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Does cruise control improve fuel economy or reduce it?
More than once in your column I've seen complaints by readers that cruise control is a fuel waster. I was always under the impression that cruise control allows the engine management system to select the optimum and presumably the most economical settings. Which is the truth? Good or bad?
Asked on 23 November 2013 by JP, Northumberland
Answered by
Honest John
You can drive more economically using your right foot, because cruise control maintains your speed up inclines and that's when the most fuel is burned. If you are driving sensitively, watching the instant fuel readout, you can lift slightly on inclines.
Real MPG enables you to register the fuel economy you are actually getting against your make and model of car, its engine and type of transmission.
Every time you enter an average consumption figure against your car, the overall average automatically adjusts to reflect it.
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