Guest Post: BF Futura Wagon – LPG Fuel economy update
Editors Note: This is part three in a series by Nick Gruzevskis about living with a Ford BF MK2 Falcon Futura Wagon. Part 1 introduces the car and part 2 is a six month update.
One of the things I’ve noticed about using an LPG equipped car as a daily driver, is how rare it is to see other LPG vehicles filling up at the bowser.
I’ve already written about our dedicated e-gas Futura wagon, but let’s just replay some of the key facts. Ford Australia replaced the petrol tank with a 116 litre LPG tank for the wagon. Ford factory specs claimed the e-gas BF MK2 combined average was 15.1 L/100, while the petrol version was rated at 10.7 L/100.
As I was planning a trip to Canberra, I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to perform some real-life fuel economy testing.
The first leg was from Vermont South (home) to Holbrook NSW. We managed to leave ~7:15am on a Friday morning and as usual confronted peak hour traffic. This included a major Victorian Government project, North East Link, connecting the Metropolitan Ring Road at Greensborough with the Eastern Freeway at Bulleen. Two hours after leaving, we arrived at Euroa to our favourite café, Mely and Me. This was followed by a quick stop at the op shop across the road. It was no surprise we walked out with a large picture, clothes and for me and a JBL iPod dock for $8. Who could resist?
Arriving at Holbrook, first stop was to fill up and take the first measurement. We had completed 393.9km and put in 42.77 litres of LPG, this equates to 10.86L/100. At 75.9 cents per litre, this leg cost $32.46.
After a brief lunch at J&B Gourmet Café, it was time for so more shopping. While Naomi decided to shop, I decided to check out some of the local buildings, including the Holbrook Holden, which is still trading, as a Service Centre while displaying a selection of Classic Holden models in their main window.
Ross Building, 1913.
Holbrook Holden, established 1923. Run by four generations.
Current building was known as the Criterion Hotel, built in 1895 and traded until 1965.
The next fill up was in Canberra on the day of departure back to Melbourne. This included Holbrook to Canberra and three days of urban city commute around Canberra. We had completed a total of 415.5km and put in 62.18 litres. This equates to 14.97L/100 and at 109.9 cents per litre, this leg cost $68.34.
We drove all the way back from Canberra to home (without a fill up), stopping at Gundagai and Holbrook. You do need to try the neenish tarts at the Holbrook Bakery, they are delicious. The following day we filled up, we had completed 707.9km and put in 88.77 litres. This equates to 12.54L/100 at 105.9 cents per litre at the cost of $94. We were quite loaded up on the trip back, with the back seat down and the wagon almost fully loaded, with a ladder on the roof.
To summarise, LPG fuel economy is what I expected. LPG in Victoria is a fair bit cheaper than most other states and rarely fluctuates. The average I pay in Victoria ranges between 75-79 cents per litre, while in Canberra it ranges between 105-115 cents.
Author: Nick Gruzevskis is a contributor to classicjalopy.com, and the custodian of a great collection of classic and modern cars. Links to some his other articles can be found here.
