For those who do not know what CNG letters mean, they are the acronym of compressed natural gas, a type of gas that has been used for years as an alternative to oil derived fuels.It is important not to confuse it with liquefied oil gas, whose acronym are LPG and is known as autogas, which is a mixture of butane and propane gas that is also used as fuel for vehicles (the most used by taxi drivers, at least before).

Almost 200 gasineras in Spain and uploading

The CNG consists mainly of methane and is like the natural gas consumed in homes, but compressed for use as fuel.It is cheaper and pollutes less than other fossil fuelStop of growing in recent years and there are already 181 CNG refueling points in Spain, according to updated data from the Sustainable Transport Association that integrates the gas and hydrogen value chain (Gasnam).

Skoda Octavia Combi 1.5 TSI G-TEC 130 CV DSG

Starting from this base, you will understand our reaction when our partner Carlos Espinosa told us that Skoda Spain gave us an Octavia Combi G-tec of natural gas to test it for 10 days.For personal reasons, we had to move those days from Madrid to Malaga with the whole family and our first impulse was of deep concern.We were assaulted several doubts and questions: can we get to Malaga and return with a CNG car?Are there gasineras (this is the name of the service stations that serve natural gas) in Malaga?And along the way?What autonomy does a natural gas car have?And how much does the CNG cost?

Three CNG and one gasoline deposits

Luckily, CNG cars like Skoda Octavia Combi 1.5 TSI G-TEC are Bi-Fuel or Dual-Fuel vehicles, which means that they are fed by gasoline and CNG.They are not hybrid, since they only have an engine that works interchangeably with gasoline or CNG.Our test unit, specifically, has three natural gas deposits with a total capacity of 17.7 kg and another 9 -liter gasoline assistant.So, in the worst case, we had the option of filling the gas tank every 100 or 120 kilometers (hurrying the reservation a lot) if we did not find any gasinera in Malaga or along the way.We knew that this is what a co -worker did that went on vacation to Galicia two summers with a Seat León SportStourer TGI.And survived.

Trip planning

We assumed that it was not going to be the most comfortable trip of our lives, but there was no choice but to do it.That is what we believed before planning the trip, but the reality was very different.It was enough to do a quick search on Google to find the Gasnam.Expanding the map, we discovered that there were at least four gasineras on our route: one between Valdepeñas and Santa Cruz de Mudela (in the middle of A-4), two more after Despeñaperros (very close to Guarromán, in the province of Jaén) and,,Finally, another one in an industrial estate in Granada that was the one that saved us the 'life' both the first leg and the return.

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No gasineras in Malaga

Although it seems incredible, in the province of Malaga there is only one gasinera that dispens CNC and is in Antequera, almost 60 kilometers from the capital Costasoleña and almost 110 kilometers from Marbella.Luckily, our destination was Torre del Mar, on the eastern coast of Malaga, so we could fill the gas deposit in Granada before continuing for the A-44 in the direction of Motril and then brings together the A-7 in Nerja directionUntil Torre del Mar.But it was night and we could not risk that the Granada gasinera was closed, out of service or we couldn't find it, so we made a previous stop at one of Jaén's gas to repost, taking advantage of the fact that we were already running out of gas.

40% cheaper than gasoline

It was then that we got the greatest surprise on the trip.For only 12.50 euros we load 14.06 kg of CNG and we get autonomy to travel another 450 kilometers with natural gas, according to the on -board computer.The price of the CNG was at 0.889 euros for each kilo at the Repsol de Guarromán service station (next to the Moreno puff pastry), almost 40% cheaper than the liter of gasoline and 30% cheaper than the liter of gasoil.140 kilometers later, in Granada, we just had to recharge six kilos of CNG for less than 5.50 euros (at 0.925 the kg).

We arrive at our destination in Torre del Mar with almost 300 kilometers of autonomy to circulate with natural gas.More than enough to move for a week along the coast of the Axarquía, without the need to use the fuel tank, and return to the Granada gasinera during the return trip. ¡Nos quedamos sin gas a un kilómetro de Petrol&Go Granada, la estación de servicio con gasinera de Naturgy! Verídico.There we filled the deposit with 14.13 euros, which gave us for 15.28 kilos of CNG before following the road to Madrid.

From Granada to Madrid without Respostear

This time, on the trip back to Madrid, we did not need to stop in Guarromán to reproduce and we made all the way from a pull to the Las Arenas service area, in Pinto.From one gasinera to another there is a path of 395 kilometers and we did everything with natural gas, without spending a drop of gasoline.Skoda says that the combi G-Tec has an autonomy of 500 km when it works only with CNG, although it seemed to us that real autonomy in normal driving conditions is below 450 km.

A very cheap way to travel

Be that as it may, when we arrived at the Pinto service station there was still a rest of the gas in the deposit (a little less than the reserve), so we only had to refuel 12 kilos of CNG at 0.839 euros the kg (the equivalent of10 euros) to have a full tank.In total we spend 42.30 euros in 10 days and 1.455 kilometers traveled, a third of what we would have spent with a gasoline car and less than half of what would have cost us with a diesel.Unbeatable even for an electric car and much faster, since the natural gas refueling operation is similar to that of gasoline or diesel tourism: you connect the hose, tour a lever and press the green/stople button.In less than five minutes you can resume the trip.

Power and benefits

In addition, the performance and benefits of Skoda Octavia Combi 1.5 TSI G-TEC are like those of a gas or diesel car.It is driven by a 1.5 -liter and four -cylinder engine that develops a power of 130 hp and a maximum torque of 200 Nm available from 1.400 rpm.The engine is associated with an automatic 7 -speed double clutch DSG change that works wonderfully and can be operated with the cams located after the steering wheel.All this mechanic allows you to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 10 seconds and reach a maximum speed of 213 km/h.

Soft and silent

At no time gave us the impression that the engine lacked strength or was lazy when it feeds on natural gas, and that we were going the full family (two adults and two children) and with the trunk loaded to the roof.The car is very well, nervous if we carry it above 3.000 laps, and there is no variation in the response (not even a slight change in the sound of the engine, very soft and silent) when the CNG is exhausted and the gasoline begins to enter.

And, by the way, what a trunk!It has 495 liters of capacity, 145 liters less than that of the rest of the range due to the installation of the three CNG deposits located on the low of the vehicle, but it is more than enough to travel with family.In return, Skoda Octavia Combi 1.5 TSI G-TEC allows savings of up to 40% in fuel compared to its gasoline equivalent and emits 25% less CO2, so it carries the precious ECO of the DGT.

Prices

Regarding the price of Skoda Octavia Combi Ambition 1.5 TSI G-TEC 96 KW (130 hp) DSG, it costs much more than diesel or gasoline equivalent: 30.790 euros without discounts, figure that goes down to 29.290 euros in case of opting for the version with 6 -speed manual exchange.To get an idea, the Octavia Combi Ambition 2.0 TDI of 150 hp with automatic change DSG has a price of 28.904, while Octavia Combi Style 1.5 TSI MHEV 110 KW (150 hp) DSG costs 28.983 euros.

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