One-tank Jags do DBN - return
2012-07-04 08:54
'WE DID IT!' Two Jaguar XF 2.2 diesels each used one tank of fuel to for a Pretoria-Durban round trip with drivers Marius Roberts (left) and Roger Rouessart.
All it takes is one tank! A Jaguar XF 2.2 used only 4.9 lltres/100km to get from Pretoria to the Durban's beachfront - and back.
Two cars from Jaguar SA set out from the Union Buildings in Pretoria on July 1 to make the round trip on a single tank of diesel and both cars made it - though by a tiny margin.
The four-cylinder diesels completed the journey with seasoned economy run expert Roger Rouessart and TV motoring show presenter Marius Roberts driving under the watchful eyes of Richard Carstens from Motorsport SA.
SKIPPING TRADITION
The cars arrived back in Pretoria having covered 1265.8km on a tank: the consumption figures were 64.461 litres (Marius Roberts) and 62.351 litres (Roger Roussaert) over the two-day journey.
David Barns, Jaguar SA brand manager and organiser of the attempt, said: “Traditionally it's a Johannesburg-Cape Town run that's attempted but we wanted to do something different to demonstrate the efficiency of our cars.
"Pretoria to Durban and back is far more challenging in that one has to contend with toll stops and high traffic volumes; however, the cars were up to the challenge and completed the task with little fuss.”
The N3’s multiple toll gates – which increase fuel consumption due to accelerating back up to speed - as well as the city driving elements in and out of Pretoria and Durban, made it a realistic, real-world attempt the "ordinary" driver would be able to replicate. This was proven by Roberts’ 5.1 litres/100km compared to Roussaert’s 4.9.
Jaguar’s 2.2-litre diesel engine delivers 140kW/450Nm to allow 8.5sec acceleration to 100km/h and a top speed of 225km/h yet the luxury sedan remains frugal at the fuel pumps. Jaguar says the cars received no special preparations and each matched Jaguar’s extra-urban cycle claimed fuel consumption figure.
"Our aim was to demonstrate what Jaguar drivers would be able to achieve for themselves," Barns added. "It was important that we didn’t try to optimise the vehicles or the conditions in any way."
