This is a different kind of race altogether, 410 miles (660 kilometers), and the winner walks away with the most petrol left in the tank. All participants are required to have a driver and a passenger, and they'll drive using whatever techniques that could help reduce petrol consumption. The winners for 2008, are Andrew Andersz and Gary Luton in a Toyota Yaris 1.4D, with runner up Sue Cooke and her daughter Joanne in a Mazda 2 1.4D; both small displacement diesel superminis. Both achieved astonishing results, with the Yaris and Mazda achieving an astonishing 84.66mpg and 84.58mpg respectively. Which when converted back into ltrs per 100km, is an amazing 2.7 ltrs per 100km, or in retrospective, if your car took around RM100 worth of petrol, which is around 40 ltrs, you can literally travel 1,480 kilometers!But of course not all credits should go with the cars, as its the driving method that counts most, however the same measure cant be said with Toyota's marketing team, as their usual marketing and over hyping tradition goes, both manufacturers had a very different approach to announcing this MPG Marathon news, with Toyota laying almost all credits to the cars alone, Mazda almost spoke of nothing of their efficiency prowess, putting most credits to the drivers, and followed by driving tips of:
Mazda’s ‘Smarter Motoring’ Tips
* Change up ‘early’ through the gears, just before the ‘peak-torque’ rpm
* Ease your speed. Driving at 70mph uses around 15 per cent more fuel than at 50mph
* Anticipate to avoid unnecessary braking and stopping
* Use the air-conditioning sparingly as it increases fuel consumption
* Switch off the engine whenever it is safe to do so
* Check tyre pressures regularly
* Remove unnecessary weight from your car
* Reduce aerodynamic drag whenever possible, e.g. removing roof racks when not in use
* Follow the recommended servicing schedule
Again, watch this video of a 1.5 ltr Hybrid Toyota Prius consuming more fuel than a BMW M3 with a fire breathing 4.2 ltr V8 engine.
