Some Philippine Hyundai Getz owners have sent me email this past week expressing their concern about Hyundai Getz fuel consumption. One gentleman who is not a Getz owner has indicated that he wanted to buy a Hyundai Getz but changed his mind when he read about the Getz fuel consumption on Life With Gina, so I think it’s time we make an update on fuel consumption of our Hyundai Getz, and some of the best ways by which we can measure Hyundai Getz fuel consumption.

According to this article on Wikipedia, the two most common ways to measure fuel consumption are to measure the amount of fuel used per unit distance (how many liters of gasoline it takes to travel a certain number of kilometers; the higher the number, the less fuel efficient your car) or the distance traveled per unit of fuel used (how far do you travel per liter of gasoline; the more kilometers, the more fuel efficient your car). On Life With Gina, I use the latter method.

When measuring your Hyundai Getz’s fuel efficiency, it is vitally important to start with a full tank. From what I’ve been told by the folks at Hyundai Fort Bonifacio, the 1.1 Hyundai Getz has a 45-liter tank, with the fuel warning light going off when the tank hits five liters left. So when you’re going to measure your fuel efficiency, ensure first of all that your tank is as full as possible.

(For instance, at my most recent refuelling, the gasoline tank of the Petron station where I gassed up my Hyundai Getz hit 34 liters. I asked the gasoline station attendant to fill it to the brim – isagad in the local vernacular – and it eventually ended at close to 38 liters. If you’re computing for your fuel efficiency and you lose three to five liters, that’s anywhere from 30 to 75 kilometers lost in your computation, leading you to an inaccurate figure that makes your Hyundai Getz look less efficient than it actually is.)

Once your Hyundai Getz tank is full, set your odometer measure A to 0 and drive at will until you come close to empty. Once your fuel warning light goes on, get the total number of kilometers you’ve travelled and divide it by 40 (the theoretical number of liters it takes before the fuel warning light goes off), and that’ll give you a pretty good idea of the fuel economy of your Hyundai Getz.

Having said that, I started a new measurement this week, and I’ll post the results most likely by Friday. Right now, Gina is at around 130km and it hasn’t come close to the 3/4 mark, so I’m liking what I’m seeing.

If you’re looking for some tips on how to increase your Hyundai Getz’s fuel efficiency, this Wikipedia article has some pretty good ideas. My preferred ways of increasing fuel efficiency include optimal tire pressure and wheel alignment, coasting, and reducing the amount of stuff in my Hyundai Getz so that there’s less drag. (It’s hard enough when the driver weighs more than 210 lbs.)

What are some ways you try to increase the fuel efficiency of your car?

Update: My latest round of measuring reveals virtual 12km/L. Gina registered 479km at the 40L mark, when my fuel indicator light lit up, which brings her fuel efficiency to 11.975. For city driving that has you stuck in traffic from Taft Avenue to Quiapo to A. Bonifacio, that’s pretty good. Remember: fuel efficiency depends on traffic conditions, driving style, car maintenance, and a whole bunch of other factors.