How far can you stretch a tank of gas? All the way from Delhi to Mumbai? Sounds impossible? Well, that was the challenge we put ourselves and the Renault Lodgy to. Moreover, as we learned, it would have been possible to go further, perhaps all the way to Goa. So, how did we manage to pull this off? Read on.
First of all, we chose a standard Lodgy with no mechanical modifications. The only change we allowed ourselves was to lower rolling resistance by setting the tyre pressures firmer, to fully loaded conditions, despite, of course, having only one occupant in the car and no luggage. The rest of the fuel-saving techniques were all down to driving style, road conditions, timing and the frugal Renault K9K engine.
All through the drive, we kept the AC switched off to increase the engine's efficiency and the windows were rolled up to lower drag. Of course, with an eye on reducing driver fatigue and to help the engine run a little less laboured, most of the driving was done at night, which also helped in avoiding traffic.
Rahul Kakar, Autocar India's senior test driver called into play some very clever methods. He said, "The key to achieving optimum fuel efficiency was maintaining a steady speed of 40-45kph with the engine ticking at just a little over 1,000rpm in fifth gear. Also important was to judge traffic and anticipate the movement of surrounding vehicles while not accelerating a lot."
The distance from Delhi to Mumbai took four days to cover and was done through the Golden Quadrilateral highway network. The overall fantastic conditions of the roads, no doubt, played a part in helping with efficiency. The drive was flagged off from Delhi on April 9, 2016, with stops at Jaipur, Udaipur and Vadodara, with the MPV finally arriving in Mumbai in the wee hours of April 13, having consumed only 32.91 litres of diesel. The Autocar management implemented a process to ensure that the fuel tank was sealed at the start point and remained sealed through the journey. Ernst & Young observed the operation of these controls.
This accomplishment just goes to show how far a frugal engine, a large tank, smart driving techniques, good roads and light traffic can take you.