What car would you advise me to buy?

What you need to know:

  • Hello Ibrahim, it looks like your car buying decision ought to be guided by getting a good balance between fuel economy and off road ability because of the frequent weekend visits to your village.
  • In my opinion you can still drive a Toyota RAV4 but improve fuel economy from 12 kilometres per litre to about 15 kilometres per litre by using more efficient Shell Fuel Save (SFS) unleaded gasoline and good driving tips which could improve your car’s fuel efficiency.

Hi Paul, I had sent in my query earlier but it was not answered. Anyway, I have a RAV 4 1996, but I think it consumes more fuel than normal. This has made me want to change to a Toyota Premio 1998. However, based on your understanding do you think it is a smart move? I had thought of going for a Spacio but because I often drive upcountry over the weekends, it would be a weak choice. Ibrahim Luqman.

Hello Ibrahim, it looks like your car buying decision ought to be guided by getting a good balance between fuel economy and off road ability because of the frequent weekend visits to your village.

The average fuel economy statistics for highway driving of a 1.8 litre 1996 RAV4 are between 11-12 kilometres per litre while that one of a 1.8 litre 1996 Toyota Premio are about 15 kilometre per litre.

This is probably because the RAV4 has a bigger, heavier and less aerodynamic shape which demands more fuel energy.
Your consideration here will be the tradeoff between the RAV4 space, practicality and off road ability suitable for village trips and the better fuel economy of the Premio.

In my opinion you can still drive a Toyota RAV4 but improve fuel economy from 12 kilometres per litre to about 15 kilometres per litre by using more efficient Shell Fuel Save (SFS) unleaded gasoline and good driving tips which could improve your car’s fuel efficiency.

Good driving tips include tuning and servicing your engine regularly, accelerating and braking gently or gradually, maintaining a steady speed and reading the traffic ahead of you to plan well and use momentum, avoid high speeds beyond 80 kilometre per hour, use good tyres which are correctly inflated.

Over the last four years and during the recent Shell Fuel Saving races we saw the 1.8 litre Toyota Premio improve fuel efficiency from the average statistics of 15 kilometre per litre to 18 kilometre per litre when the drivers used SFS and adjusted their driving habits.