[Rachet]

Hi All,

Setting off on road trips on every window of opportunity has become a part of my life for the past 1 year after buying the 630d. Covering hundreds of kms each day has never been so easy and comfortable. Just got back after a 2000+ kms road trip spanning 6 days and wanted to share some information on the roads I have travelled and how the car performed with respect to fuel efficiency on different road and traffic conditions.

I have captured the whole experience in a video.

https://youtu.be/i_A9hE9z4VA

Here is a map indication of the places and route I covered.



So I kicked off the journey from my native Palakkad in Kerala. I had decided that my first place of stay should be Kasargod which belongs to the northern part of Kerala. It is a 283 kms journey to Kasargod from Palakkad through Calicut -> Kannur.
Even if it feels like a 280 kms journey is not a big deal , it took me a whopping 8 hours to reach Kasargod because of the road conditions and traffic due to that. Highway work is in full swing from Calicut to Kasargod . The usable NH is narrow which takes out any chances to speed up the journey. Traffic blocks are inevitable and senseless driving of buses adds to the already messed up traffic.




The driving information showed 13.9 km/pl after reaching my destination. Not bad numbers considering the kind of traffic blocks and road conditions I witnessed on my way.



Main attractions were the Bakel fort and the beach where luckily a 9 day beach fest was going on.




I had planned my next stay at Jog Falls, Karnataka. The plan was to cover Mangalore, Udupi and Murudeswar on my way to Jog Falls. Again a 300 kms journey but the roads were not that bad and were able to cover the distance just fine even with a couple of stops , one at Udupi and another at Murudeshwar where we spent a good amount of time.
Driving through the coastal road from Mangalore to Murudeshwar is a delight. Would any day recommend the road to anyone.




Murudeshwar was crowded as it was holiday season and it took us a good amount of time to reach inside from the highway. Getting hold of a parking space inside was even more challenging because of the traffic.




The road from Murudeswar to Jog falls alone was a bit narrow with bends and we needed to exercise caution while driving through the forest and mountain ranges.There was a negligible dip in the efficiency number when I reached Jog Falls owing to driving on hill road. The numbers stayed at 13.4kmpl.

Pics taken on the way and of the falls.





As per plan I had to reach Chikmagalur the next day , another 200 kms Journey.
A mix of very bad and okay stretches of roads mainly due to the fact that highway work is in full swing.



The main place to visit at Chikmagalur is the Mullayangiri peak which is around 30+ kms from the Chikmagalur town. It was indeed a very pleasant experience.






Again some good amount of driving in the hills hence no improvement was witnessed with respect to the fuel efficiency. It continued to stay at 13.4 kmpl

My next day's destination was Wayanad. A 230+ kms journey via Hassan and Periyapatna. I Stopped at Halebidu in Hassan district to see the ancient temple.




Then I was off to Wayanad.Very average roads through the forest and the better roads were only for a small distance and were really narrow.



There were literally no roads through the final 40-50 kms till the Kerala border and I really had a tough time driving through those roads.



I also have a feeling that the map had misguided me but even in that case a major portion of the main highway itself is problematic.An alternative route was via Mysuru and Bandhipur which I know is good but I wanted to drive through the roads which I had not taken before , the mistake which I made this time.
Right from the Kerala border , the roads in Wayanad seem to be new and well maintained. No complaints at all.



Again at the end of the day, the bad patches of roads and traffic did not contribute much towards fuel efficiency. It stayed more or less the same as the previous day figures.
Visited the Banasurasagar dam the next morning. It was another 32 kms from my place of stay.



And then we were on our way to Palakkad via Thamaraserry hill road which is well known for its dangerous nature and road blocks. The situation was no different when we were there but not the worst blocks I would say.



The roads after that till Palakkad were okay with some bad patches here and there for very small distances. Still those are not the roads where you can easily cruise at 80-90 kmph. The efficiency when checked stood at 13.5 Km/l at the end of the day when we reached Palakkad.

My next journey was to Chennai. A 500+ kms journey on a nice highway.
Obviously this is the proper road conditions when the car can be most efficient. There was a bit of traffic as we were closing in on Chennai. And experienced heavy traffic during the final 20kms.
At one point in time while cruising on the highway, the reading showed 21.2 Km/l.



And the traffic encountered at the final stages of the journey brought down that figure a bit. And finally when we reached home it was 20.5 km/l .



I am really satisfied with what the 3.0l inline 6 was able to deliver in different road conditions. Because my expectation when I bought the car was less than what it delivered in reality. I had driven the car in Eco Pro mode throughout for multiple reasons.
1. Wanted to find out the maximum efficiency that can be extracted.
2. Considering the road and traffic conditions throughout there was no use of the additional power which other driving modes can deliver. Hence it only made sense to make use of the Eco Pro mode to cruise at a speed of 90-110 kmph.

Trust me when I say this, the car even in Eco Pro mode can easily outperform most of the cars out there on the road.
Yes, if you are looking for some fun while driving or you are in a hurry then maybe you would want to put it in Comfort mode. But otherwise in my opinion almost 95% of the people should be satisfied with the Eco Pro mode itself.

Will be evaluating the efficiency in Comfort mode next on my next road trip. Until then thank you fellow BHPians for taking time to read this.

[GTO]

Great read, thanks for sharing . These German luxo-barges are built for the open road & that's where they show their true strengths. The performance, stability, comfort & safety are unmatched.

The powerful 6-cylinder diesels can be surprisingly fuel-efficient too. One of the rare times I drove my 530d in "Eco" mode was when we were returning from Deolali, and Mum wanted to sleep. Left early in the morning (empty roads), drove real easy and saw like 17 kmpl. Another contributor is the 8-speed gearbox which keeps the revs really low at cruising speeds. 100 kph is seen at merely 1,250 rpm in 8th gear, while 120 kph is at ~1,500 rpm!

Of course, the real fun of this iconic diesel motor & ZF gearbox is at higher revs , so enjoy the drive! In my normal driving style, I see 6 - 7 kmpl within Bombay and 11 - 13 on the highway.

[pradheepsr]

Those were some impressive efficiency figures indeed.

In fact I used to get 18-20 kmpl every time I hit the highway with the 20d in my X1.
Even though I own a Merc GLC 220 d now , always used to feel that the ZF 8 speed and
2 liter BMW turbo diesel is a match made in heaven.

With the 3 liter inline 6, It's an amazing performance indeed.

Driving in ECO mode with that beast of an engine is a sin !

[Rachet]

Originally Posted by pradheepsr

Driving in ECO mode with that beast of an engine is a sin !

I know but most of time our traffic and road conditions makes it difficult to use the other modes. At least that's what I felt during my trip. But yeah it is a totally different story when on the highways, comfort mode according to me gives you the best of both worlds.