Australians Now Favour Fuel Economy Over Power

[russellw]

More Australian consumers rate fuel efficiency (84 percent) over power output (16 percent) as most important when making a new vehicle purchase

Ford surveyed almost 10,000 consumers, with 80 percent saying that they make a concerted effort to drive efficiently on a daily basis, but revealed that further education would prove useful in helping improve their vehicle’s fuel economy

Consumers prioritise fuel efficiency, but also place significant emphasis on power and drivability in their buying decision, which is reflected in Ford EcoBoost technology proliferating across the Ford line-up and increasing sales momentum and popularity

Ford Australia is a key player in the development of EcoBoost engines globally, with $2 billion in R&D over the past six years and even more to launch and upgrade a record number of products, including the rapid rollout of SYNC® 3^ that helps save time and fuel

MELBOURNE, October 28, 2016 – Australians rank fuel efficiency as their top priority when purchasing a new vehicle, the results of an extensive consumer survey have revealed. Moreover, more than four out of five Australian consumers rate fuel economy over power when choosing a new car according to a survey of more than 9,500 drivers in 11 markets across Asia Pacific conducted on behalf of Ford Motor Company.
“The survey shows that consumer attitudes towards power and fuel efficiency are shifting and industry sales are supporting that notion,” said Graeme Whickman, President and CEO, Ford Australia.
Four of five Australian respondents claimed they knew of techniques which enabled how to drive their car for maximum fuel efficiency, and 80 percent said they made a concerted effort to drive efficiently on a daily basis.
Yet when asked to detail key fuel-saving driving techniques, the majority weren’t able to correctly identify a significant number of simple steps towards reducing fuel consumption.
“We conducted this survey to get a better understanding of what drivers know about fuel economy and how they choose their vehicle,” said Graeme Whickman. “The results show there is quite a lot of confusion amongst Australians’ about what constitutes fuel efficient driving.
“Understanding how to drive efficiently is very important as drivers continue to be sensitive to fuel costs, no matter what the price is at the pump,” he added. “Efficiency from both the vehicle and the driver are significant factors.”

Misconceptions: Where Australians can save money on fuel through driving smarter

Australian drivers’ misconceptions about efficient driving mean that there’s significant opportunity for them to keep their tanks fuller for longer. The survey revealed that:

• One-third (33 percent) of Australian drivers do not know that harsh acceleration and braking can have a dramatic affect on their car’s fuel consumption

Reality: Aggressive driving – like braking harshly or taking off too quickly – is the worst offender when it comes to wasting fuel.

• One in five Australian drivers believe that keeping the engine running while idling will save more fuel

Reality: Turning the engine off and restarting it again is actually more fuel-efficient, as proven by start-stop technology in key vehicles such as the Ford Focus and Ford Escape.

• 70 percent of drivers are unaware that cruise control can deliver fuel efficiency benefits

Reality: Cruise control is a secret weapon against wasting fuel. It keeps drivers from needlessly driving faster than they should, and it helps maintain a constant speed, which means you don’t waste fuel through unnecessarily braking and acceleration.

• Only one in 10 drivers use GPS to map the quickest route before heading out

Reality: It seems obvious, but the longer and further you drive the more fuel you’ll use. Ford’s SYNC® systems will plot the fastest route, and also allow you to save time and money by avoiding heavy traffic situations.

• 40 percent of respondents didn’t know that driving in hilly terrain can hamper fuel consumption

Reality: A long drive on undulating mountain roads will use more fuel than driving on flat, straight roads, with more stress on the engine and heavier acceleration and braking.

• Only around one-quarter of respondents knew cold weather (24 percent) and hot weather (27 percent) affect a vehicle’s fuel efficiency

Reality: When you put your vehicle through extreme environments, it’s going to need more fuel to run. If you need an easy comparison, just think of yourself in extreme conditions.

• Less than half (47 percent) of those surveyed knew that removing heavy items or clutter from the car to help save fuel
  
  Reality: Excess weight in the vehicle can wreak havoc on your vehicle’s fuel consumption. Every gram costs you fuel, which in turn costs you money and will have you filling up sooner.
  

• One in three Australian drivers was unaware that regular maintenance and keeping tyres inflated helps save fuel

Reality: Regular maintenance maximises your car’s efficiency, while keeping your vehicle’s tyres at the recommended pressures not only reduces fuel economy, but reduce tyre wear.

Australia’s attitude to fuel efficiency
When asked the reasons for prioritising fuel efficiency, four out of five respondents from Australia cited the need to save money; nearly 13 percent higher than the Asia-Pacific regional average of 68 percent. Other top reasons included concern about high fuel prices (64 percent) and an interest in being more environmentally friendly (44 percent).
In fact, fuel efficiency is such a significant factor that nearly one-third (29 percent) of drivers who currently own a powerful car say that they regret not purchasing a more fuel-efficient vehicle.
As a result, drivers are starting to change their behavioral patterns. More than 34 percent of consumers are planning on driving less over the next 12 months, and 22 percent say that they will change their driving habits to use less fuel.

This all coincides with a general wariness about Australian fuel prices. More than three quarters (78 percent) of respondents say they don’t trust fuel prices to stay stable over the next year, which is 30 percent more than the Asia-Pacific average.

Australians trending towards more fuel-efficient vehicles

Behavioural and attitude shifts are reflected in new vehicle choices. Many consumers who are planning to buy a new car in the next year are considering more fuel-efficient vehicles:

- Thirty two percent plan to buy a vehicle with a more fuel-efficient engine than their current car

- Twenty three percent plan to downsize to a smaller vehicle

While fuel-efficiency is a priority, this desire is countered by the fact that Australian motorists place high value of performance. More than half (53 percent) of all respondents say they consider power as a major factor when buying a new car. City residents disproportionately said that they were motivated by performance when compared to suburban residents (58 percent versus 51 percent).
“Today’s consumers are more sophisticated than ever,” said Graeme Whickman. “They expect their vehicle to deliver excellent fuel economy without sacrificing the performance they need – whether it’s making a safe overtake on the highway, or negotiating a busy intersection in dense city traffic – it is important that power is available.”
Ford’s EcoBoost engines have been engineered to deliver substantial fuel savings as compared with larger displacement engines, but not at the cost of drivability and power. Since 2009, the 1.0-litre EcoBoost engine has been showered with awards including being voted best in class at the 2016 International Engine of the Year Awards for the fifth year in a row.
EcoBoost technology can now be found under the bonnet of more than 20 Ford nameplates around the world – from the Fiesta to the iconic Mustang, and on racetracks around the globe with our EcoBoost-powered Le Mans 24-hour winning World Endurance Championship team.

[ESPJG32]

Oh Dear,

I think it will mean that Ford [ if they believe the research] will give us Vanilla cars going forward...maybe the survey was designed to support what they wanted to hear and give them a good excuse to take a further step away from
the sensational GT's, turbo sixes and of course the ultimate GT-F's that they gave us from the now silent Broadmeadows......

[Raptor]

Just

Really

Here's one they could teach their engineers;

Excess weight in the vehicle can wreak havoc on your vehicle’s fuel consumption.

....and performance.

I've had one tell me steel is cheaper than law suits so we always add more

witness the ever heavier and thirstier Falcon and Territory.






.

[Mercury Bullet]

Gotta love focus groups.

[janddbone]

Brett says run LPG and who cares.........................

[OzJavelin]

Two thoughts come to my mind to reaffirm this ..
One .. most people probably spend a lot of their time at slow speed or stopped in traffic for a very large percentage of their driving time .. power is irrelevant and comfort/convenience is premium.
Two .. even the least powerful modern car is largely on par with the average 6 cylinder family car of yesteryear .. eg. AU Falcon. While they say they don't favour power, the assumption is that they already have it (like safety, reliability, etc)

[Maka]

Originally Posted by Raptor

Just

Really

Here's one they could teach their engineers;
....and performance.

I've had one tell me kg's are cheaper than law suits so we always add more steel

witness the ever heavier Falcon and Territory..

Naughty modern marketing trends, it's all about bragging rights isn't it lol!

cheer's, Maka

[commodorenutt]

This seems like a very slanted "survey" to achieve their own end goal....

I find it amusing when people with near new small cars complain about having to spend $X/week to fill them up (especially those who buy certain euros that demand 95 or 98) yet they'll happily pay 5 or 10 times that amount on the leasing finance.

Modern "economy" cars cost bugger all in actual fuel costs compared to all the other running costs (and finance) when they are brought into the equation, so it's a very shallow to simply focus on fuel economy.


Think about a small car or hybrid using 5L/100km. Say petrol is $1/L (for simplicity), a $40 fill will get them 800km.
(this is a realistic consumption figure for the small economic cars that people buy for the economy reason - they don't buy a Falcon or Territory if they want good economy....)

Assuming $40/fortnight (400km a week) that's 20880km over a year (about average) at a cost of $1040 for fuel @ $1/L.

Annual rego in NSW is around that cost now. Add comprehensive insurance, and fuel becomes even less of a cost factor. And we haven't even looked at servicing or tyres.....

To include those, let's say it gets to 45,000km in 2 years (quite common for a commuter car). In that time it's likely to need a set of tyres (say $600 for half-decent small car tyres) and $295 for each 15K service ($885 total) assuming there's no additional service charges or out-of-pocket repairs needed.

Over that 2 years & 45,000km the total fuel cost is $2250
For the same period, the rego, insurance, servicing & tyres would be $4485 - almost double what the fuel to run it has cost in that time (Assuming a very lenient $900 rego and $600 full comp).

And we haven't even looked at the finance/interest costs....

Some people can't see the forest for the trees....

[Mercury Bullet]

Careful....the marketing companies will place you on a hit list.

[bangm001]

Did they survey monkeys???

[uniacidz]

More powerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

I keep the fuel prices low

[simon varley]

I'm driving a Focus RS this weekend. Haven't even looked at the fuel consumption

[jaydee]

With a 351 you don't even think about consumption rate, just enjoy (except my fuel gauge doesn't work so have to be a bit careful).

[data_mine]

sounds like 80% of drivers need to be taking the bus instead.

think how awesome the roads would be with 80% less traffic - and that missing traffic being the idiots that can't drive properly anyway.

bliss

[.:4:.]

Originally Posted by data_mine

sounds like 80% of drivers need to be taking the bus instead.

think how awesome the roads would be with 80% less traffic - and that missing traffic being the idiots that can't drive properly anyway.

bliss

I'll take having to pay for fuel for a car that is enjoyable to drive over free fuel in an economical car. Less traffic would be awesome. even though they aren't anything sporty, $20 in either the fairmont ghia or g6 ecoboost beats the hell out of the long range, long time to get to 60 ranger with the fuel card. Cant fit ladders and a tray (single cab, so a lot) of crap in the back of a falcon though.First world problems...

[CyberWasp]

I don't know who these 'Australians' were, but I bet most of them looked like this.

[eb2fairmont]

So Australians concerned about fuel consumption. Yes it is a factor.

But it sells most of the high output sports models, ss, gti, Rs etc.

So this is just Rs with a b

[vztrt]

Originally Posted by Raptor

Just

Really

Here's one they could teach their engineers;
....and performance.

I've had one tell me steel is cheaper than law suits so we always add more

witness the ever heavier and thirstier Falcon and Territory.

.

But then the compalints start about cars not having useless tech in there or other crap that adds weight. Then on top of that when you need to add safety stuff etc.

Take the example of the LED taillights on the everest. If you pick that up against a regular tail light with a globe there is a bit more weight in it.

Ford do work on keeping the weight down. Take b series to the fg. They only added 8 kg which was a great achievement.

[XB GS 351 Coupe]

I would rather tell my grand kids about driving my 500 cube XB Coupe or 351 ute than tell them about how much fuel I saved.

Who on their death bed worries about how much fuel they saved, I pay for my fuel and I enjoy driving the cars I drive.

The outcome of any survey can easily be manipulated by who you ask.

Go to the V8 Supercars, the Drag Nationals or Summernats and run the same survey and see what the results will be

[.:4:.]

Originally Posted by XB GS 351 Coupe

I would rather tell my grand kids about driving my 500 cube XB Coupe or 351 ute than tell them about how much fuel I saved.

Who on their death bed worries about how much fuel they saved, I pay for my fuel and I enjoy driving the cars I drive.

The outcome of any survey can easily be manipulated by who you ask.

Go to the V8 Supercars, the Drag Nationals or Summernats and run the same survey and see what the results will be

I'm guessing the survey either only targeted bearded males in Surry hills who sported man buns on top, who were also vegans, and who struggled to make a living selling poems or street art. Or the same, but in Melbourne. If they did the surveys where real people live, there wouldn't be any of this style of controversy (no ill speak to the op) but I live a 35k drive frome the sydney cbd, and I have worked there for the past decade. Its not a terrible commute. A loaded 2.2 diesel manual can be a challenge to try and move at times, but nah, anything that uses under 6l per hundred couldn't save me from a house fire. note, the ranger is sitting on 9.7. And the anchor that is the ranger is always loaded

[MITCHAY]

Lol what is fuel economy? I haven't any of that going on for 10 years now even with a 4cyl turbo.
Just cracked 175,000 this week too

[GO FURTHER]

Well.... Then Tesla should be happy with this survey.

Cheap to recharge and 0 - 100Kms in under 4 seconds.

Seems like all that is needed now is a Tesla for under AUD$30K and Aussies can have the best of both worlds in the next 10 years.

[chevypower]

I like a good balance of both, but a lot of the fuel economy benefits come from the way you drive. If I hot rod my Silverado 6.6 V8 diesel, I get about 14-15L/100km. But I have gotten an average of 10.5L/100km on cruise control sitting at 120km/h going from one city to another. It has the aerodynamics of a house, weighs 3300kg, with 296KW and 1037Nm! That fuel economy test also included a 1,000 ft elevation climb. I'm going to go the opposite direction today, so I'm curious to see if I can lower my average. I think if my vehicle were in Australia, at lower altitude, in warmer weather, driving at 100km/h, inthink I could average slightly under 10L/100km on the highway.

But anyway, keep your vehicle maintained, tyres inflated etc. Keep your speed down, don't accelerate hard. Excess weight hurts your city driving fuel economy. Poor aerodynamics hurts your highway economy.

Hopefully soon enough we can all just move over to electric or FCV and have enough power, torque, and range that we don't need to worry too much about what we drive or the way we drive it!

[.:4:.]

Can I add no one had mentioned that there have been people that have been reversed over by the silent death?
By that I refer to things like the hybrid lexis and whatever, that when you are the poor bloke walking the carpark in hi vis, they still decide to back out in silent mode

[Brazen]

Originally Posted by OzJavelin

While they say they don't favour power, the assumption is that they already have it (like safety, reliability, etc)

That is actually an excellent point. The fact is they probably do want power - but because they are already getting it in the cars they drive, they are now seeking other attributes as well. Your example of reliability is a good one.

[vztrt]

Originally Posted by .:4:.

Can I add no one had mentioned that there have been people that have been reversed over by the silent death?
By that I refer to things like the hybrid lexis and whatever, that when you are the poor bloke walking the carpark in hi vis, they still decide to back out in silent mode

Plenty of children been run over by suv's....they had engines.

[OzriderXR8]

For most a car is simply a means of getting from a to b, most have to use it to get to work, take the kids to school etc, etc.

Why wouldn't reducing the costs for running what is essentially now a consumable be important?

I have 3 cars and a bike, the FG is much more economical than the XR8 and my wife's Elantra is much cheaper for short trips to and from work, school and shopping.

The bike, ridden like I stole it, only uses 4l/100klms.

The wifes Elantra gets driven on average 10klms a day, that's school run and work (wife works across the road from the school) and afternoon pick up etc.

Averages 7.1 l/100klms

If she used the FG it would be twice that, the XR8 3 times.

I drive to town twice a week (25klms in traffic) Bike, 4l/100klms, FG 12l/100klms, XR8 16l/100klms.

I also drive to Geelong 3 times a week (160klm round trip), XR8 12l/100klms, FG 8.6l/100kls.

If we can save a combined amount of even $25 a week in fuel costs that adds up to $1300 a year.

So in a nutshell fuel economy is really, really important because that $1300 allows me to keep the XR8..

[MAGPIE]

One in five Australian drivers believe that keeping the engine running while idling will save more fuel

As opposed to turning it off while idling

I've been idling wrong all these years


What a stupid article, can I have that 2 minutes back.

[Whitey-AMG]

Works for me...
More fuel efficient cars for everyone so there's more fuel left over for my filthy low and loud GT to burn 20L /100klm.

[Gothefalcon]

Originally Posted by janddbone

Brett says run LPG and who cares.........................

I agree with this ! as an example, I just drove my LPG powered 2.3tonne AWD Falcon Wagon from Adelaide to Melb. It cost about $44 to get there.

Had I driven a petrol Corolla instead, it would have cost me about $65.

Whilst I acknowledge my Falcon is not as economical on fuel (L/100K) as the Corolla... it is still more economical on my wallet

I also acknowledge that the cost of running both around the City gets closer ... but at no point does it get cheaper to run the Corolla. On top of this.. the Falcon offers greater comfort, more space (cabin & luggage), a much greater tow capacity (can tow almost twice what a Corolla weighs), more power, it sits on the road better (especially the open road) and arguably more safety... so why would I trade out of my Falcon, into a Corolla !??

Another example... one of my work mates went to buy a new car a while ago and his Missus made him get a small car "because they are cheaper to run". So He got a new Focus. Turned out to be one of the dodgy autobox examples... and after several failed attempts at getting it fixed, she allowed him to get rid of it and get what he wanted in the first place. So dodgy Focus was exchanged for a new FG-X XR6 Lpi Falcon Ute (for original price + difference) and low & behold... the Gas Falcon is cheaper to run !

Sure.. by all means get a small car, if you don't want a big car etc.. but I wouldn't make that decision purely based on the perceived cost of fuel only !

D