Our Fleet Test Drive: Citroen DS5 Hybrid4 Dsport - 4th Report
Date:
12 December 2012
|
Author: Tristan Young
The DS5 Hybrid4 is running 40% below the official mpg figure. For all my previous long termers I've always run about 10-15% below the official - so what am I doing wrong? My feet certainly haven't gotten any heavier.
A call to Citroen asking for a guide to getting the most out of the diesel hybrid or maybe an official training programme came to nothing. That's when editor Paul Barker suggested driver training firm AA DriveTech, which has a dedicated hybrid and EV course. Split into theory and practice, it takes onboard the differences of a hybrid or purely EV over a standard car both in terms of maximising economy and also from a safety point of view.
The initial good news is that on the training route - which was mostly A/B roads - my fuel figure was 56mpg, beating my average 45mpg. I'll have to keep an eye on things over the coming weeks on my usual trips to see if there's a marked improvement overall, but as the AA DriveTech trainers point out, on the motorway there's little room for changing any car's mpg other than simply slowing to 55mph, and I'm not sure I can do that.
Citroen DS5 Hybrid4 Dsport | Mileage | 4251 | Claimed combined consumption | 74.3mpg | Our average consumption | 45.5mpg | P11D price | £32,145 | Model price range | £22,400-£32,145 | CO2 (tax) | 107g/km (12%) | BIK 20/40% per month | £64/£128 | Service interval | 20,000mls | Insurance | group 28 | Warranty | 3yrs/60,000mls | Boot space (min/max) | 325/1145 litres | Engine size/power | 1997cc EV/200hp | Top speed/0-62mph | 131mph/8.3secs | Why we’re running it | To find out if diesel-electric hybrids work for fleet users in the real world | Positive | Looks stunning, very well equipped | Negative | No AM radio |
|
Subscribe