Tired of paying so much at the pump? So are we. And those Natural Resources Canada "Energuide" ratings... are they realistic or are they way off when applied to real-world driving?
There are many factors that affect fuel consumption, and it's true that sometimes you may not even get close to the official estimates. But there is something that you can do. This series was developed based on the proposition that even though consumers have no control over the price of fuel, they can control the pace at which it is used. For vehicle owners, this means if you modify your driving style you may be able to reduce fuel consumption - and save money - while still using your preferred mode of transportation as required.
We put it to the test, driving a range of vehicles and varying our driving styles. We think we're saving money; maybe you can, too.
2008 CanadianDriver Fuel Economy Challenge, Part two Using fuel-saving driving techniques in a 60 per cent city/40 per cent highway driving mix, CanadianDriver editors Grant Yoxon and Paul Williams were able to beat their baseline fuel consumption reading by almost two litres per 100 km. Readers can have their say on CarTalkCanada.com.
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2008 CanadianDriver Fuel Economy Challenge During the first week he drove a 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid, Managing Editor Grant Yoxon averaged 8.57 L/100 km, "decent fuel economy" for a 1,644 kg SUV, but more than expected "considering the price premium on the Escape Hybrid." Readers can have their say on CarTalkCanada.com.
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Honda CR-V and Mazda6 Sport
2008 CanadianDriver Fuel Economy Challenge Editors Grant Yoxon and Paul Williams continue to compare how fuel-efficient and fuel-inefficient driving styles can affect fuel consumption and whether or not it's possible to meet Canada's Energuide fuel consumption ratings in the real world. Readers can have their say on CarTalkCanada.com.
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2008 CanadianDriver Fuel Economy Challenge: March 5 update During February's sub-zero temperatures and snowy road conditions, our editors weren't able to achieve Energuide fuel economy numbers for the Mazda6 Sport and Honda CR-V, however using a fuel-efficient driving style did help improve fuel economy. Readers can have their say on CarTalkCanada.com.
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Jeep Grand Cherokee diesel and Toyota Camry Hybrid
2008 CanadianDriver Fuel Economy Challenge Over the next four months, CanadianDriver staff will be testing the "real-world" fuel consumption of four different vehicles when driven aggressively and conservatively. Those results will then be compared to official Energuide fuel economy ratings. Readers can have their say on CarTalkCanada.com.
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2008 CanadianDriver Fuel Economy Challenge: Update For the past two weeks, Senior Editor Paul Williams and Managing Editor Grant Yoxon have been driving the Jeep Grand Cherokee diesel SUV and Toyota Camry Hybrid aggressively to see how that affects fuel consumption. Click here to see the (somewhat surprising) results. Readers can have their say on CarTalkCanada.com.
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CanadianDriver Fuel Economy Challenge: Conclusion, Part One After driving over 5,000 and 3,000 kilometres respectively, Grant and Paul concluded that fuel consumption can be improved by changing your driving style, but winter weather conditions will have a negative effect on fuel economy regardless of how you drive. Readers can have their say on CarTalkCanada.com.
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