IT'S the burning question on motorists lips - almost literally. With the price of fuel soaring just about every week, how do we cut back?
Whether you are Green by nature or having it thrust on you in order to pay the bills and survive, the fact is that more and more drivers are searching for ways to reduce those escalating petrol and diesel costs.
Help is never far away with every motor maker recognising the need and turning their resources to making their models more frugal. Last week I was driving the Fiat Bravo Eco, a five door hatch powered by a 1.6-litre high economy diesel engine that manages to squeeze under the magic 120g/km threshold which means if the proposed changes to London congestion charge go ahead, it will be able to trundle around the capital unencumbered by the £8 levy.
Of course, even if you never take a car into London, you'll benefit from that extra economy. The 119g/km tallies with an impressive combined economy figure of 62.8mpg - not bad for a full-sized five door which can boast an 11 second dash to 62mph and a 116mph maximum. Price of the Eco is a reasonable £14,150.
On a series of drives through rain-sodden Home Counties roads I tried to establish whether the compact Bravo, which carries Fiat's hopes in maintaining its place as the greenest car maker, delivered the goods.
In a fairly basic test I nursed the car, changing gear as soon as was feasible and not exceeding 50mph, by which time I had slipped into sixth gear. I didn't cheat by either switching off the engine at lights or by free-wheeling, but my progress was uncomfortably slow without quite causing an obstruction to other road users. The result - a pretty impressive 65.2mpg over the 30 mile run, according to the on board computer.
Then for a bit more actuality. The roads were drying a tad and I put my foot down, changing gear through the box and making the most of the 105bhp engine's torque which comes in nice and early.
A few whizzes up to the legal limit and then the moment of reckoning with the computer. My average had slipped to 45.6mpg which, in view of the driving style, seemed pretty good to me. Somewhere between the two results may be a genuine average.
The great thing about the Bravo Eco is that despite taller gearing and low rolling-resistance tyres, you don't feel like you're driving some sort of mechanical freak. Performance is perfectly respectable and if you are willing to work at the economy and control your right foot, the results will follow. The new wave diesel is smooth and quiet and it's good to see a six-speed box on a reasonably priced car.
The addition of the Eco alongside a 120bhp version of the 1.6-litre diesel brings the number of Bravo models available in Britain to 17, since the range was introduced last year, helping Fiat towards its target of 100,000 sales.