European Road Trip Coming Up!

[Mike Keeling]

In a week and a half, we'll be travelling in the Avensis through Europe to Poland, Lithuania and Latvia. We usually go to Poland in the summer anyway as my wife is from there and this time we'll be travelling around a bit more.

Looking forward to seeing how it is to drive the Avensis on such a tour - I've heard it's a great Motorway/Autobahn cruiser. Anyone else done long journeys in Europe? I've done it before in other cars (last year it was in a Honda Jazz, which was a tad painful!).

I'm wondering what the fuel consumption is going to average out at too!

[Bernard Foy]

15 minutes ago, Mike Keeling said:

In a week and a half, we'll be travelling in the Avensis through Europe to Poland, Lithuania and Latvia. We usually go to Poland in the summer anyway as my wife is from there and this time we'll be travelling around a bit more.

Looking forward to seeing how it is to drive the Avensis on such a tour - I've heard it's a great Motorway/Autobahn cruiser. Anyone else done long journeys in Europe? I've done it before in other cars (last year it was in a Honda Jazz, which was a tad painful!).

I'm wondering what the fuel consumption is going to average out at too!

Keep us updated on your trip Mike it may be informative to other European travelers.

[Mike Keeling]

Will do.

Over the last 27 years of our marriage I've travelled over there in a variety of different cars starting with a Citroen BX19GTi back in 1995, when I first went to pick her up and bring her back to England after meeting her in Sussex originally, and on a couple of occasions 2-up on our Yamaha Virago 750.

So, interested in seeing how the Avensis is - I've only had it for 2 weeks and it's a great drive, very comfortable, if a little thirsty around town.

[Cyker]

Oooh the Avensis diesel will love that journey! Will deffo be a lot more comfortable than the Jazz I'm sure!  

Take lots of photos!! 

[TonyHSD]

Sound like a nice adventure, I won’t love to do some similar 😉👌

Done few times from London to Bulgaria, Black Sea coast and I love it. Most important thing to check beforehand you go are engine oil, coolant and ac regas if you haven’t done in the last few years. Summer time can get very hot in Europe and temperatures hit 40c° so cooling fo r the car and yourself is ultra important. Also best to take more drinking water with you and a bottle of engine oil, and screen wash, and a set of spare bulbs on top of all other necessary items for the journey, these are one of the most expensive items in any service station. You can get cheaper refill with fuel if you come off main motorway and use town services instead of been on the major ones located on the motorway shoulder, these are also less busy and people are more polite. That’s my two cents and experience from previously journeys. 
Enjoy your trip. 👍

[Mojo1010]

Enjoy your trip

Tony I'm sure he knows what to bring having done many of these trips 🙂

[Roy124]

Mike,  did Netherlands in April.  Fuel more expensive than UK, diesel cheaper than petrol, so diesel might work out cheaper.   NL day speed limit 62mph on autoroutes.

Crossing via Harwich and Stena very good.  Opted for Captains Cabin so got the lounge and drinks in cabin included.

 

[Mike Keeling]

3 hours ago, TonyHSD said:

Sound like a nice adventure, I won’t love to do some similar 😉👌

Done few times from London to Bulgaria, Black Sea coast and I love it. Most important thing to check beforehand you go are engine oil, coolant and ac regas if you haven’t done in the last few years. Summer time can get very hot in Europe and temperatures hit 40c° so cooling fo r the car and yourself is ultra important. Also best to take more drinking water with you and a bottle of engine oil, and screen wash, and a set of spare bulbs on top of all other necessary items for the journey, these are one of the most expensive items in any service station. You can get cheaper refill with fuel if you come off main motorway and use town services instead of been on the major ones located on the motorway shoulder, these are also less busy and people are more polite. That’s my two cents and experience from previously journeys. 
Enjoy your trip. 👍

Thanks Tony - I've driven to Poland many, many times over the last 27 years, it does get hot in summer (40C when we were there last year). It's also interesting driving there in winter when it gets down to -30C (or used to, not so much anymore these days).

We always take plenty of drinks/snacks as we tend to do it in one go... so first leg this year will be Alfreton to Poznan. In the past, crossing into Poland really slowed things down as you were limited to standard roads with a 90 km/h speed limit, but the Motorways that they have now make things a lot easier!

[Mike Keeling]

5 hours ago, Roy124 said:

Mike,  did Netherlands in April.  Fuel more expensive than UK, diesel cheaper than petrol, so diesel might work out cheaper.   NL day speed limit 62mph on autoroutes.

Crossing via Harwich and Stena very good.  Opted for Captains Cabin so got the lounge and drinks in cabin included.

 

Good to know that diesel is cheaper there - the 2.2 DCAT Auto isn't exactly frugal, so far as I've seen anyway after a few drives.

We're doing Dover-Dunkerque as usual; I don't mind a long drive, I'm used to it as we've toured right down to Rome, Naples and Puglia over the years. I enjoy the adventure - though I did draw the line at Easter when the missus fancied going to Athens in the Honda Jazz!

[Roy124]

Mike, just checked. Daughter says €1.45.

She also says don't buy on motirwaybut I guess not always easy

[Mike Keeling]

55 minutes ago, Roy124 said:

Mike, just checked. Daughter says €1.45.

She also says don't buy on motirwaybut I guess not always easy

When you're focussed on travelling such a long distance in one go, it's often easier to just fill up on the motorways rather than have to come off and drive around local roads to find a more local garage - depends on my mood I find! But yes it would work out cheaper.

[TonyHSD]

Going off motorway into towns not always a better option but depends on your journey planning, stops, overnight sleep etc. During high season through out August the major services on the motorways are crazy packed with people, there tons of queues for fuel, wc, food, even sometimes the car parks are full where at the town entrance usually only local drivers and the things might be more relaxed, plus you feel more the local lifestyle and culture. Staying on the motorway for entire journey feels like you are circling around M25 for 3 days 😂👌 I know Mike has a lot more experience than me no doubt about it, I only done it twice, but sharing more will help other folks that haven’t traveled of yet and are about to do it. 👍

[Mike Keeling]

10 hours ago, TonyHSD said:

Going off motorway into towns not always a better option but depends on your journey planning, stops, overnight sleep etc. During high season through out August the major services on the motorways are crazy packed with people, there tons of queues for fuel, wc, food, even sometimes the car parks are full where at the town entrance usually only local drivers and the things might be more relaxed, plus you feel more the local lifestyle and culture. Staying on the motorway for entire journey feels like you are circling around M25 for 3 days 😂👌 I know Mike has a lot more experience than me no doubt about it, I only done it twice, but sharing more will help other folks that haven’t traveled of yet and are about to do it. 👍

For us it depends how soon we need to be in Poland. If there's no rush we'll stop off along the way or stay with friends en-route. This time it's a non-stop dash to Poznan to be there Sat afternoon and then Poznan to Toruń  (my wife's home town) on the Sunday. I work remotely so the first week there will be a working one, then we're free for a couple of weeks to travel around to Białystok, Eastern Poland close to Belarus and then on up to Lithuania and Latvia. Should be fun!

[Roy124]

Fuel planning is worthwhile.   My journey from Turkey to UK, we planned to dump the last of our funny money into the last petrol station.  Also planned to minimise uplift in Greece.   Actually avoided any Greek fuel and git into Yugoslavia on fumes. 

Later for a trip to Venice we did the same detailed planning to minimise fuel costs.  Luxembourg,  pre motorway, was always cheapest

[Mike Keeling]

Well as a sort of shakedown for the Euro trip we drove 4+ hrs from Alfreton down to Devon to see friends this weekend. And then back again.

Fuel consumption for mixed driving (urban, motorway, twisty country lanes) came to 41.3 MPG, the best I saw was 46.3 on an uninterrupted run at 75 mph on the flat. Does that sound OK for a diesel 2.2 150 auto DCAT?

[Seb_90]

I just came back from a big eurotrip: England - Montenegro - England with stops in Germany, Austria, Slovenia and Croatia. 3500 miles in total over 3 weeks.

I have a 1.8 petrol manual and my motorway consumption was 6.1l/100km (46.31 British MPG) on average with 80-90mph speed. Both speed and consumption should be even better with your diesel engine. 

Be prepared to pay HIGH fuel prices on Autobahn in Belgium and Germany (not sure about Poland). I paid 2.28EUR/l for 95 petrol. It was 60 cents cheaper in a small town in Germany where I stopped later that day. In Montenegro it was just 1.28EUR for 95 but I could tell my car didn't like the quality of it as the consumption went up and I needed to rev my engine higher to get the same performance. 

I've serviced the car before going on the trip: changed oil, filter, saloon filter, recharged AC, changed two pulleys with bad bearings on the engine (idler and tensioner), new drive belt, new windscreen wipers, filled washer bottle, new radiator due to old leaking and new coolant (original from T). Some of the things I did were not necessary for the trip but I did them anyway for a piece of mind and also I did all the work myself so it wasn't that expensive.

I also went and bought a new water pump and a used alternator on eBay with plenty of life left. I took those things with me along the tool bag but ended up not needing it which was a relief. You certainly will find those things in Europe too but the idea was to minimise the disruption to the trip as we had all airbnbs and hotels booked in all destinations.

Make sure you have a breakdown cover for the EU which covers all the countries you are going through. I've got the best cover available with all possible services such as a guaranteed replacement car, hotel, car shipment to the UK etc. My mate went to an Eurotrip in his camper van a few years ago and his engine died and they ended up shipping the van back to the UK, luckily he had this covered. I was reading on reddit about a guy who was going through France and his crankshaft died on his BMW 5 series and he thought his UK breakdown cover will assist in Europe... nope, he ended up abandoning his car and getting a flight back to the UK. Can't imagine doing that with a boot full of stuff. So please check if you are covered! I've traveled over 20 times to Germany by car over the years and I've seen many UK cars broken down on the side of the Autobahn.

I always take some food and plenty of water with me. Spare bulbs and top up engine oil. 

For Germany you would need a high viz and a triangle. After Brexit I've been asked for DVLA papers (proof of car ownership, forgot how it's called) for my car when stopped by the police so carry those with you. Print out insurance docs to have a hard copy.

If you have any questions, I am happy to answer. 

I wish you a good trip.

 

[Mike Keeling]

22 hours ago, Seb_90 said:

I just came back from a big eurotrip: England - Montenegro - England with stops in Germany, Austria, Slovenia and Croatia. 3500 miles in total over 3 weeks.

I have a 1.8 petrol manual and my motorway consumption was 6.1l/100km (46.31 British MPG) on average with 80-90mph speed. Both speed and consumption should be even better with your diesel engine. 

Be prepared to pay HIGH fuel prices on Autobahn in Belgium and Germany (not sure about Poland). I paid 2.28EUR/l for 95 petrol. It was 60 cents cheaper in a small town in Germany where I stopped later that day. In Montenegro it was just 1.28EUR for 95 but I could tell my car didn't like the quality of it as the consumption went up and I needed to rev my engine higher to get the same performance. 

I've serviced the car before going on the trip: changed oil, filter, saloon filter, recharged AC, changed two pulleys with bad bearings on the engine (idler and tensioner), new drive belt, new windscreen wipers, filled washer bottle, new radiator due to old leaking and new coolant (original from T). Some of the things I did were not necessary for the trip but I did them anyway for a piece of mind and also I did all the work myself so it wasn't that expensive.

I also went and bought a new water pump and a used alternator on ebay with plenty of life left. I took those things with me along the tool bag but ended up not needing it which was a relief. You certainly will find those things in Europe too but the idea was to minimise the disruption to the trip as we had all airbnbs and hotels booked in all destinations.

Make sure you have a breakdown cover for the EU which covers all the countries you are going through. I've got the best cover available with all possible services such as a guaranteed replacement car, hotel, car shipment to the UK etc. My mate went to an Eurotrip in his camper van a few years ago and his engine died and they ended up shipping the van back to the UK, luckily he had this covered. I was reading on reddit about a guy who was going through France and his crankshaft died on his BMW 5 series and he thought his UK breakdown cover will assist in Europe... nope, he ended up abandoning his car and getting a flight back to the UK. Can't imagine doing that with a boot full of stuff. So please check if you are covered! I've traveled over 20 times to Germany by car over the years and I've seen many UK cars broken down on the side of the Autobahn.

I always take some food and plenty of water with me. Spare bulbs and top up engine oil. 

For Germany you would need a high viz and a triangle. After Brexit I've been asked for DVLA papers (proof of car ownership, forgot how it's called) for my car when stopped by the police so carry those with you. Print out insurance docs to have a hard copy.

If you have any questions, I am happy to answer. 

I wish you a good trip.

 

Thanks for the info on fuel prices - haven't done the journey to Poland since last year, so good to know a more current price.

I've been doing the UK-Poland drive at least once a year since 1995 (since I met the Polish girl and married her) and always get full breakdown cover - it's insane not to.  Always take the docs with me, plus International driving licence since Brexit, to cover all bases. Also all the EU regulation stuff including breath testers for France, though we'll only be there for about 30 mins from Dunquerke.

I've only had the car 3 weeks and it was serviced before I got it, so hopefully all ok. Got our tame mechanic to have a look at it and he says it's in good shape. Chain not belt thankfully!

Re the fuel consumption, it's a 2.2 DCAT automatic, so it'll be about the same as yours I think.

[Cyker]

On 6/18/2023 at 6:50 PM, Mike Keeling said:

Fuel consumption for mixed driving (urban, motorway, twisty country lanes) came to 41.3 MPG, the best I saw was 46.3 on an uninterrupted run at 75 mph on the flat. Does that sound OK for a diesel 2.2 150 auto DCAT?

That seems about right; I always feel it should be more due to being a diesel, but for some reason the 2.2L D4Ds seem to be tuned more for power than economy - I remember we used to get a lot of annoyed posts about the petrol-esque mpg of the Auris SR180  

It is good for more but you have to have a very disciplined driving-style and basically not use half the power (Which I'd find very hard   )

[Mike Keeling]

15 minutes ago, Cyker said:

That seems about right; I always feel it should be more due to being a diesel, but for some reason the 2.2L D4Ds seem to be tuned more for power than economy - I remember we used to get a lot of annoyed posts about the petrol-esque mpg of the Auris SR180  

It is good for more but you have to have a very disciplined driving-style and basically not use half the power (Which I'd find very hard   )

Maybe I'll pootle along the autobahn at 120kmh and see what it can do hehe. 

Seriously though, I've been wondering about the chipping possibility - more bhp, torque and better consumption for around £300. Is it worth it?

[Mike Keeling]

Well we got back last weekend. 4145 miles/6670 km covered altogether and averaged 42.3 mpg/  6.68l/100km according to the computer.

Brilliant trip - I've driven a wide variety of cars to Poland and back over the last 27 years and this has to be one of the best. Such relaxed cruising!

The built in satnav was ideal to use zoomed-out to get an idea of where we were on a large scale, while I used Google Maps for actual navigation... it worked well.

[Mike Keeling]

[Cyker]

Yeah you can't beat a big diesel lump for a long motorway cruise! And doing it in a nice spacious Avensis estate too!

Glad you had a fun trip  

 

 

[TonyHSD]

Hybrid will be 60+ mpg but that’s another matter. The picture with the wooden house behind, looks like you had been to the paradise 😉👌

[Mike Keeling]

7 hours ago, TonyHSD said:

Hybrid will be 60+ mpg but that’s another matter. The picture with the wooden house behind, looks like you had been to the paradise 😉👌

We stayed in a log cabin for 3 nights in the Lithuanian countryside before heading to Vilnius. Bliss.