NoddyBadge
///Member
with my beloved car.
It's freaky that when I first got into it and really knew nothing about the car at all. I still don't think I know everything, but what I do know for sure - I'm loving it!
So have the car now for close on three months and always thought it'd be a weird transition for me to diesel, but no, it was not.
Every aspect it of it really suprises me and makes me love "her" more.
People always talk about how sluggish and noisy diesels are and since having my own, I certainly cannot agree!
I recently got back from a week in Port Elizabeth.
The first time that I'd actually got an oppurtunity to take her out on the long road.
My friend (the salesman that sold me the car) and a supervising mechanic at my dealership said that I'd get a 1000kms out of one tank.
I was rather sceptical...
On Monday morning of 07 September I filled up at the SASOL filling station in Ottery. 63litre tank to fill came in around at R460.00, perhaps a bit more, but there was still a bit of fuel in the car already.
Did all of the needed prelim checks, including the spare tyre's pressure and hit the road.
I think the range the computer showed me was just under 800km.
And then began my journey on the Garden Route.
A friend and I had thrown our luggage in the boot and only kept "padkos" in the front.
Aircon on all the way, except when I smoked.
I have the window open then.
Now I'd seen the range (distance) climb on the car before, but when I started keeping her on an even keel of about 120kph-140kph, the range went up like mad! :clap::excited:
At the end of the day, got to Port Elizabeth that evening having done 756km with just a little bit more than a quarter tank of fuel still left!
Another 250km still left on the range!
That clearly showed me that what my friend and the mechanic said were true!
Now take into consideration I come from my previous car (which I still miss at times, but it's getting less
) a '99 Golf4 1.6l Comfortline.
So now I've had to get accustomed from cloth to leather seats - they're freakishly cold when your back hits them in the morning! :thinker:
The sportier seat design, which hugs you in your seat. (on the way back I was more accustomed to it)
How to use the cruise control to my advantage - really love it as weary legs on the open road, did become problematic.
One of the smaller things I picked up on the N2, and perhaps it's just for my driving style is:
When approaching an incline and you'd always run into a situation where you'd overtake - what I first started doing was; while in "Drive", I'd simply put my foot down and let the car do the work of giving me my required torque and that'd be that!
Then I started fiddling around after doing that a few times and as I approached yet another overtaking oppurtunity I, moved the gear lever over to the left and tapped it up into 4th gear with the manual settings.
What I discovered was a much quicker step down and also of course more revs to work with when accelarating.
Now I'd always known due to take off's from traffic lights and experimenting with all 3 settings on the gearbox, that Manual does exactly that - the best option for quicker movement through the revs and gears.
I don't know if I was just comfortable or lazy with the normal drive settings on the open road, but as I said earlier, I decided to give the manual setting a chance as well and it worked well for me.
Consumption according the computer for the trip up was 6.7litres per 100km - I think I saw on Daniel's site, that the car should actually be doing 5.5litres per 100km.
So are there still more suprises in store?
Driving home I managed to get it down to 6.3l per 100km, so still a heavy or untrained right foot on this end.
Back in Cape Town this Sunday past I gave the car a thourough cleaning, washing, polishing and waxing and breathed some life into her appearance after all of the game drives we'd been on.
I pondered my consumption on the open road and then moved onto my normal city driving consumption
I'd been on 8.0litres per 100km before I left. (Heavy foot I said)
So for this past week, I've got myself to drive within the speed limit and let the car ease through the gears and it's a freaking pleasure.
To just cruise up to 70kph (still kinda close to the limit) is actually very satisfying and leaves such a great feel to the drive.
In this recent week my consumption is now averaging at 6.7l per 100km.
On Thursday evening driving home from work (22h30) I actually managed to get her down to 5.6L per 100km! :dropjaw:
That was at an average of 66.36kph which includes a drive at 100kph (cruise control) on the M5 from the N1 to the Ottery off ramp.
I thought to myself throughout this week, that perhaps I'm driving too slow and labouring the engine and turbo, but it's not been like that at all. The car simply eases along and handles 70kph with ease and now I finally get to enjoy another aspect of the car and realize that I'm not in a hurry to be anywhere.
Still can't wait to get the software remapped and take her on the track though:thumbsup::excited:
But that bend on my learning curve is still approaching...
It's freaky that when I first got into it and really knew nothing about the car at all. I still don't think I know everything, but what I do know for sure - I'm loving it!
So have the car now for close on three months and always thought it'd be a weird transition for me to diesel, but no, it was not.
Every aspect it of it really suprises me and makes me love "her" more.
People always talk about how sluggish and noisy diesels are and since having my own, I certainly cannot agree!
I recently got back from a week in Port Elizabeth.
The first time that I'd actually got an oppurtunity to take her out on the long road.
My friend (the salesman that sold me the car) and a supervising mechanic at my dealership said that I'd get a 1000kms out of one tank.
I was rather sceptical...
On Monday morning of 07 September I filled up at the SASOL filling station in Ottery. 63litre tank to fill came in around at R460.00, perhaps a bit more, but there was still a bit of fuel in the car already.
Did all of the needed prelim checks, including the spare tyre's pressure and hit the road.
I think the range the computer showed me was just under 800km.
And then began my journey on the Garden Route.
A friend and I had thrown our luggage in the boot and only kept "padkos" in the front.
Aircon on all the way, except when I smoked.
I have the window open then.
Now I'd seen the range (distance) climb on the car before, but when I started keeping her on an even keel of about 120kph-140kph, the range went up like mad! :clap::excited:
At the end of the day, got to Port Elizabeth that evening having done 756km with just a little bit more than a quarter tank of fuel still left!
Another 250km still left on the range!
That clearly showed me that what my friend and the mechanic said were true!
Now take into consideration I come from my previous car (which I still miss at times, but it's getting less
) a '99 Golf4 1.6l Comfortline.So now I've had to get accustomed from cloth to leather seats - they're freakishly cold when your back hits them in the morning! :thinker:
The sportier seat design, which hugs you in your seat. (on the way back I was more accustomed to it)
How to use the cruise control to my advantage - really love it as weary legs on the open road, did become problematic.
One of the smaller things I picked up on the N2, and perhaps it's just for my driving style is:
When approaching an incline and you'd always run into a situation where you'd overtake - what I first started doing was; while in "Drive", I'd simply put my foot down and let the car do the work of giving me my required torque and that'd be that!
Then I started fiddling around after doing that a few times and as I approached yet another overtaking oppurtunity I, moved the gear lever over to the left and tapped it up into 4th gear with the manual settings.
What I discovered was a much quicker step down and also of course more revs to work with when accelarating.
Now I'd always known due to take off's from traffic lights and experimenting with all 3 settings on the gearbox, that Manual does exactly that - the best option for quicker movement through the revs and gears.
I don't know if I was just comfortable or lazy with the normal drive settings on the open road, but as I said earlier, I decided to give the manual setting a chance as well and it worked well for me.
Consumption according the computer for the trip up was 6.7litres per 100km - I think I saw on Daniel's site, that the car should actually be doing 5.5litres per 100km.
So are there still more suprises in store?
Driving home I managed to get it down to 6.3l per 100km, so still a heavy or untrained right foot on this end.
Back in Cape Town this Sunday past I gave the car a thourough cleaning, washing, polishing and waxing and breathed some life into her appearance after all of the game drives we'd been on.
I pondered my consumption on the open road and then moved onto my normal city driving consumption
I'd been on 8.0litres per 100km before I left. (Heavy foot I said)
So for this past week, I've got myself to drive within the speed limit and let the car ease through the gears and it's a freaking pleasure.
To just cruise up to 70kph (still kinda close to the limit) is actually very satisfying and leaves such a great feel to the drive.
In this recent week my consumption is now averaging at 6.7l per 100km.
On Thursday evening driving home from work (22h30) I actually managed to get her down to 5.6L per 100km! :dropjaw:
That was at an average of 66.36kph which includes a drive at 100kph (cruise control) on the M5 from the N1 to the Ottery off ramp.
I thought to myself throughout this week, that perhaps I'm driving too slow and labouring the engine and turbo, but it's not been like that at all. The car simply eases along and handles 70kph with ease and now I finally get to enjoy another aspect of the car and realize that I'm not in a hurry to be anywhere.
Still can't wait to get the software remapped and take her on the track though
:thumbsup::excited:But that bend on my learning curve is still approaching...
