Being fuel-efficient: If I can, then everybody can
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November 26,2013
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RECEIVING our prizes from Peugeot officials
STEADY and careful driving makes the 3008 a fuel miser.
In my 15 years of exposure to events management, I had helped organize several fuel economy runs. We had one eco run that required the participants to drive for 12 hours straight at the racetrack. In another one, we had the participants drive from the southern coast of Luzon to the north coast. We also had a run that required us to go from Luzon to Mindanao and back, and did that thrice. So in terms of organizing economy runs, I consider myself a pro.
A couple of weeks back, Eurobrands Distributor Inc. (EDI) communications director Dong Magsajo invited me to participate in the Peugeot Eco Fun Run. It would be the first fuel economy run wherein I was a participant. I was given a free hand in choosing a partner, so I recruited my friend Sheila Johnson, owner of Trapik.com.
WITH my partner Sheila Johnson, owner of Trapik.com
The Peugeot Eco Fun Run has two separate divisions: one for Peugeot owners who are taught how to milk the most from their vehicles’ e-HDi Hicrohybrid engines; and the guest division, where anyone from the media and EDI’s many business partners can enjoy for themselves the Peugeot driving experience. We were told during the briefing that we were not allowed to turn off the air conditioner and to go below the prescribed speed limit—a regular practice in fuel-maximizing driving. Sheila and I were thinking out loud, “As if we’re gonna sweat like pigs to be fuel-efficient.” From there I think the guys thought, “Ah, these girls are just here for show.”
So off we went. Flag off was at Total Mindanao Avenue; our destination was Lighthouse Subic and back. Since both of us are “virgins” in eco fun runs, we opted to “call a friend,” that “friend” being my husband JP Tuason who was then having a class at the racing track. We asked for some tips on how we can do well. He was a little hesitant at first, because he says that I am his worst student. But because of Sheila’s determination, he caved in. He told us that we have to run at the highest possible gear without going over 2000 revolutions per minute. For someone who is always driven on long drives, what he said next got us nervous: We would need to use manual mode.
Geez, I haven’t driven that far in about five years, and now I had to do that in manual mode. After the ceremonial complaining and whining, we decided to take the challenge and try to win this eco fun run.
Fortunately for me, I have driven the Peugeot 3008 previously. Sheila had to use the first few minutes of her run in the afternoon to get acquainted with the technology.
THE FLEET of Peugeot 3008s parked nicely in preparation for the Fuel Economy Run to Subic and back
While I like using the shift knob, she preferred the paddle shift. For me, the 3008 drives better in its clutchless manual mode. We of course loved the heads-up display and the roominess. With the help of the GPS on our phones, the trip computer on the 3008’s dashboard and Sheila’s math skills, we were able to compute how fast we would need to drive to get to our destination on time. We even kept the temperature on the first two levels just to make sure we didn’t waste fuel. We were having leg cramps to a point where Sheila could no longer feel her legs just to make sure there are no sudden, unnecessary accelerations.
For our first run, we were tied with the TopGear team headed by Miko David, a veteran eco run participant, at 23.8 kilometers per liter. Even though the team of Allan Sevilla and Eric Tipan was able to do 25 kpl, their team was delayed by 9 minutes, which means they had several demerits.
On the second run, we were able to achieve 25 kpl, supposedly 25.6 kpl had we not been caught in traffic two blocks away from the finish line. The TopGear team ended up getting the first place, but it was nowhere near the record of Motioncars.com contributor Ronnie Trinidad, who was able to get a 28.5 kpl in the second run of the Peugeot Eco Fun Run.
During the awarding, EDI President and COO Felix Mabilog announced that they were very happy with the results and the response of the Peugeot owners: “I think we’ve proven—through several stagings of the Peugeot Eco Fun Run—just how fuel-efficient our products are. Next year, we plan to take this program to the provinces where we have a presence. We’d like as much of our customers to learn how to maximize the use of their Peugeot vehicles.”
Sheila and I won third place, which is not bad for first-timers and the only girl team in the run. We proved that we can drive as well as the boys. And I have proven my husband wrong; I really do listen to his driving lessons. So if I can do it, you can be fuel-efficient, too. All it takes is for you to ease up on the gas pedal and, of course, a fuel-efficient car like the Peugeot 3008.
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