Sunny

[Keithpapa]

Tue, Jul 15, 2008

The New Paper

 

 

 

 

Not so sunny side of fuel hike

 

Two years ago, he downgraded from a 2.4-litre Honda Odyssey to a smaller car because he wanted to cut his petrol bills.

 

True, petrol prices have gone up, but he claims his Nissan Sunny is also giving him lower mileage.

 

Some Sunny owners can travel 10km on each litre of petrol.

 

Yet Mr Lee Teck San, 47, says his cars takes him only about 270 km each time he puts in about 40 litres, which works out to less than 7km to the litre.

 

The noodle hawker has no idea why his 17-month Sunny is a petrol guzzler despite multiple tests.

 

Said Mr Lee: 'My petrol bill might not seem a lot over a month or two. But over 10 years, it can amount to a big sum of money.'

 

He travels an average of 30km a day.

 

His frustration over petrol started early. Soon after he bought the car, he noticed that he could do only 290km on a full tank, before the low-fuel indicator would come on.

 

Each time he filled up, the 50-litre tank would take about 40 litres.

 

Watching the fuel level like a hawk, he discovered that from one filling to the next, he was averaging just 270km.

 

Mr Lee, who had bought the car from an authorised agent, went to Tan Chong Motor, the distributor of Nissan cars, with his problem.

 

He has taken the car to them thrice.

 

And each time, they checked the car and found nothing wrong with it.

 

As the car is covered by a warranty, he did not have to pay for the checks.

 

When contacted, a Tan Chong spokesman said: 'In times of high fuel prices, naturally, customers feel the pinch more.

 

'Generally, fuel consumption levels differ with each driver depending on his individual driving habits, usage patterns, and road conditions.'

 

The spokesman said Tan Chong has received both positive and negative feedback on the fuel efficiency of the Sunny.

 

When The New Paper on Sunday made two calls to Tan Chong's showroom in Ubi and to its service centre in Toa Payoh to ask about the Nissan Sunny, the staff there confirmed that the car should average 400km on a full tank under Singapore's road conditions.

 

Other Sunny owners The New Paper spoke to had mixed reactions when they heard about Mr Lee's complaint.

 

MYSTERY OVER FUEL EFFICIENCY

 

Miss Rachel Tong, 36, who has had a Nissan Sunny for three years, said she often gets 400km out of a full tank, that is about 10km to a litre.

 

But Mr Tan Hong Lin, 71, who has driven a Sunny for four years, said he averages less than 300km on a full tank.

 

Even when he travels long distances on Malaysian highways, he gets only 300km.

 

'It's very hard to hit 400km in Singapore because there are so many traffic lights,' he said.

 

So what could be behind the lower than expected fuel efficiency?

 

Mr Pang Tsun Bin, 24, a mechanic, said a car with a leaking fuel tank or faulty safety valves would consume much more fuel than normal.

 

A routine check would expose these problems, he said.

 

Poor driving habits in general could also jack up petrol bills.

 

Frequent bursts of acceleration and braking result in poorer fuel economy, said Mr Loh Chee Seng, a sales manager at ExxonMobil.

 

Underinflated tyres also cause fuel to be wasted, he said.

 

But Mr Lee insists he maintains a fairly constant speed when driving and keeps his tyres well-inflated.

 

Elgin Toh, newsroom intern

 

 

Not sure sunny for this owner indeed!

Edited July 15, 2008 by Keithpapa

[BoneStock]

this is quite extreme

 

I usually do 430km with 35~36L now.

 

When I was in the states for an extended trip with a colleague, we took turns to drive a car. There was a route that we used several times to and fro to another city....i think it was about 120miles. We always topped up full before the trip and always ended up with 3/4 when I was driving. But when my colleague drove, always the needle dropped slightly below the 1/2 mark.

 

so I guess the right foot plays a big part as well.

 

p/s: When my wife drives, she never hit 400km with a full tank

Edited July 16, 2008 by BoneStock

[Leech]

Aircon plays a big part!

[Hmng]

I can hit 400-420km with every 37/38 liters. Avg about 10.9km/l.

[Osiris]

Ex owner. 1.6 Auto. 10km/l is doable consistently with 40%HW, 60% city driving. light/moderate footed.

The worst FC on my sunny was about 8km/l for a week due to super bad traffic. Best was 11-12km/l

I bet after his ODC, drop to sunny, he felt the tremendous lost of power and compensate with heavy footing.

[Leclair]

current owner.

 

no matter how i drive, it is always +/- 10km/l.

 

usually abt 360km travelled then pumped full abt 36 liters.

 

at 7 km/l two things are quite certain:

 

Either the car has a serious problem

 

Or the driver has a serious problem.

[Friendstar]

agree.

 

sunny really feels sluggish

 

and flooring is the way to overcome it.

[Ldawn88]

Ex Sunny Owner.

There had been much talks about the mystery FC of Sunny to date.

 

a. Some claim 10 km/l.

b. Some claim 7km/l or below.

c. Some claim 13km/l.

 

Honestly I do not believe item c above, if some sunny owners can do that, good for them, but deep in my heart, I know it is virtually impossible even travelling on NS Highway.

 

a and b are entirely possible. Right foot and tyre pressure are the 2 keys to either a or b.

 

Not sure how sunny is engineered, but it is dammed generous in dispatching petrol to the engine, even on gentle reving. So the harder one revs, the more than desired amt of petrol goes to that engine.

 

So that hawker uncle must check his right foot... or he changed to a bigger than recommended 15" tyres and do not know the proper tyre pressure. If stick to 15", the tyre pressures are alredy stated in the manaul or the driver's side.

[Tohto]

Sorry to OT.

What is the FC for your Allion..

[Genie47]

Its all about right foot qinggong. Obviously this guy's qinggong not up to standard.

[Spidercool]

bro.my 2.5yr old sunny mt still blocking avg 14.5 km/l. Full tank can over 500km.

[Alechi]

I average 12+km /l

 

Best was I think 13.7km/l

 

Car is now 2 years old

[Dumb]

My sunny is 22 mths old in stock condition and over 62,000 km, my average FC is 12 km/l. The worst I had was 10.47 and the best was 13.6 km/l. My mileage is based on actual recording of mileage and fuel from day one. On NSH, I managed 14+.

[Casey]

wah i abt the same with you, auto ...always abt 11.4km/l, 440km for abt 39litres of petrol...been 3 yrs now.

 

basically, we just tap...never put the foot down, dont even think abt it...

 

its a gamble to try and overtake bus from start off... cos even if u step on its..theres a delay

[Casey]

is altis also like this? anyone driven a sunny and altis before

[Ldawn88]

Hi bro Tohto,

 

My allion for the past 3 months are 15km/l...

 

Sorry to OT.

What is the FC for your Allion..

[Ldawn88]

Good for you.

 

bro.my 2.5yr old sunny mt still blocking avg 14.5 km/l. Full tank can over 500km.

[Ldawn88]

good for you. for sunny to achieve that, you must be very lighted footed.

It is well known that sunny drinks petrol like no tomorrow.

 

 

I average 12+km /l

 

Best was I think 13.7km/l

 

Car is now 2 years old