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If aircon is on that will reduce your mpg up to 10% some say. A headwind makes a huge difference too.

I find autoroute driving can be very economical but as above the long hills add to consumption.  The usual tricks (which everybody knows I'm sure) of increasing speed gradually and sensibly on the downhills to help the ascent, being in highest gear without labouring, reading ahead to avoid braking and all that help and while my usual mpg in the Honda CRV solo is about 45 on Motorways, I managed 51 coming back from the Loire area last year to Dunkerque. (confirmed from consumption calculation on refill and also on the onboard trip computer within 0.1 mpg)  Towing is a different story and I have not yet pushed it up to 30mpg but usually get fairly close. 

Your outfit is not shown in your profile, but what are you towing and with what? Diesel presumably?

The fuel guages on cars can't be relied on especially if filled to capacity. Fill to fill worked out will be more accurate, but if the half and the other half were the same fill, then probably 290 miles towing with a 2 litre car is around average I'd say. 

I agree that its not a very scientific way of working things out. You need to brim the tank and keep a record of the miles driven and then brim the tank again to get an accurate figure. Personally I have never found much difference between MPG in France compared to the UK. You can of course travel much faster in France and the more your increase your speed the worse the economy becomes, even on avaerage another 5 mph.

David

Did you fill up in France -  and did you put the right fuel in?  Some French fuel stations now have biofuel pumps as well as the 'normal' ones (generally labelled SP95/E10 or something else if it's diesel with biofuel).  Sorry don't know the correct names or how they differ chemically, but if you selected the wrong one at the pump that might explain the difference.

Quote: Originally posted by Seanf81 on 10/3/2013

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Thanks for all your replies. We're in a cr-v towing an avondale passione. We've only done auto-route and are now in Valence via the way of Reims and Lyon.

I used a half tank as a rough measurement, but essentially our fuel economy plummeted once we crossed the channel, so must be the steeper roads - even on the motorway!

Thanks,
Sean

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Sean

You don't give the exact models but assuming a recent Honda CRV 2.2 CDTi (about 1900kg loaded) and a caravan MTPLM of 1300/1500 - you have a heavy outfit (and over 3.5 tonnes gross train mass anyway) and therefore restricted to 90kph on Autoroutes and dual carriageways ( 80 on other roads)

If you were getting an average of 27/29 mpg on autoroutes while towing, I would say you are doing ok.  I have spoken to other CRV owners and I have not found one yet who can get 30mpg towing.

Fill up at supermarkets - much cheaper than the Autoroute stations. Re Val's post about Biodiesel, I have no idea if mpg is affected?  Do you know Val?

To answer my own question. This is from http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/biodiesel.shtml

Looks like a big AVOID