The Journey 

After quite a lot of research I decided upon my hypermiling technique and filled up with 25 litres of Esso's finest. I would usually expect to see about 42 MPG or 230 miles from 25 litres so any improvement from my initial trial would be a bonus. Especially considering the roads I was to travel.

About 95% of my journeys are to and from work. The journey consists of mostly short back roads with a few instances of single track, not ideal for any kind of efficient driving. If the roads were safer I would consider biking but many of the roads have fast blind bends that I would not feel safe travelling on.

The Technique 

Due to the start stop nature the road to work I decided on the burn and coast technique. Just to cover safety concerns I have opted for an "in gear" coast with the engine running. This technique means I need to read the road ahead as much as I can and work out the coasting distanced needed to use the least amount of burn and get the most from my coast (hey that rhymes!). I have worked out my coast points using markers such as kinks in the road and trees. Upon reaching my marker I simply release the throttle and coast as far as I can... safely. The end of my coast is usually a junction, so If anything I am reaching the junctions at a lower speed meaning I have more time to check for traffic and read the road.

I worked out the burning technique to be used by thinking about the characteristics of the diesel engine in my 306. The turbo kicks in at about 2k revs at this point it is also producing its maxium torque. By accelerating at about half throttle between 2k and 3k revs means that not only I reach my required speed (45mph) quickly but also without burning too much fuel. 

The Results

For my first try I expected in the region of a 10% increase, meaning I would expect about 250miles from the tank. At present my trip computer is showing 314 miles with the low fuel light on and the guage is showing very close to empty. I still have to travel to work on Tuesday to fill up again as the diesel prices are lower in that area. This would mean I would expect 324 miles from the 25 litres I originally put in the tank. Using the Hypermiler.co.uk MPG calculator that means I have achieved 58.9 MPG. Thats just over a 40% increase in efficiency with a very minimal increase in the time it takes me to get to work. Thats quite a gain from a very simple driving technique that is not only safe but is also easy to adapt to pretty much any car.