real-life mpg

[gsingleton]

Please could you tell me what your real-life mpg is and what size engine you have? I am trying to decide if I can afford to run a Chimaera as an everyday car (or whether I'll have to use my 1984 Scirocco Storm to drive to work each day.)
Thanks for your replies.
Gerrard
(soon-to-be Chim owner, I hope)

[Leadfoot]

Griff 500 = 20 to 22 mpg. Not much town work. Track days = 8 to 9 mpg

[manek]

Chimaera 4.0
Daily blatting round Sussex - 22-24mpg
Motorway runs - 27-28mpg
Hard driving - 20mpg
Track days - 12mpg

[pbrettle]

Chimaera 4.0HC

motorways and long runs (not as good as Manek) - 25-27 mpg
Urban driving (in / around town) - 15 - 20 mpg
"hoofing it" - 12 - 14 mpg

But in general I spend something like £26 to top up the tank (have an old Chimaera with the stupid fuel gauge) which lasts for around 160 - 200 miles. Which is really quite good.

They arent as bad as some people make out. Remember "hoofing it" is really pushing the car, you would be suprised as to how fast you can go without passing 3000 revs....!!?!?!

Cheers,

Paul

[squirrelz]

Chimaera 4.0
normally 18-20mpg (lots of pootling round town)
motorway 25mpg

[duncan m]

Motorway - 25 mpg
Commute - 18 to 20'ish

Oh, Chimaera 4.0 HC

>> Edited by duncan m on Friday 29th March 10:03

[UpTheIron]

Old (93L) Chim 4.0, mix of motorway and town driving, generally being as lead-footed as possible, spending too much time in traffic jams etc etc

Motorway 25-27mpg (even when cruising at 90-100mph).
Rest of the time - 20-22 mpg.

I must admit I stopped caring about fuel economy a long time ago, and I push the car harder and harder those figures have probably dropped a bit!

[roadsweeper]

I came on to the site to ask the very same question, but it's already been answered!

My 99S Chimaera 4.0 has been guzzling fuel quicker than I expected. My Renault Megane 1.6 does 42mpg, which equates to around 400 miles from £30 in my experience. So, since the Chimp is supposed to do 22mpg (best) combined, I expected about 200miles from £30, when driving sensibly.

Unfortunately I've been getting between 130 and 160miles from £30. Considerably more expensive than I expected!

Still, can't complain, the car is absolutely amazing and well worth the money! Just go for it!

[paul]

Gerrard,

just about any measurable component of performance will vary from car to car as they are handbuilt (see the many threads on "My TVR is supposed to develop 1000BHP, but only produces 950..."). As they age, their fuel economy will suffer depending on how well fettled (like that word) the car's been.
My 2nd Chimaera drank like Oliver Reed (95M 4.0), but my last one (98S 4.5) used to turn in around 22MPG on average.
Also, if your commute is short and in traffic, the big V8 gets sulky and cokes up over a period of time which does lead to misfiring and poor economy. Happily the solution is usually to take it into the country and give it a good thrashing.

[gsingleton]

Thanks all - I've been to Henley TVR today to look at a nice 99T 400, Adrian (proprietor) was on his own so I'll be going back tomorrow morning for a test drive. If I can get between 20 and 25mpg I'll be happy.

Gerrard

[angusfaldo]

Man, if your concern is MPG when buying a TVR then you should perhaps consider other marques.

Maybe a diesel Nova would suit you better

[gsingleton]

Cut me a little slack.... If it was as simple as just buying a car I wouldn't be worrying. There are other factors involved like a missus to keep happy.
I've already come to a compromise with her by going for a 400 instead of a 500

[tommomic]

quote:
Thanks all - I've been to Henley TVR today to look at a nice 99T 400, Adrian (proprietor) was on his own so I'll be going back tomorrow morning for a test drive. If I can get between 20 and 25mpg I'll be happy.

Gerrard -

Speaking from experience, and reinstating what others have said here, I would not worry about mpg with a TVR!! FYI - I find a 4.0 Chimaera does around 18mpg combined. If this is a concern, I would suggest buying a cheaper model and keeping the money saved in reserve for petrol/servicing.

The most fantastic cars on the planet, but most definately not the cheapest to run!

Cheers,
Tommo

[marlboro]

Gerrard,

I agree with Tommo on this one. 18 mpg is about average for my '96 4.0. You can obtain 20+ mpg but once you start enjoying the car such matters become less important.

As running costs are important I suggest you are very careful in selecting a Chimaera. Have it checked by a TVR specialist even if buying from a dealer. Having a few mechanical problems fixed can make your fuel bill look negligable.

Regards
Brian

[shpub]

If you are worried about petrol costs , get it adjusted to run on plain U/L - that will save you around 5-10 p a litre and is a bigger saving than trying to squeeze an extra mile or two.

Steve
www.tvrbooks.co.uk

[Jason F]

quote:
If you are worried about petrol costs , get it adjusted to run on plain U/L

Also, continue to harass the Govt till they reduce the Petrol Tax which seems to be the highest in Europe.

[kev north]

chimaera 500
i get 15 to 20 mpg i can not get any more than that
i was a member of greenpeace

>> Edited by kev north on Saturday 30th March 10:01

[manek]

Yup, it all depends too on where you live. When I lived in London, 18-20mpg was average. Now don't live there, it's 22-24mpg. But as Steve says, get it adjusted to take 95RON and you save around £4-5 per tankful and lose next to nothing.

[G3KES]

Just bought (or at least put a deposit down on) the Chimaera 400 from Henleys - collecting it next weekend
The week is going to crawl by, I just know it

Gerrard

[tommomic]

quote:
Just bought (or at least put a deposit down on) the Chimaera 400 from Henleys - collecting it next weekend
The week is going to crawl by, I just know it

Gerrard -

Congrats. - glad you took no notice of our advice about the mpg and went ahead anyway!!

Is it the dark blue T-reg one from Henleys? Looks a very nice example - hope you got a good deal.

Cheers,
Tommo