Real world fuel economy

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Knuttucks
Posts: 31
Joined: Fri Feb 17, 2017 1:17 pm

Post by Knuttucks »

I'm looking to change my current Citroen DS4 to a Niro 4 with all the bells and whistles. I'm reading mixed reviews over claimed and actual mpg achieved. Currently my DS4 is averaging 53mpg.
In the real world what mpg are being achieved with the 3 or first edition?
Current: Kia Niro 4 in Ocean Blue
Previous: Citroen DS4, Hyundai i40 Premium Tourer,Ford Mondeo Econetic

knea
Posts: 46
Joined: Sun May 21, 2017 6:39 pm
Location: London

Post by knea »

Hi,
My experience with a First Edition, over a few months, based on the following conditions:
  • based in London, so I have to deals with local roads and bad traffic in any circumstance, and consumption goes up
    most of the trips >10m and anyway usually in the range 10-80 miles
    majority of trips with no pax
    most of the trips with no load / roof box / roof bars
    Shell V-Power as a std fuel, Tesco Momentum as plan B
    in most cases over a combination of local roads, A&M.
Well, it performs roughly as - and, from time to time, even better than - the published consumption refs. Performance went up after a few miles & weeks after purchase, now seems pretty stable. I suppose that's due to a combination of break-in and increasing driving experience.
Great performance when using the smart cruise control, it works really well, I think it's the key to get great performance.

Additional pax/load, e.g. 3 adults and some bags, decrease performance, but not as much as I expected.
A/C must objectively decrease performance but, in fairness, I didn't really notice any significant difference.

Motorways: I have noticed that changing setting from 60 to 70 increases consumption significantly. Maybe a 5-8%? Not sure.
Unless i have to drive hundreds of miles, I stick to 60mph.
Kia Niro HEV First Edition, 2017, White Pearl
NiNiro
Posts: 14
Joined: Sun Jun 18, 2017 6:02 am

Post by NiNiro »

Knea, thank you for you balanced report! Nice to see for a change. It has frustrated me viewing some posts here about poor fuel economy from owners who have only had their Niro a matter of weeks! Engines, power trains and drivers bed in, learn and adapt over time.
The bedding in process for an ICE varies much and I have known new engines to take up to 20K miles to find peak performance and economy. I am looking forward to taking delivery of a Pearl white First Edition myself end of September.
I do approx 40K a year and will not be judging the Niro efficiency until 10K to allow me to learn how the power train works and for the components to bed in. Rash reviews with little data can create a detrimental impression that the hard work of the Kia engineers and designers has been for little gain. I am very encouraged by Kia's development of their hybrid and PHEV drive trains and will eagerly support them.
Emperor
Posts: 21
Joined: Wed Mar 22, 2017 10:42 am

Post by Emperor »

I've just returned from a week's vacation. The round tour was about 500 miles. This included a very time consuming bank holiday return! The car was fully loaded with gear and two adults. The outward journey gave 66 mpg and the return 69.2.
Most of the journey was at around 55-65 mph, with a few stretches at 70s. One one occasion, I needed some real power to pass a string of duelling Lorry drivers. Slipping into sports mode the speed rocketed up and before I knew it clocked 100mph.
Sluggish it was not!
The tour has taught me a few other things.
The ADAP works and is trustworthy.
The car slows and brakes when you don't do so soon enough.
Drifting out of lane,the system lines chides you back to where you should be. All of which makes the whole experience relaxed and less tiring.
The SatNav's offer of an alternative improved route in order to avoid delays saves time and temper. It escorted us through previously unvisited charming villages and away from clogged motorways. My son's route from the same starting point at the same time took him 50 minutes longer.
Finding something to complain about , so far, is proving difficult!
knea
Posts: 46
Joined: Sun May 21, 2017 6:39 pm
Location: London

Post by knea »

Ouch, just wrote a relatively long message but it didn't go through.
Ok, let me summarise a real life experience from the long week end, with the First Edition:
a) London East end to Broadstairs / Margate today, back and forth roughly on this route https://binged.it/2ggyNuP
b) 2 adults + little one, light load; A/C on 75% of the time; Shell V-Power; traffic
160+ miles: 68.2 mpg. No special attention to driving, cruise control active most of the time
Kia Niro HEV First Edition, 2017, White Pearl
h2onorth
Posts: 174
Joined: Thu Nov 24, 2016 6:19 pm

Post by h2onorth »

Hi read your mpg reports with interest. Had my 2 since Feb and have done 3600 since new . Live up north these days and use the train if going long distances so my only longer journey was lake District in march before car run in. I will be using the car next week to drive down to London as am visiting friends on the way and will be very interested to see if my figures are anything like qoted above. I assume these quoted figures are unadjusted? That is not corrected for cars electronic device errors of about 1.5 %, but still good.
For the odd journeys shortish which a favour hybrids I have seen over 60mpg but my overall average since new , corrected, is 57 started at 50 mpg when new. I am not a push on driver, and the moment you do the engine runs to keep up with cut and thrust commutors. Yes I like the car but if I was buying now I would wait for plug in or EV model.
You will do well to better your diesel but this car is not about high mpg its about lowering emissions
Only reservations with car are; boot is compact (due battery location), rear hatch gets very dirty on wet journeys and roller blind boot cover is poor design.
I like the car and will look at EV or plug in in 2020. Lots of competition however coming in 2018 and 2019.
h2onorth
Knuttucks
Posts: 31
Joined: Fri Feb 17, 2017 1:17 pm

Post by Knuttucks »

Thanks for the info, all looks good. I agree with trying to reduce emissions but also hoping increased fuel economy will be a benefit.
My regular commute is 18 miles of A roads and does include a few up and downs through the rolling Shropshire Hills. Fingers crossed.
Current: Kia Niro 4 in Ocean Blue
Previous: Citroen DS4, Hyundai i40 Premium Tourer,Ford Mondeo Econetic
djbobbins
Posts: 132
Joined: Fri Mar 03, 2017 7:57 pm

Post by djbobbins »

For my routine commute to work (11 miles of A-roads and generally fairly fast country C-roads) I am getting between 55 and 62 mpg depending on driving style, air con etc.

Today I had a meeting in Sheffield so drove from Coventry to Sheffield, then back to the Midlands. On the motorway with the cruise control at 70mph, other than about a 10 mile section each way near Nottingham at 50mph and a variable speed limited 60mph out of South Yorkshire for about 15 miles, the fuel computer average for the 210 mile journey was 66.3mpg.
Greenman
Posts: 108
Joined: Fri Aug 12, 2016 7:11 pm
Location: West London

Post by Greenman »

I'm getting 60 - 65mph with the climate control always on. Less than that on journeys under 5 miles.
Mike R
Niro 2 Black [no additional driving aids] Since 1 Sept 2016
Previously: Sportage KX2awd on11 plate
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djpfaff
Posts: 16
Joined: Fri Jun 02, 2017 4:46 pm

Post by djpfaff »

Got my First Edition since the end of May and done just over 7000 miles. And driving on the Adaptive Cruise Control everywhere (which I still find annoying, but that is a different story). And until about a few weeks ago I was driving at speeds based on the GPS signal on my phone, which is about 2 miles over the speed on speedometer and at these speeds I was averaging about 54/55 mpg. My daily trip is a mixture of M25/M1/several A-roads and a few roundabouts in Milton Keynes, so a good mix. Now I changed to sticking to the maximum speed according the speedometer, and the consumption seems to have improved to about 56/57 mpg, so it does save fuel even slowing down a few mph.
David P.
Currrent Car: Niro - First Edition (Ocean Blue)
Previous Car: B-Class - 2013
Next Car: Autonomous - 2020
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