Thread: New (to me) Ute. Couldn't be happier.

Originally Posted by JDNSW

On one leg in SA, driving from the Simpson to Sydney in 1966, I got 36mpg. Usually though, about 30 as you say. That was real steady driving at a constant speed of about 40mph on flat ground.

Yes, John, it's funny: I seem to remember reading in the British magazines years ago that people reckoned that 17-22mpg was normal. It always seemed to me that would be more of a figure for the petrol engines and thought "Surely the diesel would do better than that​?". Similarly to yours, mine has got as good as 34mpg - but, yep, 30mpg is pretty much the rule of thumb. Lovely little motor.

Originally Posted by JDNSW

On one leg in SA, driving from the Simpson to Sydney in 1966, I got 36mpg. Usually though, about 30 as you say. That was real steady driving at a constant speed of about 40mph on flat ground.

And you probably had a tail wind to help.

Possibly - the only incident from that trip I remember was the cold. Two of us, swapping drivers to keep going almost continuously. I had gone to sleep (well, as much as you can sitting up in a diesel Landrover.) having changed drivers at Nyngan. I woke as we were coming into Orange about 0100hrs; and was immediately struck by how light it was. As I woke up, I realised that everything was white except for two tyre tracks down the highway, and it was snowing gently.

We arrived that day at our parent's place in Western Sydney, and went out and bought a heater and fitted it!

People forget that heaters only became usual in cars in Australia around 1970 or a little earlier. Exceptions were imports from the UK and Europe (but quite often, but not always, not the same model built in Australia) Our family had heaters in 1948 Austin 16, 1959 Simca Vedette, and my VW. But the first two Landrovers I owned did have heaters, as both were ex-SMHEA. But not this one, that followed it. It was one sold new in Alice Springs.

Great find!