Toyota Corolla Automatic at 2000 kms EDIT: Now at 20,000/1 year

[trrk]

Hi vasudeva,

> OT, but 13+ on Honda CVT would be at a higher range of actual user FE. I
> have heard of 15 also.

The distance logged is more by my driver who is definitely less fuel efficient than me.

[ram_hyundai]

trrk,you would be the best person to advice on the honda cvt,How is the mileage you are getting as of now.15 KMPL is good on the highways.
ram

[samirsarkar]

Originally Posted by vasudeva

I did use extra premium for 1st 2-3 refills. But at 1K service, Toyota service manager told me that normal will do just fine, and extra premium is not required. I am getting good mileage on Normal (average of 10.8 on AT so far over 19.7K). But since you are pleased with extra premium, I shall get it filled perhaps 2-3 times consecutively to see if it makes a difference on mileage/smoothness/etc. The extra cost would be around 60-70 per weekly fill (cost diff. of Rs. 2/litre and weekly filling of 30-33 litres).

In that case, please make sure that it is only the IOL 91-octane Extra Premium and not the Speed from BP or the Power from HP. It may not actually up ur mileage significantly but the additives are good for the engine as is the 91-octane petrol.

However, the above is subjective. For eg. a Fiat Palio will actually have a decreased performance and lower mileage with the premium fuel. Same with the Honda City.

Your mileage of 10.8 in the city is pretty good for the AT considering that my car is a H2 and gives me ~11 - 11.5 kmpl. One of the hallmarks of the Toyota engines is the fact that they are pretty frugal compared to the competition.

[vasudeva]

I have only been using IOC for the last 3-4 years. Why only IOC and not BP/HP/etc. This may be because we have some oil and gas specialists in our organisation, who track auto fuels also. They only told me that based on their analysis, IOC could be best amongst the PSUs.

Regarding my mileage, 11-11.5 kmpl is good enough for manual (my friend gets 11.5-12 in manual in peak hours). My FE though has had a lot of variations (even 1 kmpl over 2 successive weeks) because of Gurgaon. Lately though it has improved because of winters and better traffic. I use light foot and spare AC. My comfort zone (when I bought the car) was around 9-10 on AT, so as of now I am satisfied.

Regarding IOC Extra Premium, that would cost Rs. 300 per month. Small change?. But my fuel cost runs at around Rs. 5600-5800 per month. Over the last month, this has increased by around Rs. 1000 (price increase of Rs. 300-350 and toll at Rs. 600). So, I shall use IOC Extra Premium only for benefits in FE and perhaps not for performance. If no FE increase after 3 weeks, then back to normal.

[vasudeva]

Perhaps this observation may hold true. The US EPA and Consumer Reports publish city/highway mpg for each car sold in the US. I have found that Corolla's US city FE figure of 26 mpg to correspond to our combined figure of around 11. The highway figures are perhaps 35 mpg which corresponds to around 15

[vasudeva]

For the very few people who own a Corolla AT, I have made a graph with data for my weekly FE from Mar07-24Feb08.

vasudeva - COROLLA FE WEEKLY

[vasudeva]

Perhaps it might interest some to know about the total costs upto 53 weeks of my ownership of Toyota Corolla automatic:

Bought on 8-3-07.

Mileage upto week 55 ended 23-3-08:

Total driven: 20686
Cost of Petrol: 84460
Litres: 1935.7 or 1936
Rs./km: 4.08
kmpl: 10.69

Other Costs:
Smile Package: 2098
Services: 2 at total cost of 0 (because of Smiles Package)
Denting: 11800 (one insurance claim+ 1 bumper paint)
Brake Pads: 5643 in Mar 2008 after 1 yr.

Total Cost: Rs. 104100 or 5.03 per km=running cost of 4.08+repair/maintenance of 0.94. Be aware that my FE is a bit higher than most people on India's roads (trip time, traffic conditions, and driving habits).

Of course, this does not include some toll charges, PUC, money given to driver for pick up/delivery, other minor change, and most of all, money saved by using Corolla on official trips and recovering that from the company.
Other Problems: Horn was sounding like a 2-wheeler soon at some pressure points. Got it fixed. All doors lubricated in Mar 08. Rectified some bumpy road noise on left door (had got it painted under insurance in 10/07).

[HSV]

Congratulations on a problem free ownership till date, and wishing you the very best for a great ownership experience in the time to come as well.

One question that I've been thinking of asking you is what do you do during monsoons in delhi? Is there any special way to drive in case you ever have to go through deep water (tyre deep or higher), meaning using the L gear or is D ok? Has your car ever stopped in such water?

I have been enjoying my car till date. Its been one month now and its run approx 1300 kms. Havent checked the fuel efficiency till date. Got the first service done from Galaxy. It was quite a pleasant experience BTW, very professional indeed. The car is very very convenient to drive in traffic. The leather is very comfortable indeed. Love the automatic ORVMs. I feel that I've got spoilt now!

regards

P.S. - The fuel indicator needle dips quite fast I must say (probably that comes from after driving an Indigo Diesel for 3.5 years ).

Originally Posted by vasudeva

Perhaps it might interest some to know about the total costs upto 53 weeks of my ownership of Toyota Corolla automatic:

Bought on 8-3-07.

Mileage upto week 55 ended 23-3-08:

Total driven: 20686
Cost of Petrol: 84460
Litres: 1935.7 or 1936
Rs./km: 4.08
kmpl: 10.69

Other Costs:
Smile Package: 2098
Services: 2 at total cost of 0 (because of Smiles Package)
Denting: 11800 (one insurance claim+ 1 bumper paint)
Brake Pads: 5643 in Mar 2008 after 1 yr.

Total Cost: Rs. 104100 or 5.03 per km=running cost of 4.08+repair/maintenance of 0.94. Be aware that my FE is a bit higher than most people on India's roads (trip time, traffic conditions, and driving habits).

Of course, this does not include some toll charges, PUC, money given to driver for pick up/delivery, other minor change, and most of all, money saved by using Corolla on official trips and recovering that from the company.
Other Problems: Horn was sounding like a 2-wheeler soon at some pressure points. Got it fixed. All doors lubricated in Mar 08. Rectified some bumpy road noise on left door (had got it painted under insurance in 10/07).

[vasudeva]

No experience of driving in tyre-deep water upto now (go through taxpayer-funded VVIP Lutyens zone and self-funded Delhi-Gurgaon expressway). Perhaps others could help.

Fuel indicator needle dips fairly accurately. At half way point, perhaps 23 litres is the consumption. Fuel warning light comes on at around 37-38 litres of consumption. I think each gauge marking represents 2-2.5 litres. My experience only, and no scientific basis for this.

[HSV]

So when the fuel warning light does come on, what is the amount of litre left in the tank that can be used before it dries up completely. Not that I'd leave refuelling for that long, but just something to know about in case one gets in a situation when there is no gas station in proximity.

Originally Posted by vasudeva

No experience of driving in tyre-deep water upto now (go through taxpayer-funded VVIP Lutyens zone and self-funded Delhi-Gurgaon expressway). Perhaps others could help.

Fuel indicator needle dips fairly accurately. At half way point, perhaps 23 litres is the consumption. Fuel warning light comes on at around 37-38 litres of consumption. I think each gauge marking represents 2-2.5 litres. My experience only, and no scientific basis for this.

[vasudeva]

As I said, fuel warning indicator comes on at consumption of 37-38 litres (my experience). That means 12-13 litres left. However, as a safe measure, perhaps you should assume 10 litres of fuel left.

[HSV]

Did a refuel today and filled 30.98 Ltrs (Normal petrol) to tank full (auto cut off). Had previously also done the tank full from the same pump at auto cut off. Have run 287 kms since previous tank full.

Thus my FE comes to 9.25 kmpl approx. Not bad. What say?

[vasudeva]

Originally Posted by HSV

Did a refuel today and filled 30.98 Ltrs (Normal petrol) to tank full (auto cut off). Had previously also done the tank full from the same pump at auto cut off. Have run 287 kms since previous tank full.

Thus my FE comes to 9.25 kmpl approx. Not bad. What say?

That seems to be low for my comfort. Perhaps traffic conditions and AC usage may make a difference.

Try using AC at 27-27.5C and intermittent switching off. Also switching off the engine for wait times greater than 30-40 secs. Use normal petrol unless you want more performance. Use L in crawling traffic, not use O/D, and keep it easy on the brakes and accelerator. Be aware that brake pads in an A/T wear off faster (mine were replaced at 20K service at a cost of 5643).

Constant AC usage and/or using it at 23-25C instead of 27-28C can lead to a 0.5 kmpl reduction in FE. My rule of thumb: in summer dry months, use at 27-28C with a 1 degree reduction for each additional passenger. In monsoons and humid conditions, temp needs to be reduced to 26C for driver only. Also intermittent usage works.

[trrk]

Hi Vasudeva,

> That seems to be low for my comfort. Perhaps traffic conditions and AC
> usage may make a difference.
> Try using AC at 27-27.5C and intermittent switching off.

I have no experience with the automatic AC. In a manual AC, the solution is to reduce the temperature control towards the white zone and compensate with an increased blower speed.

You may be already doing it, shift to neutral as soon as you stop. Leaving it in gear will increase consumption.

I did not understand the mention about not using O/D!

[vasudeva]

Originally Posted by trrk

I did not understand the mention about not using O/D!

O/D means overdrive. Intermittent switching off/on negates the comfort of automatic climate control, which is to set the AC at a given temp, and that is it. Like a home AC. In intermittent switching, I switch on the AC, use AC at 27-28C (preset), and switch off, and then on again after 2-3 mins or earlier. A bit bothersome but I am comfortable with it. Switches are within reach and do not distract from the road at all.