GORV - Digital Magazine Issue #66 | Page 19

RV FEATURE
BOWSER BEATER ?

Fuel . Like it or not , it ’ s one of the biggest expenses faced by any RVer , if not the biggest expense . It ’ s no secret , either , that the cost at the bowser has increased dramatically in recent months . Never did I think I ’ d be paying in the vicinity of $ 2.50 for a litre of diesel – though the price seems to have come down a little at my local servos , thankfully .
Given the increased cost , it ’ s never been wiser to understand the fuel economy of your tow vehicle , both hitched and unhitched .
The trip meter revealed we had driven 282.2km .
Our official tow vehicle for the next few months is an Isuzu D-MAX LS- U +. We will be conducting numerous tests and providing updates on this vehicle over the coming issues of this magazine . Our first move was to independently verify Isuzu ’ s claimed fuel figure for this vehicle . The company reckons it ’ ll consume 8L / 100km ( combined city and highway driving ) when unhitched . So , early this month , we hit the road .
THE TEST
The first thing to point out is our vehicle payload . With me at the wheel , videographer James in the passenger seat , and some heavy camera equipment in the tub , I ’ d estimate about 250kg worth of payload .
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