September 2008

Caravan rig proves biggest fuel guzzler

Safari fuels argument for motorhome holidays

THE official results of the great Winnebago Fuel Consumption Safari are in!

Sporting heroes Dawn Fraser and Dick Johnson with members of the fuel safari

Figures show that a Landcruiser towing an 18.5ft Galaxy caravan was the thirstiest rig over the 1400km journey from Queensland's Gold Coast to Winton in Victoria. It guzzled 20.52 litres every 100km.

The most economical RV proved to be a 23ft Winnebago Birdsville motorhome on a Fiat Ducato chassis, averaging 11.34 litres every 100km.

The safari, which included sporting heroes Dawn Fraser and Dick Johnson, comprised motorhomes of various sizes, a fifth wheeler and a caravan.

"The results are a fantastic boost to the RV industry," Winnebago Industries' Max Mayo said.

"They demonstrate unequivocally that the cheapest way to see Australia is by motorhome, especially when you consider they are fully self contained so you can cook your own meals, sleep in comfortable beds and enjoy bathroom facilities, thus avoiding expensive hotel accommodation and the necessity (and cost) of eating out every day," he added.

Winnebago says that a saving of up to 75 percent on daily travel costs could be achieved because of the self-contained nature of motorhomes.

The safari closely replicated an actual journey over well travelled roads, mainly along the Pacific Highway to Sydney and the Hume Highway to Winton and in differing weather conditions from calm and sunny to windy and showery.

The vehicles all carried loads expected by private motorhome owners ... water tanks were filled and the drivers were just your average driver.

The style of RV varied in different styles, lengths, weights and engine power to demonstrate the fuel usage in each combination.

The NRMA monitored fuel consumption from start to finish. An official NRMA car accompanied the convoy and staff from the motoring organisation fuelled each vehicle and sealed the fuel filler cap with special security "anti tamper" tape, recording the odometer reading and litres filled for each of the official RVs.

The Toyota Landcruiser and Galaxy caravan during a safari break

"We are grateful to the NRMA who was more than happy to come on board, recognising the value of the messages the safari was attempting to deliver," Mr Mayo said.

Fuel is a topical issue and at risk for rural centres is a great deal of money because at any given time around 75000 RVs are on extended travel and on average they spend $600 each week on fuel, accommodation, food and entertainment.

That's $45 million a week given to mainly rural centres.

Winnebago said that if travel plans were curtailed because of fuel costs, rural centres would suffer severely.

Also travelling with the safari were Winnebago RV Club members, and whilst their fuel consumption was not monitored by the NRMA, each motorhome kept meticulous records of each fuel fill and the distance travelled. Their fuel consumption closely mirrored the official results.

Winnebago was partnered by the NRMA, Dick Johnson Racing, Isuzu Australia, Iveco Australia, Fiat Australia and others during the event.

The official fuel consumption results during the safari were:

Winnebago Birdsville 23' (7m) motorhome, Fiat Ducato chassis - 11.34ltr/100km

Winnebago Leisure Seeker 23' (7m) motorhome, Iveco Daily chassis - 13.52 ltr/100km

Winnebago Longreach 31' (9.5m) motorhome, Isuzu NQR chassis - 16.47 ltr/100km

Winnebago Nullarbor 32' (10m) motorhome, Kodiak chassis - 19.52ltr/100km

Galaxy Caravan 18.6' caravan towed by a Toyota Landcruiser - 20.52ltr/100km

Travelhome 25' fifth wheeler towed by a Nissan Navara - 14.4ltr/100km

Fiat 500 Fiat 500 car - 4.69ltr/100km