]

This is the so-called state of Indian fraternity. There r no definite laws which can be enforced on these advts. which prove to be nuisance. They even claimed that Fiesta Petrol raking upto 22.43 kmpl. Well it doesn't even give half of that in city conditions.

Every company does try out some kinda gimmick to boost up their sales. It depends upon whether the coin lands up as "Heads" or "Tails". I know of many a companies who have never said anything on FE. Companies like GM, Mitsubishi etc.

So, its better if people get smart enough to understand this

Now they hv umpteen choices & they do not hv to stick with Maruit ki gaadi & Nokia ka mobile.!!!

[sreenivass]

Originally Posted by drifter

Simply because we are impatient. We accelerate even when we know we are going to brake ahead. We don't anticipate the traffic and road conditions. Mostly we light foot which is also not done correctly.

Drifter

since there are going to be too many jams, drivers tend to accelerate even for a short distance. Another reason is funny cabbies take the space ahead, we will be left behind all those folks.

[shatrughna]

When we drive normally- we dont care for FE, we listen to music, think about home or work, look at the signal and vehicles around us and keeping an eye on the side lanes to find gaps, we also get into some impromptu races and speed runs, catch that signal at yellow before it turns red- who cares for FE? One doesnt buy a Fiesta or a Verna for example, merely for its claimed FE- even if it makes huge difference in deciding in its favour. Having a car with better FE gives peace of mind in the sense that it wont be worse than a Cielo or a Palio 1.6 in FE or Optra automatic for that matter.

for a week I drove Verna very carefully( sedately) and got FE for around 18 kmpl for a commute of 80kms daily( mix of city and highway in rush hour traffic with ac at very low) and I must say it was a very stressful experience overall where I must have changed gears as given in the book based on rpm and road speed, anticipating in advance to minimise on braking- but I didnt enjoy my ride at all.

Normally, I get 15.5-16 kmpl for the same trip but I reach office/ home happier even if not quicker enjoying music and doing all that the car is capable of and so I guess most of the drivers are and I dont mind such poor FE , if that is so at all.

[vnabhi]

Originally Posted by shatrughna

When we drive normally- we dont care for FE, we listen to music, think about home or work, look at the signal and vehicles around us and keeping an eye on the side lanes to find gaps, we also get into some impromptu races and speed runs, catch that signal at yellow before it turns red- who cares for FE? One doesnt buy a Fiesta or a Verna for example, merely for its claimed FE- even if it makes huge difference in deciding in its favour. Having a car with better FE gives peace of mind in the sense that it wont be worse than a Cielo or a Palio 1.6 in FE or Optra automatic for that matter.

for a week I drove Verna very carefully( sedately) and got FE for around 18 kmpl for a commute of 80kms daily( mix of city and highway in rush hour traffic with ac at very low) and I must say it was a very stressful experience overall where I must have changed gears as given in the book based on rpm and road speed, anticipating in advance to minimise on braking- but I didnt enjoy my ride at all.

Normally, I get 15.5-16 kmpl for the same trip but I reach office/ home happier even if not quicker enjoying music and doing all that the car is capable of and so I guess most of the drivers are and I dont mind such poor FE , if that is so at all.

Well said, Shatrughana. You've summed up our feelings quite well.

[joslicx]

the best people have done in so far as achieving max FE with a car (or car like object) is around 10000 KMPL (yes it is 1 with 4 zeros). Although thats not on normal streets and these cars are not normal cars. But the idea is to design a vehicle (with an engine) that can do as good as possible.
My cousin is doing engg design at INSA Lyon (france) and he and his team designed a car that achieved 2500 KMPL. it was a single seater car.

why cant they give us something like this:
The World’s Most Fuel Efficient Car: 285 MPG, Not A Hybrid : Gas 2.0

It actually does look like a normal car as well!!!

Note from the Team-BHP Support Staff : Please use the "edit" button if posting within 15 minutes of the first post, instead of creating another back-to-back post

[vikrantw1]

They really stretched this one in ACI didnt they - shut off the AC shut off the windows - am suprised they didnt shut off the engine - and get the car towed by a bullock cart - then they could have claimed they used less than 1 litre of diesel (for going up and down the launch ramp) - a few bales of hay ( would that then constitute bio-fuel?) - to reach Bangalore from Bombay.

And dont forget the BS (literally speaking) - that would be the by product of this expedition - which would then be recycled in a biogas plant - and they could then prove -with help of "scientists" from Ford about how they had the greenest car possible - a car which gives back to the environment.
Of course they would do this journey at an average speed of 4.6 kms per hour! Which is approx the average speed of traffic in BLR and Mumbai during rush hour - so it would then be suitably applicable in live situations

[benbsb29]

The objective was to squeeze out the maximum from a litre of fuel. Hence the so-called test. Why are we getting so worked up then?

Fiesta managed to get a lot of public interest based on its high mileage campaign, and now with the lower sales, its time to bring back that campaign, although in a not-so-controlled environment this time. Its we Indians who are responsible for such gimmicks, being so mileage-crazy as we are.

Check out any ownership thread on the forum, and the number of enquiries on mileage are baffling to say the least. Agreed there are some tall claims, but thats not limited to just one manufacturer.

[vkochar]

I think it is certainly achievable. I have just had a Diesel Fiesta trip across Rajasthan and the car gave us 17 - 18 kpl ( This was crazy driving ). We ripped the car and AC on full time with 4 people and full luggage.

So why is 33 kpl under very sophisticated driving not possible. I think the car can give in real time conditions 22 kpl with AC on if someone drives with a light foot and speeds from 60 - 80 kph.

I am no fan of Ford or ACI. Just my 2 cents.

[condor]

PatienceWins : Its hard to believe when it comes from AutoCar/ Ford and there are vested interests.

Would have been taking pot-shots at anyone upto such gimmicks - even if it was a Verna being tested by BSM, an OD testing DZire Diesel.