Vauxhall beat Suzuki to MPG improvement prize
Vauxhall has emerged as a surprise winner of this year’s MPG Marathon thanks to the frugal efforts of its VXR8.
The British brand claimed the prize for overall best percentage improvement with the VXR8 reporting an improvement of 53% on its combined figure. It achieved 32.14 mpg; a significant leap on the supposed 21.
Organised by Fleet World, the two-day annual contest challenges fuel economy claims of 37 models with judges thoroughly inspecting fuel consumption after a 372 mile jaunt around the Cotswolds which takes in motorways and A and B roads.
Piloting Vauxhall to victory was Chris Mooney, Editor of Top Gear Online, who was helped along the way by navigator Andrew Duerden, Vauxhall’s archivist and resident eco-driving expert.
“Andrew and I are over the moon to win the overall best percentage improvement in the VXR8,” beamed Mooney.
“It just goes to show that the person behind the wheel can make a massive difference to fuel costs and carbon emissions. And, of course, that a 6.2 litre V8 is a very sensible choice of engine in the right hands.”
Chris and Andrew are expected to collect their award at the Royal Automobile Club in London’s Pall Mall on Wednesday [12 October].
Difficult to achieve
Despite coming second to Vauxhall, there was still a valid reason for Suzuki to be proud after achieving 86.4mpg with the Swift 1.3-litre DDiS which supped just short of 20 litres along the route.
This marked an improvement of 28.3% on the reported 67.3mpg.
Dale Wyatt, Suzuki’s Director of Sales and Marketing, commented: “The 2011 MPG Marathon has again been an excellent opportunity to showcase Suzuki’s commitment to producing fuel efficient, cleaner cars and this event has certainly endorsed that.”
Event organiser Ross Durkin added: “The motor manufacturers have done a fantastic job of improving the fuel efficiency of their cars, but let’s not overlook the fact that the use of certain smarter driving techniques can significantly reduce the amount of fuel used on a journey.
“Savings of up to 20% are by no means difficult to achieve.”
Last year’s overall best percentage improvement prize went to Volkswagen’s Golf Gti DSG which marked mpg up by 45.62%.
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