Fuel efficient cars at 140km/h

[TillyC]

Hi!

I realise I might be opening a can of worms but here goes. I may have to commute 300km 3 days a week (900 total) and I'm looking to buy a petrol car (as that's what is available where I am) that is fuel efficient at 140km/h.

140 is the speed limit here, and it can be dangerous (and annoying) to go slower... if you've driven in the Middle East you'll know what I mean.

I'm open to tuning the right car to find the right balance, but any tips of where to start is appreciated.

To be clear, there are no diesel or hybrids on the market here, and a Tesla is too expensive for me.

About 260km of the journey will be done at 120-140km/h.

Thanks!
TC

[JockoT]

I would have thought that with the price of petrol in UAE that economy would not really be an issue. Get a car with low drag (estates are supposed to be good). Keep the tyre pressures up a bit above the manufacturer's recommendations and use a light throttle (don't be in too great a rush to get to 140kph).

[TillyC]

You would think eh! The petrol prices have jumped massively here and with the high cost of living, saving some money at the tanks is very much at the front of my mind right now!

[ezshift5]

Hello from our left coast...........

FWIW - here's my take on fuel efficiency at 85 MPH.

I have a HIGH MPG 4 cylinder turbo VW with a clutch and a 5M.

On a recent run to connect with a US Navy amigo - I drove about 150 miles on 2.85 gallons.

You need more - MHO - to get great fuel numbers at the higher speeds.

Wish I had better info 4U.

ez

[waleedjmalik]

Hi TillyC,

I have been driving in Dubai for 10+ years and I exactly know what you mean.

In all these years, I've driven various 4 cyl eco boxes (Elantra, Cruze, Civic etc) and while all these small cars were great for city driving, their puny little engines rev up too high at 130-140 km/h to return decent efficiency (especially with AC on blast).

I have had good to excellent results with bigger cars with bigger engines, heres some of my top picks based off my own experience:

Audi/VW 2.0 TFSI (Auto) - (Most german cars are geared for high speed autobahn cruising).
BMW 230i/330i/430i (8 Spd Auto)
Honda Accord V6 (6 Spd Auto) - ('13-'14 is a good choice if you are on a budget).
Toyota Avalon V6 (6 Spd Auto)
Ford Explorer V6 - (If you need a bigger vehicle).

Hope this helps!

[visorX]

That's a pretty high speed and yes, it is dangerous! 80-90mph is a good range to get efficient mpg. We replaced the steelies with lighter wheels and new tires on my friend's truck and the mpg up.

[danwellington0]

Go to A car with bigger engines like V6 or V8 that are pared with the the CVT or those transmissions whose Final drive ratio is low. So that if you are cruising on 140KMPh the RPM will remain Low and provides your better fuel economy.

[ezshift5]

Originally Posted by mariahcarey

I am in need and will be thinking about these options.

We recenty completed a 900 mile round trip using miostly I-5 which connects NoCal with SoCal]

We did not use 85 MPH (we used 65).

After returning to northern California and filling the tank at the same station/same pump - we divided the miles driven by gallons used. (we do not trust the car's computer fuel numbers)

Our calculation included about 50 miles of city driving in the greater Los Angeles area - where motorists are - in a word - NUTS!!!

One must be very careful.

FINAL CALC: 53.1

Cheers,


ez