Isuzu Ute Australia had loaned us an MU-X. With its 3L turbodiesel engine, smooth six-speed transmission and sophisticated safety features, it’s a heck of a car. Coincidentally, I was being called to Canberra. The Caravan Industry Association of Australia was hosting a workshop for people within the RV and holiday park industries, followed by a cocktail party at Parliament House. I could either fly to the nation’s capital, or I could climb aboard the Isuzu MU-X and drive from Melbourne to Canberra. In late October, that’s what I did. It was, you see, an excellent opportunity for some more fuel testing.
Previous tests I’d conducted with the Isuzu MU-X yielded fuel usage returns of about 8.6L/100km combined city/country driving, against Isuzu’s claimed figure of 8.3L/100km. But those tests were over shorter distances. What figure could we expect when driving unhitched on nothing but open road for hours at a time? The opportunity to conduct this test fell into my lap – but it was too good to pass up.
ISUZU MU-X TO CANBERRA
On the outskirts of Melbourne, I trickle-filled the tank to the brim with diesel. From there, it was almost entirely open highway between me and Canberra. These days, you don’t even need to slow down for Albury, unless you want to. The traffic and weather conditions were favourable. Overall, they were good open-highway testing conditions in which the vehicle travelled at 110km for the vast duration.
By the time I rolled into Canberra that night and had parked at my hotel, the vehicle’s 80L fuel tank, according to the fuel gauge, was between a quarter to half full. I was, in all honesty, pretty impressed. In two days, I’d be heading back to Melbourne. I half thought I might make it back over the border before needing to fill up. The fuel economy was proving to be surprisingly decent.
I would not normally recommend running a fuel tank so low, but by the time it was time to point the bonnet south, I was in for a penny, in for a pound. How far I could go before the fuel light came on?
Well, I didn’t quite make the border. I got as far as Holbrook, a lovely little town famous for the decommissioned submarine that sits in a park as a tourist attraction. By the time I rolled into a Holbrook service station, the Isuzu MU-X had done a respectable 910km on a single tank. They were virtually all highway miles, true, but that seems like a decent figure to me. Out of the 80L tank, the vehicle had consumed 73.19L – it was running on fumes by the time I’d pulled into the servo.
After paying for the fuel, I ran the numbers. Working out fuel consumption is relatively easy. Simply fill your tank to the brim, as I had done, zero the trip-meter, and when you fill up again do so again to the brim. Then, make a note of the number of litres of fuel that went back into the tank, as well as the number of kilometres driven according to the trip-meter.
It is simply a matter of then dividing the fuel used in litres by the distance travelled in kilometres, and multiplying the answer by 100. This will give you the vehicle’s fuel consumption in litres per 100km.
Naturally, fuel consumption will be affected by a wide range of factors. Weather, traffic, speed and even tyre pressures play a role; however, it is an exercise I perform from time to time as one means of remaining familiar with my vehicle. Your fuel figure will vary, but if it varies wildly, it may indicate an issue.
THE RESULT
I was quite pleased that I’d been able to squeeze 910km from a single tank of diesel. The final result was 8.04L/100km. Not bad at all. Now, I was travelling light. Add a few extra passengers and luggage, and that number would climb a little. That said, I still believe that the Isuzu MU-X is a fuel-efficient vehicle and, as an aside, I know from experience that it is also a solid tow vehicle.
BY THE NUMBERS
Distance travelled: 910km
Fuel used: 73.19L
Fuel consumption: 8.04L/100km
