Now we’ve a few miles under the tyres of our BMW 520d Touring we’re in a far better position to report on its fuel economy.
The official fuel figure is an impressive 48.7mpg. Our average, however, at 39.2mpg, isn’t quite that good. But then, the car keeps being ‘borrowed’ by other members of staff needing a big car to transport families or belongings around the country or, worse in terms of fuel economy, in town. And this type of stop-start city driving is what has seen the lowest recorded consumption for a single tank of diesel of 35.0mpg.
It’s playing havoc with my eco driving efforts. For example, after one ultra-eco run, the trip was reading the official 48.7mpg (see
the photographic evidence), but then the car was borrowed again, and when it was returned economy had fallen to 43.3mpg.
I’ve recently taken part in a BMW-sponsored Smarter Driving course run the Energy Saving Trust, which helps drivers improve their eco-driving techniques, so we’ll see if the 10% lift I achieved on the course can be translated to my long-term test car’s figures.
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