Drafting a lorry (thats not my picture btw!)
On my way back from a job yesterday, I decided to settle in behind a lorry to enjoy a little bit of drafting. Its been a while since I have had the opportunity to venture into a slipstream, country roads don’t tend to have many HGVs on them.
The route from Peterborough to Stamford on the A1 is mostly uphill so I was curious to see what MPG I could pull out of the bag. Obviously, I kept to a safe distance (2 seconds) before the bleats of the internet trolls start!
As soon as I got behind it I was amazed how much difference it made. On the flat, I only required the lightest touch of the pedal to keep with it, giving me an amazing 140+ MPG over a couple of miles. Even while going up hill I didnt see anything lower than 60MPG, I was trully amazed on how the Skoda performed in a draft.
On my return home I checked the trip MPG and it was showing 99MPG, I know its about 5% out so I would put it at about 93MPG. Not bad for a “hot” Diesel 4 door hatch!
To learn more about Hypermiling and the Techniques I used see our Hypermiling Techniques page.
Hi, interesting site you have! I see you have left behind a VRS for a /cough/ V40… But I hoped you’d answer – does the VRS make a good economical car without sacrificing long journey power? I need to downsize the 407 and save money and the VRS seems a great option. Would you recommend one and what average consumption were you getting? I’m always dubious over manufacturers ratings.
Thanks in advance!
Aaron
The VRS is a good “small” family hatch and that for me was it’s downfall. It had more than enough power for motorway and town driving but the lack of boot and rear seat space as a big issue with e growing family.
I would see a reliable 65-70MPG using Hypermiling techniques however it was very tempting to give it a boot full with all that twist on tap.
The V40 is a long way from the VRS… another league, it will be fondly remembered.