Are my sums flawed ?

Moonpie2

Moonpie2

Moonpie2

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Joined
23 Dec 2002
Posts
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Location
Shiny Shanghai
Hello !!

I will possibly be driving to heathrow airport in my teeny 1.2 clio with 4 people in the car a round trip of about 360 miles.

So I looked at my car's mpg rating and it said about 45 which means I need 8 gallons for the round trip.

Now 8 gallons is about 31 litres(ish) and if you imagine that I pay 85p per litre that is almost £27.

That price just seems too small.
I normally fill my car up with £30 every time I go to the petrol station, but I find it hard to believe that I can get to London and back on that small ammount !!!

I guess the error lies in the mpg rating dropping drastically the more people I get in the car ?
 
[TW]Fox said:
Go by train, you don't want to be taking a little citycar like that on a long trip, it'll be a nuisance.
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i took my 206 1.6 to wales and back (500 miles round trip) and it was fine, perfectly happy sitting at 70 on the motorway

admittedly i'd rather have taken my dads passat but my car didnt immediatley flip and burn as soon as i hit the M6 :confused:

to the OP - i used £50 of fuel so £30 for 300 miles sounsd reasonable

judging by fox's reconing i should cancel my trip to sheffield at the weekend cos 4 of us in a my little car will be absolute hell :(
 
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your best bet is to work on your average mpg - not what the manufatures tell you. how much do you usually get to a tank and how much does it cost to fill up?

and its a bit of a treck down but won't kill you... do worse than the flight anyhows, but you do need to work out if you can fit four people worth of luggage in the car... and make sure you book and off site carpark, sooooo much cheaper :)
 
Heheh

Trust me, I wish I didn't have to drive.
I'm terrified of going on long trips to places I've never been before and I do wonder if 1.2 litres is up to the task, but I need to get there earlyish and there's no trains that suit my needs on the 27th of December :(

I'm only dropping off though, so its only 4 people and 2 sets of luggage !!
 
You might find you'll struggle getting 4 people and luggage in a Clio. Also, the more weight in the car, the worse fuel economy you'll get.

Have you thought about hiring a car instead?
 
I'd just fill up before you leave then fill up again when you get back, charge them what it costs you to fill up. But I agree luggage space is going to be the problem here.
 
I've done a 300 mile round trip in my 1.6 escort and spent £36 in fuel, so your calculation doesn't seem unreasonable.
 
[TW]Fox said:
With 4 people and luggage?

Cramped and horrible.
Click to expand...
Try 5 people (plus luggage) in an F reg Polo saloon, from Wales to Cornwall! Redefines cramped... and slooooooow!
 
[TW]Fox said:
With 4 people and luggage?

Cramped and horrible.
Click to expand...

mate you don't ALWAYS NEED a big car to get places, you can fit people into small(er) cars comfortably. hell i used to be able to get 4 people pretty comfortably into my Daihatsu (five just didn't fit though) and boot space wouldn't be a problem for two peoples luggage :)
 
So it seems the general consensus is that...
A) The car can make it
B) It'll cost maybe £35ish
C) It might not be the most comfortable ride in the world

:)
 
All I would do is, fill the tank £45 at the most, this will get you there and back with another 50 or so miles worth of petrol left.
And your 1.2 will struggle, but you will just have to use the gearbox, and if that means dropping down to 3rd at 60mph then so be it.

Edit: Check all fluid levels, and tyre pressure, you may want to increase the tyre pressure, check that hand book that came with the car :)
 
[TW]Fox said:
Go by train, you don't want to be taking a little citycar like that on a long trip, it'll be a nuisance.
Click to expand...

Come on!, I understand that a bigger car would be nicer and easier and I love big cars, but recommending a train? With 4 people the train would be Double the price, slower and you could well end up with some pretty annoying people next to you.

To the Op:

Weight will make a difference, but speed will make the most. Don't expect 45mpg if you're going to do over 70. It is a city car and whilst being reasonably economical around town, its short gearing will most likely make it no more economical than a larger engine on the motorway at speed.

With petrol prices reasonably low, assume 9-10p a mile for fuel imo.
 
[TW]Fox said:
With 4 people and luggage?

Cramped and horrible.
Click to expand...

nope was just me, but judging by your previos posts i assumed you meant it would be unbearable even with no passenengers

i did have a bootfull of luggage though ;)

ive had 4 in it on a motorway though - no problems at all, although i have been in a 1.2 ibiza 3 up and it sitting at 70 seemed about as much as it'd do, nothing left in reserve etc
 
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