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Hi Jack,

Was just wondering..I got a new diesel SUV from a korean car manufacturer. They have claimed a fuel economy of 7.5L/100km combined. I have got nothing close to that at around 10.2L/100km.

The car has travelled less than 3000km. I have read somewhere that the economy of diesel or even petrol engines will go up with more Kms travelled. Is that a right assumption? It seems like the engine need to "bed" in properly to reach the claimed economy. I am not lead footed so I am not too pleased with the current fuel usage.

Otherwise, I really enjoy the low rpm torque on the motorway!

The fuel consumption is unlikely to improve much with age. There are many factors affecting fuel consumption, the major ones being driving style and the type of use. A vehicle that is used mainly in the city will always consume more fuel than one used mostly out of town on open roads.
Also, the manufacturer's claimed figure will have been as a result of testing done in ideal conditions. Real world driving is unlikely to match the claimed figure.
You don't specify exactly which model you have, but I note that one of the the most popular Korean diesel SUVs, the Hyundai ix35, has a claimed fuel consumption figure of 7.5L/100km (Combined Cycle) and 10.1L/100km (Urban Cycle), so if a majority of your driving is around town, maybe this explains it.

Thanks. The car is a Ssangyong Korando. It is a little of a surprise as consumers are basing on the claimed figure when purchasing a car. But I am doing more than 15000km a year so hopefully that will result in some meaningful savings in the long run.

Cheers

Bear in mind that the manufacturer's claim will always be the Combined Cycle figre.

Cool. Thanks. I do notice on a long run, 100Km/h for 10-20mins, the fuel consumption shown (Known that it is not too accurate) is around 7.1-8.0L/100km.

But it is that sweet torque of a diesel that won me over!