FUEL CONSUMPTION

[drew_1 Find all posts View Profile Close drew_1]

Hi folks,
I've owned my beloved 120 Series for 10 years now. She'll be sold soon to make way for a 150 that I pick up next week; So time has come to reconcile and share a decade of fuel consumption records.

Key stats:
10 years;139 fill ups
20,467 litres
146,153km
14.0 l/100km

(Prado GXL 2004 diesel auto 1KZ-TE; TJM steel bullbar, Airtec snorkel, driving lights, roof bars)

Chart 1: Fuel consumption between each fill up
http://s7.postimg.org/6mtstl4kb/PRADO_Records_PP1.png

Notes:
0-60,000km: No kids, living in country, beach driving and boat towing
+60,000km: Moved to city, had kids, sold boat, no more beach driving
+130,000km: Eldest at school. Estimated 6hrs of idling with aircon on for school pickup per tank of dieso


Chart 2: Fuel consumption distribution
http://s8.postimg.org/qs82op2k5/PRADO_Records_PP2.png

Chart 3: Fuel consumption distribution Country vs City
http://s28.postimg.org/ibc9zy3i5/PRADO_Records_PP2a.png

I'm keen to see how the 150 compares over then next ten years....

Cheers,
Simon

simon, impressive stats!

can i guess your profession:

a) engineer
b) accountant
c) ms excel tutor

i'm thinking 'a'

[SimonW Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close SimonW]

simon, impressive stats!

can i guess your profession:

a) engineer
b) accountant
c) ms excel tutor

i'm thinking 'a'

Haha picked it first go. Engineer. I love a good spreadsheet

[drew_1 Find all posts View Profile Close drew_1]

Haha picked it first go. Engineer. I love a good spreadsheet

ha, i knew it! just like my old man - an engineer who loves his cars and recording their respective stats!

[SimonW Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close SimonW]

Haha hi5 to your old man!
Yes, I think it's good fun, especially when the data tells a story.

I look back fondly at the time in my life when I was getting 20 l/100km.
Sand driving, towing the boat at speed limit plus GST.
They were the days!!

[Bushbasher Out of control poster! Find all posts View Profile Close Bushbasher]

Just done Broome - Halls Creek and return (1200km) sitting on 110 and managed 12.4l/100km with swags up top on the roof rack. Thanks to a mate in a Jeep ahead of me and another in a roof-top tent equipped Patrol that was pretty much flat out just getting to 110.

[Bushbasher Out of control poster! Find all posts View Profile Close Bushbasher]

A mate has a second hand 200 series petrol V8. It was doing 28 litres per 100km when he bought it. He has managed to get it down to 16 l/100km now. And you were worried about getting 14s in your Prado.

[Snaga Wishing I was lost Find all posts View Profile Close Snaga]

Time to test the theories... I've been running mostly Woolworths diesel since buying my 120 back in 2012 and getting mid 13's for fuel economy.
So, today I filled with BP Ultimate. 160lt so shouldn't take long before I'm running purely on BP fuel.
At only $15'ish per tank extra to fill it worth experimenting.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[vlbaby Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close vlbaby]

This thread has me got me worried. I'm certain there must be something wrong with my Prado. I can barely manage 15L/100km on an open road thats dead flat. The missus gets around 19 to 20L/100km doing the school runs and shopping etc. I'm starting to think I should have spent the extra on a diesel.

[Snaga Wishing I was lost Find all posts View Profile Close Snaga]

My 90 series petrol averaged 18l/100 after all the stuff I put on it as well as the type of driving I was doing.
Lots of slow, stop start driving around Brisbane.
The only accessory I don't have on the 120 is a rear locker that the 90 had.
I just think the diesel handles the extra weight better.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Snaga Wishing I was lost Find all posts View Profile Close Snaga]

So far... I think I'm a convert.

Two things to note:
a. BP Diesel smells more at idle when you're near the car
b. A HUGE drop in smoke during acceleration in general driving. Huge plus as I hate being 'one of those stinky diesels'

[BlakMoth Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close BlakMoth]

So far... I think I'm a convert.

Two things to note:
a. BP Diesel smells more at idol when you're near the car
b. A HUGE drop in smoke during acceleration in general driving. Huge plus as I hate being 'one of those stinky diesels'

yep im with you Snaga, bp is cleaner and doesn't smoke as much as other fuels. I also use a BP card to fill up as I use it for my work van. Although my FiL is a fuel truck driver for Gull and reckons it's all the same anyways as it's all processed in WA at BP refinery in Kwinana apparently.
I have been wondering about my fuel economy though as I think it's not as good as it could be. It's better than what it was now that I'm driving the Prado and the wife aka leadfoot is in a new Rav4.
Ours is a 2004 TD auto with 135000 k's, Rhino Pioneer Tray, sovereign bar, safari snorkel, awning, lifted, AT tyres and I just put a new 40" light bar on the roof last week which has made it much noisier on the freeway.
Last tank was 1100 k's off 166L which included a trip to Jurien with some off road driving and a trip to Dwellingup, both with the roof rack loaded up, so I guess that the fuel economy wasn't too bad considering. Will be interesting to see how much of an effect the light bar has, if any at all.
It still has the original exhaust so I'm gonna replace that soon, maybe that might improve things slightly.

[samuraidarryl Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close samuraidarryl]

Love this thread guys - looking forward to cleaning the sensor tomorrow. We did 13000kms towing an off-road caravan 2500kgs loaded and achieved 14.6 l/100. Two more 5000 km trips (Fraser and KI) gave the same result. Now the fuel consumption is poor WITHOUT a van in tow. Hoping it's the sensor and maybe filter. Time will tell with another trip to Birdsville and Central West Qld planned for 4 weeks time.

[BlakMoth Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close BlakMoth]

Sensor? Did I miss something?

[cfryback Find all posts View Profile Close cfryback]

I've been using https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/car-...471401142?mt=8 on my iPhone

And according to it I'm getting an average of 13.07l/100km

But I confess, I am bit of lead foot on the highway - even with the cruise set. I won't even get into running around on Car Rally gravel roads!

[Bushbasher Out of control poster! Find all posts View Profile Close Bushbasher]

Sensor? Did I miss something?

Every once in a while you can give the MAF sensor a clean. The dealer is supposed to give it a blow with compressed air every service. Its located on top of the air inlet pipe immediately after the air cleaner. Be gentle with it.