Hi All,

 

We have just got back from a Motoring Holiday in France in our 2014 plate Octavia SE Estate 1.6 Diesel.

In the Car we had four adult's with the boot filled to the brim with luggage. Our journey was mostly Motorway (Autoroute in France) but about 200 miles of low speed stop / start local roads.

 

Our total mileage was 2,406 at an average speed of 47 MPH and an overall average MPG of 58.6.

 

Given we were fully loaded with 4 adults & all our luggage & the Climate Control was on throughout (quite often the outside temp was in the high 20s low 30s) I think this is fantastic fuel economy.

 

The Car was fantastic as was the Admunsen Sat Nav, only once did it take us up a very very steep almost dirt track in the middle of France but even this was only 30 metres long and not a real problem.

 

I'm about to undertake a similar journey (although less overall miles I would think) but in a vRS TDi.  Be interesting to see what the difference in MPG is!

 

You're right though, that is excellent economy under any circumstances, let alone fully loaded!

Edited 28 July, 201411 yr by kiruji

Excellent fuel economy, although it is not very surprising - driven carefully, fuel economy is the maserpiece of this engine.

More importantly, did it struggle with the load and with overtaking?

We are going down to south of France on Sunday too first time in my VRS CR DSG hoping to get good miles to gallon we did the same journey last year in a vauxhall Vectra C 2.0 T petrol and it averaged 40 to gallon i'm hoping for bigger saving this year as diesel is a lot cheaper than petrol.

A few tips for anyone thinking of driving in France this Summer. Diesel is much cheaper in France, try to find a Carrefour supermarket to buy from, they are everywhere like Tescos. There is at least one in Calais, but French supermarkets don't do 24 hours so fill up in office hours. Where possible use the autoroutes, especially the toll roads, they are virtually traffic free and so much better than our motorways. It will obviously cost but it's so much quicker and I think doesn't cost that much more given you use less fuel driving at a constant speed on the toll roads.

We bought all the recommended high vis jackets, warning triangle, headlight converters etc etc. We hardly saw one police car on the autoroutes and ended up not driving during the dark. But I'm glad we bought the gear and would do again for peace of mind.

If your route takes in Paris then be prepared! I have been driving for 34 years and commute 40 miles each day through one of our Major Cities, but nothing prepared me for Paris. Parisian drivers don't drive their Cars they aim them, their lane discipline was none existent, if there is a gap in your lane then they will fill it, no signalling, no warning & it's up to you to avoid them. Even worse are the scooters & motorbikes who make Evel Knievel look sedentary.

Paris apart driving in France is a lot easier & more relaxing than the UK & we will deffo do so again. If you have any other questions please ask.

More importantly, did it struggle with the load and with overtaking?

No I don't think it struggled at all, the engine was great.

I am going to port grimaud near St Tropez on Sunday I think there is a carrefour nearby. I found last year lots of the petrol pumps you pay by card and can't pay by cash i'm going to fill up in Calais and I get off the train.

Pretty much all the supermarkets are the same, not all the small ones sell fuel, but most do.

If it says 24hr it means there is a diy, auto pump. There have been problems because the French and UK card technology would not always talk to each other. Only happened to me once, and only at an auto pump.

There is Cite Europe between Calais and Boulogne, but I find it easier to drop by the big Auchen at Boulogne. Its a few hundred yds up the N43, that is, turning inland, taking the main Boulogne off.

http://about-france.com/travel.htm can give you some idea of toll costs and even toll free routes. The most obvious/traditional Autoroute to the Med could cost as much in tolls as fuel.

The prime Autoroutes south can get horrendously congested at the July and August busy weekends - that's hours of delay and tailbacks of tens of kilometers. Avoid avoid avoid.

My choice is to avoid Autoroutes as far as possible. Convienient? sure, but seeing France? not so much. There is a system of signed, off motorway routes called Bison Fute. The signs are in yellow and have Bis and the ultimate destination written on them. There used to be little cabins manned by students in summer who gave out maps, sadly a victim of cuts.

Paris is great. If you want to visit go by Eurostar. As mentioned the traffic is stupid and intense. You really don't want that. When you get there you can't park, and if you find a space, will you car be OK when you come back? I've done it a few times when I had friends living there and even on my bike it is nasty. At rush hour it can take hours to get to the other side, much better to choose a route which avoids it altogether.

If you can arrange you hols so you don't have to race to a resort and then back, leaving yourself and family to time to enjoy and appreciate what is going past the window, and having the opportunity to stop off if you see something that takes your fancy - from a chateau to a cuppa.

Have a good time.

I'm in the south of France now, near Cannes, 1.6tdi performed well fully loaded. Autoroutes are v easy to drive on, got to have 360° vision in town centres and French car parking spaces are ok for Renault 5's but narrow for modern cars...

Just debating whether to use Autoroutes or go scenic route (Route Napoleon) on the way back.

Economy - 50.6mpg (real not trip computer) but that's with a roof box on.

Sat Nav is a Garmin, totally crap and now in the glovebox, Collins road atlas is more use !

Edited 29 July, 201411 yr by classic

Those that have just been to France, what is the latest on the breathalyser kit law? Is it still an optional rule or is it mandatory to carry one in your car yet?

Those that have just been to France, what is the latest on the breathalyser kit law? Is it still an optional rule or is it mandatory to carry one in your car yet?

The Law hasn't changed in that you must still have a breath kit in your Car. But what has changed is that there is no longer a penalty for not having one. Nor will you be reported for not having one!!!!!

Just debating whether to use Autoroutes or go scenic route (Route Napoleon) on the way back.

Economy - 50.6mpg (real not trip computer) but that's with a roof box on.

Sat Nav is a Garmin, totally crap and now in the glovebox, Collins road atlas is more use !

I would always use the road less trodden. We get so used to not seeing much, we almost stop looking.

Not only are the roads far more "interesting" but there are small towns and villages to go through, scenery and architecture to appreciate. You may even see some people not stressed and harassed form the heat and driving.

You may spot a detour or deviation to somewhere interesting, or a road more swiggly than the one you are on. I normally use the Michelin maps, although the IGN are just as good. The red series allows me to have an overview of where I need or want to go, or where I could go (the world's my oyster right?) then sort of work a route round that. Where the map shows a green line along side the road, it means it should be more than normally interesting. The Michelin atlas shows these too. The main problem with the atlas is Michelin have started adding "extras" so a touristique or routier version with double the pages. These get heavy and uncomfortable for all but the enthusiastic navigator. If I haven't found the no frills version, I rip these out. Makes page turning easier.

Once in situ I use larger scale maps which are also good for hiking.

My partner has recently put copilot on her tab. We are hoping it will help us pin point restaurants. Other wise its off.

Busy months, July and August, brings out the French and North Europeans in swarms. The predators also bloom at this time of year. Main roads attract the attention of the forces of law and order. Another reason to take to the by roads for me.

The Route Napoleon, the N85 or D6085 as it has been romantically renamed, is a good road, well graded and surfaced. It is a favourite of many. This time of year it can be quite busy.

As you have a map, you could easily search out an even more interesting and certainly less travelled route. You could traverse a few Cols. Plenty to choose from.

You could follow it as far as Castellane. Turn off to follow the east side of the lake, and turn right at the T junction towards Nice. You could then choose one of three Cols across the Massif.

Or from Nice, drive north and get on to the d2205. Takes you up to Jausiers, running roughly parallel to the Italian border. Then to Briancon, if you are knackered you could go to Grenoble and take the flatter route or take the Col du Lautauret and then the Col de Galibier. That brings you down to St Jean de Maurienne. There is an autoroute nearby to Chambery or Annecy.

The countryside is flatter now, and you have a lot more choice of route. I'm sure you can work out what suits you and your time scale.

From here I often swing round Geneva, staying overnight in Pontarlier. Across country choosing either Switzerland or France to just north of Basle, joining the free German Autobahn system and blast up to Frankfurt to stay with my sister. This is a reasonable route back to Blighty as the Autobahn runs all the way to Dunkerque.

Staying in France, there is free Autoroute from Mulhouse (well worth dropping in - the French National Rail Museum and The National Motor Museum are both there) north, parallel to the Rhine. Just choose a route across France back to your cross point. Or straight to Dijon, Reims etc.

Have fun

Cheers Nickguzzi, we're leaving Cannes area Sat morning, looking at going towards Grasse, then Digne, Gap, Grenoble then across towards Dijon where we have an overnight stop. Traffic volume on the N85 is what bothers me as I've never used it before. I know if we take the toll roads the traffic at least keeps moving generally even when its packed. Will do heads or tails on Saturday morning and see where we end up !

Edited 30 July, 201411 yr by classic

The info radio will tell you about the state of the various Autoroutes. Perhaps someone at your accommodation will be able to tell you the latest news and reports, if you aren't so bilingual.

Remember that the French, and many other northern nations, still have holidays en bloc. Half go for July and half go for August. This weekend is the busiest two days for traffic movements of the year as they swap over.

I was talking to a French guy last year, he was stuck in a 35 km traffic jam on the Autoroute, not just the once but on several other occasions albeit for shorter times. The Police were bringing bottled water down the queues.

Hopefully you won't see anything like that, but be prepared to be flexible.

Remember the Bison Fute or BIS routes I mentioned in a previous post? Hardly any one uses them, yet all/most of the navigation is taken care of and consideration is given to making the route as attractive and interesting as possible.

I can't really say what the traffic will be like at the weekend, I don't do Autoroutes at the best of times. There are almost endless possibilities to get you and your family from one end of France to the other with the least possible aggravation, most of the best involve ignoring and avoiding main roads and big towns.

Sorry to paint a not so pleasant picture, but hopefully you will be able to make an informed choice. Perhaps if you can arrange to leave VERY early and get past Castellane and up to Grenoble. Last time I was in that part of the world, I was staying in a gite in Mons, where we could overlook the Bay of Cannes and the Bay of St Tropez. We left at 4 am to get to Castellane by 6am. We met no traffic. I have sat just outside Grenoble for an hour, inching forwards. I would avoid Lyon come what may. The Autoroute through or the "Ring" road (emphasis is because it will make your head spin) are both liable to get depressingly congested. If necessary deploy the satnav.

Enjoy the rest of your holiday, and have a safe and pleasant trip.

Just in case anyone thought the above post was overstating the difficulties of this change over weekend, I have just pinched this from Clunkclick's post over on general car chat.

http://www.ouest-france.fr/samedi-noir-deja-220-km-de-bouchons-sur-les-routes-des-vacances-2737100

This is not an isolated event, happens every year. To a lesser extent the begining of July and end of August. Adjust your holiday dates or route accordingly. unless of course this is your thing.

There are MANY way to avoid the "Bouchons" (also means cork as in stopper).

No it is as bad as you say, I've friends near St Etienne which is an absolute nightmare when the french decide to go on holiday. The driving standards are horrendous at times as well. I obtained a Tag for the tolls which saves a shed load of time, You go through the booths with a "T" some you have to stop others you can go through at 30kmh. The tolls are debited from your bank account at the end of the month.

The Sanef tag for the motorways is great - definitely recommend for the extra convenience.

Ordered a tag last week as they waived the fee when booking the Eurotunnel. It's more expensive with the €5 fee every month it's used and doesn't save any money like a Dart Tag does for the crossing but just for the convenience alone I decided it must be worth it.

+1 for the Sanef tag, we have had one for a few years, was worried the battery might be dead for our trip to Samoens 3 weeks ago, but it's still fine. If you see a peage (toll station) with a red number above, it means you can approach without stopping as it has a long range reader on, just keep your speed down to the indicated limit for this.

The tags work fine but... if there is a 10 mile tailback from the Station de Peage/toll booth, then you wait with everyone else.

Re the article: In case you don't read French, that's 620 miles of tailbacks.

A quick scan of the article shows a maps with the Autoroutes, interchanges, sections and cities involved.

The alternatives are very easy driving, navigation is not hard and the roads certainly more interesting and attractive.

The tags work fine but... if there is a 10 mile tailback from the Station de Peage/toll booth, then you wait with everyone else.

 

I've never once seen heavy traffic on French Autoroutes, because we don't go in August

That is so useful to know.

What does this thread have to do with the Octavia? It reads like a traffic report and a long list of reasons not to go to France.

Off-topic and indeed useless.

Read the title of the thread?

So off topic.

Useless? This is the internet.

instead of commenting you can report the thread and one of us mods will move it, I would do it now but I'm litterally just walking out the door to head for the Briskoda national meeting.