Saturday, 01 October 2011

Fuel-efficient Driving Techniques from Saab

With both petrol and diesel costs on an upwards spiral, we are keen to offer motorists driving techniques to reduce fuel consumption and make savings at the fuel pumps.

Excellent on-road performance can travel hand-in-hand with respectable fuel consumption and, as a result, high fuel costs need not be a major consideration as long as a car is driven in an efficient manner.

By adopting a series of carefully applied driving techniques, motorists will see the benefits almost immediately.

Avoiding harsh acceleration is key, but reaching the required cruising speed without using the car's cruise control technology will also help achieve fuel consumption savings. Once at speed, maintaining momentum is important and this is where the ability to plan and look beyond your range of sight is imperative. Block gear shifting, such as going directly from second to fifth gears, and avoiding harsh braking can also improve fuel efficiency.

The key to achieving a good fuel return lies in reaching a sensible and legal cruising speed and maintaining it with little more than a whisker of throttle depression.

Naturally, traffic snarl-ups occurring for commuters on todays roads are known to increase fuel consumption. Where possible, we advise avoiding stop-start scenarios or even seeking alternative routes or departure times to miss out the traffic build up.

Saab's commitment to delivering a more efficient drive for its customers was demonstrated recently when it entered the recent 2011 MPG marathon; an annual fuel economy challenge held over two days and covering a challenging 370 miles, designed to replicate a typical motorist?s driving route.

The Saab 9-5 2.0-litre petrol turbo returned an impressive 43.81 mpg, a 27.35% improvement over its official combined fuel figure of 34.4 mpg, and a place on the podium by applying these driving techniques.

For more information about Saab's range of fuel-efficient engines, please contact our Sales team.