Easy way to cut costs

A full apology Rocky, indeed it was 

No apology needed, you lead an exceptionally hectic life with a head full of Teachery stuff. . .It’s bound to take its toll. Take a holiday Tinny will fund it Mayhap sell one of his vehicles😂😂👍🏻

Ever since trip computers have been around I've had this obsession to get my average MPG as high as possible. I've always thought cruise control was the ultimate feathering of the throttle valve, but it wasn't so on my Hyundai Santa Fe, however, on our current Mazda CX5 it really does bring the MPG up. When towing on motorways I stay in 5th gear and set the cc to 60mph. Easy-peasie (As long as traffic's not too heavy).

When towing on motorways I stay in 5th gear and set the cc to 60mph. Easy-peasie (As long as traffic's not too heavy).

What's the rush? Set it at 50 and save even more fuel!!😊

point well made and noted, although my next trip (Gloucester to Troutbeck) I need to get there before bedtime!

Just leave 30 mins earlier than originally planned, and you will arrive at the same time as as you would have travelling at 60 mph. Simples.😁

There seems to be a race to the bottom developing here. This has downsides. 

Firstly, the difference in consumption between 60mph and 50mph is relatively minor. The curve measuring average MPG at different speeds tends to be fairly flat between 30 mph and 60 mph. It rises steeply to up 30 and falls not quite as steeply after around 60 mph. This can vary with the vehicle of course, but that is a rule of thumb. Indeed I recall seeing various claims in YouTube suggesting that 60mph is better than 50mph, or 56mph (the level that most stats tend to be based on [I think]), in higher powered vehicles.

Secondly, and this is the more important factor for me, driving at 50mph on motorways can feel positively dangerous sometimes. It can feel very intimidating when lorries come up behind you extremely close waiting for a chance to overtake. Lorry after lorry will be overtaking and should you come against a very slow moving vehicle, for some reason (although at 50mph that won't happen often), you will cause one heck of a tail back when you try to overtake, if on a busy motorway. To be safe, you'll probably need to speed up whilst overtaking. 

I do accept, however, that towing a caravan could change things on both of these points. Having never towed I couldn't really say for sure, but I do know that it is very rare to see caravans travelling at 50 or less. I have even had caravans overtake me; I tend to cruise at 60, but sometimes less if I find myself early.           

The lighter your load the lighter your fuel consumption, worth a thought if you tend to take a lot of "stuff." I was also reading that Aircon isn't efficient at low speeds so open windows and switch it off.

With an M/H 54-56 is an efficient speed for us.

With holiday traffic jams coming up switching off engines in long queues might save some fuel.

Perhaps setting the speed to the same as lorries so they don't overtake you and you don't need to overtake them

I only tend to use cruise control on motorways if the traffic isn't too heavy. Just done a month round France & Belgium, mostly on non-motorway. Even with villages, speed humps, and varied terrain, I managed around 32mpg with my 3500Kg A Class. Cruising speed generally around 50-55mph and a about 60mph on flat motorways. Anticipation of the traffic ahead is the key and always try and avoid coming to a stop.