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Paths crossed

The fuel consumption of my February 2008 Nissan Pathfinder Aventura diesel has been carefully monitored driving on country roads at an average of 50mph and motorway driving at 69mph using cruise control. The mileage is recorded at each fuel stop and the tank filled to capacity and checked again at the next fill. It varies from 24 to 26 MPG it is never over 30 MPG as per the manufactures claim. I have taken the car to a main Nissan agent who tells me that all the pump settings are correct and they don't know why the fuel consumption is not better. Any thoughts?

Asked on 17 January 2009 by

Answered by Honest John
You might improve it slightly with a fresh air filter and BP Ultimate diesel. But that's about what I would expect from this vehicle. It's huge and blunt, carrying a lot of weight, a 4WD system and saddled with an autobox (though that should 'lock up' on the motorway). My brother gets 30 - 33 from a Navara, which is the same thing with a solid rear axle and less weight. I can tell you that the Isuzu I-TEQ 2.5 and 3.0 engines are more economical. I got 34mpg out of a 2.5 4WD. Our own 2.5 2WD does 36. And readers report over 40 from the 3.0 2WD. A LandRover Disco III 2.7TDv6 struggles to manage 25mpg. Don't confuse VCA figures with manufacturer's claims. They are not "manufacturer claims". They are VCA figures and are the only figures manufacturers are allowed to publicise. VCA admits that they are unrepresentative of what different drivers can expect. And in Germany a manufacturer has been successfully sued because a driver could not achieve the ‘official’ economy figures for his car.
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