Range?

[Richard_Hamilton]

Mrs H and I are off for a few days in and around Oswestry on Sunday. Google Maps show it as being 165 miles. Allowing for a bit of running around the area, the trip is likely to be 400 miles. Should the tanker drivers union not reach a resolution with the employers, and decide to call a strike, you know what is going to happen......

I have brimmed the Cayman, but I really haven't done a long run in it yet. What range am I likely to achieve if I cruise at something like 80mph? Any experiences of real world range for an S?

Plan B would be to take the 3.2, which has a whopping 85 litre tank, and on a good run I know I can get 25mpg, giving a range of about 450 miles. On this occasion I would prefer to take the Cayman though.

 

[SteveMorrow]

Is there any room for a small fuel container in the boot Richard? May take some of the worry away from the journey for you. Great looking Cayman by the way.

 

[Kumaran.Govender]

Hi Richard, A few weeks back I did a trip up to Dolgellau, Wales driving from London in my Cayman (230 miles, give or take), I brimmed the tank on her then cruised all the way there, averaging around 80mph on the motorways and around 40 to 50 mph on the A roads, my fuel consumption was excellent, the range predictor said I could do an additional 140 miles before I needed fuel, so ideally around 370 miles on the tank. With sensible driving it was brilliant. Driving back to London on the other hand, sensibility was out the window and only managed about 250 miles to a full tank, but it was fun down to the last drop of gas!

 

[Buddy]

A year or so ago I was commuting with a trip of 65 miles each way and getting about 340 between fill ups but leaving most of the reserve in the tank, at least one way there would be heavy stop go traffic for around 20 miles of the journey. One straight through run at good speeds I did get 33mpg. Avoid traffic and you'll have no problem. Also, I once drove from Derby to Brussels on 12 gallons in a Boxster S 405 miles. Cruising 80 all the way where possible. Kevan

 

[Kumaran.Govender]

BTW: I have the Cayman (2.9) instead of the S (3.4), with the PDK option, and the 7th gear made all of the difference...

 

[NNH]

I get nearly 400 miles to a tank when touring at legal-ish speeds in my 2.7, though last time I went past Oswestry on the way to Dublin I had a little too much fun through Snowdonia to get that sort of range...

 

[dpoynton]

The OBC on my 3.4S is indicating 26.3mpg which I believe to be the overall fuel consumption since new (56 plate, 20k miles now). D

 

[BrianJ]

Hi Richard, The OBC on my Gen II 3.4S is indicating 30.7 over the last 17000 miles of mixed driving. It seems to cruise very economically at around 80 - the OBC average mpg goes up on long, steady speed motorway runs so I believe probably more like 32. Assuming you use 60 litres (13.2 gallons) of the 64 litre tank you would make 395 miles even at only 30mpg. So with a bit of tourist trundling along the way, 400 miles looks do-able.

 

[Richard_Hamilton]

Thanks guys. Sounds like a plan! I have an 8 litre fuel can I can put in the front boot, just in case. All this fussing about. Hopefully it will all be totally unneccessary, and I'll have been worrying about nothing.

 

[chrisH]

ORIGINAL: BrianJ Hi Richard, The OBC on my Gen II 3.4S is indicating 30.7 over the last 17000 miles of mixed driving. It seems to cruise very economically at around 80 - the OBC average mpg goes up on long, steady speed motorway runs so I believe probably more like 32.  Assuming you use 60 litres (13.2 gallons) of the 64 litre tank you would make 395 miles even at only 30mpg.  So with a bit of tourist trundling along the way, 400 miles looks do-able.  

I too have a Gen II 3.4 with OBC showing 31.7 and confirm when in Gemany last year and able to cruise above the UK limit the OBC reading improved well above 32. I was able to drive from Germany home in UK on one tank full with a quite a bit spare and that was over 370 mls. I think it all depends what sort of traffic situations Richard finds at the time, but given a clear run it should work out on one tank.

 

[Buddy]

Saw on the tv this morning that the RAC are advising people to drive smoothly, slowly and not to accelerate hard so don't get caught behind the muppets who labour their engines to get 1 mpg more from their 1 litre engines! As you'll be in 2nd/3rd and burning more than they're saving! Have a good trip, to the western border country.

 

[Buddy]

Richard, How did the economy run go, there and back on one tank?[]

 

[Richard_Hamilton]

I think I would just about have scraped it on a tank, but it would have been touch and go. We did 390 miles, and I chickened out on the experiment and filled up half way home. The PCM said 28.9 mpg for the trip. If it had been critical I would have cruised up there slower, but on the way back the weather was dreadful, and there were long stretches when I didn't feel comfortable doing more than 60-65, the visibility was so bad. So I reckon I could do it if I had to, and I wasn't driving particularly economically, but with a small can as a reserve it would make it comfortable.

 

[Buddy]

I was once driving from Lincoln to Derby and knew there was a Shell station on the Lincoln side of Nottingham when the light came on just about Newark, got to that station and it was coned off for the tanker filling up, not to worry, another station when leaving the ring road about 15 miles further on. Same again! I pulled into Derby and was about to pull in at the first station I came to whatever! Coned off and the indicator went from 9 miles range to not displaying!!! Down a side street to get across to the next nearest station, it was open, Shell and I rolled onto the forecourt on fumes, what a relief! I'd done over 40 miles on reserve through traffic! I think I made the last mile on willpower never mind V-Power!! Glad you had a good trip the Cayman S is a terrific tool for doing distance runs.