MPG

[moya]

Just wondered if anyone else had checked what mileage per gallon they were getting in their Berlingo based Romahomes?

We checked ours on our two week holiday to The Lake District and averaged it over a total of 948 miles at 49.5 mpg. Very impressed with this as we certainly were loaded up (everything but the kitchen sink). This included journeys over some very steep passes as well.

[Graham]

Hi Moya

We regularly used to get around 50mpg in our Duo which was absolutely brilliant.

That is one of the downsides of upgrading to a Dimension we now get around 33mpg and with the rising cost of fuel we really did feel the difference at first but having said that we wouldn't be without our Dimension its great.

Graham

[cil]

I'm using my hylo as my main vehicle, and I do about 20,000 miles a year, many of them through work. I am paid a travel allowance of around £600 a year plus a set amount per mile.

I have only recently changed from a very small car (1400cc Corsa) and have been really surprised at how rarely I need to fill up my diesel - I realise the tank is much larger, but £ for £ I am no worse off.

Very pleased!

[Derek]

That is really great Moya, I have not checked our mpg properly as I seldom run with the tank full. Did you start with a full tank and end with one to get an accurate fig? I know ours is pretty good but I read that the HDI is better.

The Dimension at 33 mpg is very good for a hytop van, the windage must be considerable, Citroen's seem very good for economy, we used to have a Dyane and that used to run on fresh air.

Derek

[Graham]

To get an accurate MPG I fill up and zero my trip counter, then run the van until its about half full and fill up again taking note of how many litres it took to fill it, then I convert litres to gallons and then divide the number of gallons into the miles I have travelled the result is my MPG.

Graham

[moya]

derek said:

Did you start with a full tank and end with one to get an accurate fig? I know ours is pretty good but I read that the HDI is better.

Derek

Started off with a full tank (60ltrs/13.198 gals) and trip reading on zero. Each time we filled up made a note of the mileage and how many litres/gallons put in to bring tank to full again. Deducted previous mileage reading from present one.
Eg: 670.3-480.3=190miles. 17.66ltrs/3.884gals to fill tank.

190miles divided by 3.884gals = 48.9mpg. (This reading was after we had been driving round the different lakes and going up very steep passes). The refuel after motorway driving worked out at an impressive 50.2mpg!

When we got home I added all the different readings and divided them by the number of refuels to get an average mpg.

Hope you don't all think I am sad but I was intrigued to see if what the book said was true and I thought doing a lot of mileage was the ideal opportunity for working it out.

I don't expect I will bother anymore now though. It gave me brain ache.



Oh yes Derek and ours is the 2ltr HDi engine so maybe that does make a difference.

[Derek]

moya said:

Hope you don't all think I am sad but I was intrigued to see if what the book said was true and I thought doing a lot of mileage was the ideal opportunity for working it out.

I don't expect I will bother anymore now though. It gave me brain ache.

Not sad at all, I am very impressed

Derek

[viv]

I was going to volunteer to check mine and then I saw Moya's post and decided I would give it a miss!!!!!!!!
Moya,
It gave you brain ache and it gave me one too just reading the calculations. Well done though for calculating it.
by the way did you go over Hard KNot Pass and Wrynose bottom in the Lake district?
Many years ago in the family car, I remember travelling around the Lake district and going over loads of steep hills, as we were coming back down the last hill into Ambleside, my OH said quite quietly "the brakes have gone, I will have to take some avoiding action to get us down somehow, please don't panic or the kids will be upset!!!!" the kids were in the back and Ijust sat there quietly wishing for a miracle. OH managed it by using gears and handbrake and a great job he did. We managed it safely and we got the car sorted before the long drive home.
I have a great dread now of steep hills anywhere.
Viv

[moya]

viv said:

by the way did you go over Hard KNot Pass and Wrynose bottom in the Lake district?
Viv

We didn't go over those as we were staying further up from there in Keswick, overlooking Derwent Water. We went over Honister Pass and Whinlatter Pass. They were scary enough and I certainly wouldn't have wanted the brakes to fail as you experienced Viv.

When we came down the other side of Honister Pass in a layby overlooking Crummock Water was an H reg Romahome. The first one we had seen since leaving home! Pulled up behind it but no owner in site - must have gone walking. I took this piccie though.

[viv]

I always love it when I see a Romahome. I am so enthusiastic I find myself waving at a lot of workmen in Berlingo vans before I realise.

Viv

[Pauline]

viv said:

Many years ago in the family car, I remember travelling around the Lake district and going over loads of steep hills, as we were coming back down the last hill into Ambleside, my OH said quite quietly "the brakes have gone, I will have to take some avoiding action to get us down somehow, please don't panic or the kids will be upset!!!!" the kids were in the back and Ijust sat there quietly wishing for a miracle. OH managed it by using gears and handbrake and a great job he did. We managed it safely and we got the car sorted before the long drive home.
I have a great dread now of steep hills anywhere.
Viv

I'm going off the topic of mpg here - sorry folks - but your comment about steep hills Viv reminded me of an incident many, many years ago (around 1969 I think):

Me, my Mum and Dad and 3 brothers all went to Switzerland in our Commer campervan (plus a tent for the boys!).

We were coming down one of the mountain passes and suddenly my Dad braced himself and started pumping the floor. Through gritted teeth he said "Brakes have gone".

We hurtled down this hill with cars beeping at us for going so fast, luckily we were near the bottom and we managed to come to a halt with my Dad doing the gears and my eldest brother pulling on the handbrake for all he was worth!! Not before we had gone through a set of traffic lights on red though!!

One the way back my Mum insisted that we use one of the mountain tunnels rather than use the pass again. I can't remember now were it was, but we had to drive the van onto a train and travelled in the vehicle.

Luckily it didn't put me off having a motorhome - it must be in my blood!- my Dad had all sorts - including VW's

[viv]

Hi Pauline
have a look at my post on the general chat (I think I put it there) about my fear of heights. Perhaps it is not so irrational as I think!!!!!!!!!!!!!
If ever I see the word PASS on a map I go cold and look for another route. Now that I have little Gnomeo (my tomtom) Idread to think where I will end up. You can select to avoid some roads but it does not offer an option of avoiding 'roads with sheer drops'.

[Derek]

moya said:

derek said:

Did you start with a full tank and end with one to get an accurate fig? I know ours is pretty good but I read that the HDI is better.

Derek

I don't expect I will bother anymore now though. It gave me brain ache.

Hi Moya

Should have said earlier, please don't stop now. In my previous rambling, which could have been worded better, I was on about if you checked it the mpg at each fill or just filled the tank completely at the beginning and end of the test period. Last year I had intended to do a long check by completely filling the tank before a holiday, taking the mileage and then keeping all the fuel receipts for several months. I had intended to then do a complete fill and record the mileage again but managed to loose some of the receipts. I thought a fairly painless way of getting a real urban figure (if you don't loose the receipts).

Sounds like you had a great adventure, you stirred Judy and I into looking out the slides of our only trip to the Lake District with the caravan. It was a May weekend and just a little chilly, none of this EHU. Just the gas lamp to keep us warm.

Derek

[lunnie]

Try vegetable oil mixed with your derv, cheap and it goes (the car) a treat, my son has converted me to this, smells bit like a chippie, but who cares if it saves the £'s in your pocket. And it doesnt damage the engine.

[Andrew Craig]

admin said:

One the way back my Mum insisted that we use one of the mountain tunnels rather than use the pass again. I can't remember now were it was, but we had to drive the van onto a train and travelled in the vehicle.

Maybe the Lotschberg tunnel from Loetschental to Kandersteg? You put your vehicle on a train, and it's only a short distance but saves an awful lot of road miles.

[Pauline]

It could well have been, I asked my eldest brother if he could remember but even he couldn't and he's 10 years older than me!!

[peterholden]

We have a Berlingo Multispace with the DW8 engine that we have had from new (6 years) that struggles to maintain 40mpg but our C15 based hytop (1993 model that we have had for 4 years) regularly returns 50mpg+. Guess which vehicle we use most. Our only problem is the lack of power steering.