I have done this a few times before,
but not for quite a few years now, and even then, not very often. Now
I'm stuck at the first hurdle. I can't even get the filling nozzle
to un-catch from the LPG pump. The forecourt attendant pops over,
gives the nozzle a more determined tug than I had dared to try, and
hands it to me. Sheepishly, I am now able to line up the nozzle with
the filler socket that lies beneath the secondary fuel cap, and turn
a catch to secure the two together. The filler nozzle has a handle
similar to that on a petrol pump, but clasping it shut doesn't
deliver the fuel, nor does securing the clip that locks the handle in
the fully open position (do you remember when petrol pumps had them
too?). Over on the pump, next to the display panel, is a large
button, press and hold this, and Petroleum Gas flows in Liquid form
from the pump through the chunky connections and into the robust tank
that sits where the spare tyre should be. Why all this heavy
engineering? And why bother with LPG at all?
Fair questions, and there are plenty
more that can be asked. LPG cars require all the same Petrol fuel
components in addition to a second fuel tank, with filler systems and
piping, a vaporiser , a secondary ECU, and additional injectors. All
this is necessary as the engine starts and warms up using Petrol,
before that second ECU can intervene to cut the supply of Petrol,
replacing it with LPG. All this gubins is so robust in its
engineering because as its full name might suggest, to the more
scientifically minded, Liquid Petroleum Gas needs to be stored under
high pressure to be a liquid in the first place. Which is also why
you have to connect that nozzle then stand well back, the liquid
flowing through the pipes is icy cold, and your hand would stick to
the nozzle if you were to touch it whilst filling up. So all this
takes a little getting use to and can seem to be an utter nuisance
compared to the standard Petrol alternative, until you remember that
LPG is slightly cleaner and nearly half the price per litre.
Depending on your annual mileage that
price difference can make for serious savings on fuel that can more
that offset the additional purchase and servicing costs. Most
popular with high mileage users, those running large capacity engined
cars, and at one time, those venturing into London's Congestion Zone,
LPG seems to have been slightly forgotten as an Eco option in favour
of Hybrids and Electric vehicles. David's motivation for getting a
Vectra in particular was more to do with the practicalities of having
the full dealer support that came with all of Vauxhall's Duel Fuel
range. Listed as a factory fitted LPG systems by Vauxhall, the
conversion looks very similar to many professionally installed
systems that I've encountered before. Vauxhall must have designed
the Duel Fuel badges and checked the durability of the LPG system,
but that seems to be the full extent of the system integration.
A change of career from Driving
Instructor to Wedding DVD Creator, along with a growing family,
instigated the need for change from his old Renault Clio to something
bigger. More conventional options were considered, such as a Turbo
Diesel Rover 75, but finally the change was made from duel control
to Duel Fuel in April 2008. Regular work trips to London, meant that
the then 4 year old 69 thousand mile Vectra would have to prove as
reliable and economical as those more conventional alternatives.
Five year on, and the now 9 year old car 120 thousand mile workhouse
is showing it's fair share of marks and stains, but the man maths has
worked out remarkably well. Reliability, economy, space, comfort,
and usability, have all proved themselves, with the only complaint
David could think of being about the silly reinvention of the
indicator stalk mechanism that Vauxhall saw fit to inflict on mid
00's buyers.
I have to confess to being no fan of
any of Vauxhalls products since the mid nineties, but sitting here in
the car park of Creswell Ices after a lengthy drive via Newbiggin by
the Sea, I have even more questions than when I picked up the car
earlier that afternoon. The 1.8 litre engine is the base unit for
these Vectra C's (as they are known) but I'm pleasantly surprised by
its fruity note when pressed into action. At motorway speeds it also
purrs away at 2-3 thousand RPM, but venture to more licence
threatening speeds it all gets a bit too noisy. Still fuel economy
will motivate most owners to avoid this particular failing, the less
that brilliant gear-change might be harder to ignore. Sitting eating
my 99, I take in the family warn interior, which has a fair share of
pro's and con's. On the pro's list are the comfortable seats, neat
centre console, with clear and detailed LCD display, comprehensive
stereo with tape deck and 4 disc CD changer, and neat easy to find
control clusters. The con's list is fairly short, but significant,
the plastic quality isn't great as the heavy wear marks show, the
wiper and indicator control stalks feel even cheaper than they look,
and that clever display system hasn't been integrated with the LPG
system so all the mpg and miles to empty figures are totally
inaccurate.
Motorways, Duel Carriageways, and A
roads are this car's (and Vauxhall's) forte, twisty bumpy back road
most definitely are not. The slight vagueness of the steering is
almost a bonus on those cruises, insulating you from hubbub and noise
coming up from the road surface, but on these B roads just south of
Druridge Bay, the lack of detail and body control leave you
constantly correcting and re-correcting your course. Ice cream
finished, I'm gonna have to take the long way back to try to find
some sort of conclusion to this test. On the Duel Carriageway, try
to regain that lost 20mph after letting some slow-coach into the
outside lane, and you'll need an extra couple of gear changes before
you're back up to cruising velocity. Which seems a shame because
that Ecotec unit delivers healthy numbers on paper (125bhp and
123lb/ft torque), leading you to point the finger of blame at the
gear ratios themselves.
I seem to have hit a rich vain of
worthy yet ordinary cars recently with CkofS, and I guess that has to
been expected as most of us can only justify modest budgets, and have
wide and varied requirements for our motor vehicles. Measured it
these terms, David's Vectra has to be given plenty of credit for
delivering on a very diverse set of criteria. For a petrol-headed
driver like me, it lacks some detail refinement, but to many, its
owner included, it has all the gadgets and comforts, without too many
horrors (bills included) to cause sleepless nights. And all that LPG
paraphernalia? Well it is a shame that Vauxhall didn't work a little
harder to deliver accurate mpg figures through that on board
computer, maybe a better LPG fuel supply gauge, and a neater switch
for choosing which fuel to run on. But if you do the miles, drive a
big thirsty V8, or don't like those noisy diesels, then its probably
still worth another look.
Thanks to David for the loan of his
car.
ⓒ Dan
Ewing 2013
