I used 8 litres of fuel to Jinja and back

By 8am, we had all assembled at Shell Bugolobi for the ShellFuelSave16 race exclusively organised for media personalities.
All the other nine drivers and their navigators seemed pretty excited about the trip to Jinja and back until they saw our car, a Vitz 1999 model.
My car is a 1cc (if you allow me round off the 999), yet most of the cars were between 1.8-2cc. One of the participants registered a 3.0cc Toyota Harrier!
Some drivers approached us to find out whether we were in the race to win because the Vitz would roll off the road.
However, my co-driver, Caesar Abangirah told them we were in for the top most prize because we were asked to register any car and here we were with our Vitz.
Although the fuel consumption of our car was a plus for us already, I was not very confident because there were just two women out of the 10 taking part in the race.
In my mind, men always have some fuel saving tricks that can always give them an edge on the road.

The race
The challenge was to drive to Jinja and back. Setting off with 30.78 litres of fuel – a full tank - our final stop was the newly-refurbished Shell Jinja, Amber Court for refreshments and back. Other drivers left Shell Bugolobi with as much as 54.4 litres of FuelSave.
The return leg from Jinja was the challenging bit of the race. The twist was to take the turn at the Njeru junction, through Kangulumira town – Kayunga – Kalagi – Gayaza – Kalerwe – Mulago Roundabout and back to Shell Bugolobi.
Here, we got another refill. What registered on the pump is how much we had used. Since we had arrived at a distant number seven, all the first six drivers converged at the pump to see how much fuel we had used. The result was hair-rising. But not for us who had used up only 8.03 litres of fuel. This meant we had used one litre to cover 25.1km.
We had mastered the fuel saving tips given to us earlier by car expert Paul Kaganzi.

How we saved fuel
These included, among others not over accelerating, keeping a distance from other cars to avoid instant braking as well as minimising the use of air conditioning.
For Abangirah and I, the first thing we did was check our tyre pressure and oil. On the road, we kept the AC off, our windows up for most of the time, and our speed limit between 60 and 70.
It was only on the Kalagi stretch that we lost our patience and driving at speeds ranging from 80 to 100 Kmph. But we still kept a distance from other cars to avoid instant braking.
My Vitz might have had advantage over the other cars, but I sure did my best with the saving techniques because I have driven the same journey before and used 10 litres or more.
One of the contestants joked that the Shs3m worth of Fuel Save reward I got will last me three years or so, and indeed I would not be surprised because driving between my home in Kansanga and Monitor offices in Namuwongo costs me a maximum Shs20,000 a week. It tends to rise to Shs25,000, depending on the fuel prices.
During the handover ceremony, Vivo Energy Uganda managingdirector, Hans Paulsen, jokingly advised that I do not change my car. I think I am shelving that Jeep Wrangler dream for a bit.
This for me was sure an amazing experience and at the end of the day, it was good to drive back home with a full tank, knowing that my baby (the Vitz) had earned some respect!

About the toyota Vitz

by paul kaganzi
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The Toyota Vitz is a hatch back super mini car made by reputable Japanese auto manufacturer. This car is made for the urban driver who needs fuel economy, easy parking and a reasonable space for quick shopping.
The Toyota Vitz is called Yaris in Europe and America. Vitz has got three generations: the first one was built between 1998 – 2005; the second one 2005-2010 and third one 2010 to date.
Vitz comes with small and efficient engines ranging from the 1.0 litre, 1.3, 1.4 to 1.5 Litre. Let us examine how the 1999 petrol Toyota Vitz 1.0L (997cc) 1SZ-FE performs on the Ugandan used car market.
Performance
The Toyota Vitz has a small engine fitted with Direct Overhead Camshafts (DOHC). This means there are two camshafts over each row of engine cylinders.
This technology enables car manufacturers to fit four valves per cylinder instead of only two in the Single overhead camshaft (SOHC) engines. The Vitz engine enjoys increased amount of air inflow to facilitate more power, fuel economy, smoother operation and durability.
However the small 1.0 and 1.3 litre engines tend to perform poorly when overloaded, poorly serviced, driven with under inflated tyres or driven aggressively.
Handling
The Toyota Vitz is fitted with front independent suspension with struts, coil springs and anti roll bars. This makes it quite easy and safe to manoeuvre around sharp bends.
Vitz has undergone the prestigious occupant safety and ‘crash testing’ tests at the European New car Assesment Programme (ENCAP) where it won three and four star rating in different testing categories. This is assurance of safety to the Vitz customers.
It has a low coefficient of drag or aerodynamic performance and wider turning circle. The Vitz ground clearance is not very high so be careful when manoeuvring over the pot holes and uneven humps on some of roads in the city outskirts.

Safety and comfort
Toyota Vitz has got Anti Lock Braking system (ABS) and supplementary restraint system (SRS) for front passenger and driver. This coupled with the crash test ratings earns the car a ‘nod’ in the safety category. However it lacks the ISOFIX child seat harnessing and side impact door protection beams found in the European hatch backs of the same generation. So don’t drive it like a rally car driver.
Comfort features found in the Vitz include a radio with Compact Disc (CD), power steering, central locking and air conditioning.
The Vitz has reasonable seating space however it is not big enough to comfortably get in and out with a toddler or enjoy a trip for several hours with your three adult freinds.
Reliability, security and resale value
The Vitz is a reliable car if maintained and serviced well. If the major service B (fuel filter, air filter, timing belt, all engine and transmission fluid) is not carried out at 100,000 kms, it can be troublesome, perform poorly and run uneconomically.
The Vitz engine ignition coils can be problematic when they age.
However new ones can be ordered from the Toyota dealer. Use of quality fuels with cleaning and efficiency improver additives will improve the already good fuel economy statistics beyond the manufacturer declared 18-20 KM/ Litre.
To maintain the engine, service it with genuine parts and use lubricants with cleaning and protection enhancing additives. A poor maintenance regime will reduce fuel economy as well as performance.

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