Ford Fiesta sets fuel record
2012-10-09 06:58
FRUGAL FIESTA : An ECOnetic turbodiesel version of the car managed 2.6 litres/100km over a 600km route.
A Ford Fiesta ECOnetic 1.6 TDCi has won the 2012 ALD Automotive/Shell FuelSave MPG Marathon by clocking 2.6 litres/100km over a 600km route involving tough, real-world driving in challenging weather.
The annual event is a test of fuel consumption for showroom vehicles which also demonstrates the financial benefits of simple, smarter driving techniques. The 2012 route through the hills of South Wales and the Cotswolds was made more challenging by a bridge collapse and a traffic light failure.
Ford’s winning team, Andrew Marriott and Andy Dawson, are former rally drivers and beat their nearest rival by more than two km/litre.
STOP/START HELPED
The super-frugal ECOnetic has an official combined fuel consumption of 3.3 litres/100km and CO2 emissions of 87g/km and, Ford says, proved that smarter driving can dramatically reduce the cost of running a family car. This year’s run was a 27 % improvement over its official combined fuel consumption figure.
Ford’s ECOnetic technology significantly assists the efficiency of Fiesta and FiestaVan models by combining stop/start technology, combustion and calibration improvements, smart regenerative charging and revised gear ratios, among other enhancements.
A Ford Focus Titanium 1.0 EcoBoost also took part, with drivers Paul and Doug Clifton, from BBC South, producing 4.56 litres/100km – a near 10% advance on its official combined cycle figure.
'IMPRESSIVE IMPROVEMENT'
A Ford Transit Custom T270, crewed by Owen Wood and Richard Powell of Ford’s UK Technical Centre, was third in the LCV category thanks to a performance of 5.04 litres/100km – 37% better than the advertised figure.
Event organiser Ross Durkin commented: “This year’s MPG Marathon will be remembered for bettering 100mpg (2.82 litres/100km) . The average improvement over combined cycle figures achieved by the 27 vehicles in the 2012 event was a whisker under 16% – impressive by anyone’s standards.
“Manufacturers have done a tremendous job of improving the fuel efficiency of all new cars and vans but drivers should see their published fuel consumption figures as a target to beat, not the maximum achievable.”
