THE F WORD!
WORDS AND IMAGES: MARTY LEDWICH, WWW.RVEETHEREYET.COM
HOW MUCH FUEL WILL YOU REALLY USE FOR YOUR BIG LAP?
There are not too many happy hour topics more
polarising than fuel economy, especially when
towing a caravan. Fuel is one of the biggest
expenses of caravanning holidays and, if you’re
thinking about doing the Big Lap, the price of fuel
is a huge consideration when trying to figure out
the affordability of such a trip.
But if you ask a question about fuel economy,
the range of answers is likely to send you into a
tailspin. Some people seem to achieve amazing
fuel economy, while others chew through it at
frightening rates. We've learnt not to put too
much faith in what many owners tell us about
their fuel economy, as most people either have
no real idea of how to calculate fuel consumption,
or they are overly optimistic about it.
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Some fuel-use figures we’ve been told simply
could not possibly be real or achieved
consistently. So how can you make a reasonable
estimate of your fuel costs while travelling and
what can you do to maximise fuel economy?
In this article, we will share with you our personal
experience after 12 months of travelling around
Australia across a variety of terrains and
conditions. Plus, we’ll give you our top 10 fuel
saving tips.
OUR RIG
First, let's check out our rig. We have a 2015
Toyota Land Cruiser 200 Series turbodiesel V8
and we tow a Roadstar Safari Tamer 20ft offroad
caravan. We live in our rig full-time so, weight