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LONDON, England - Honda has set a new Guinness World Record title recording an average of 2.3 litres/100km over 13 497km, in a 25-day trip reaching all "24 EU contiguous countries".
Honda’s European research and development team, Fergal McGrath and Julian Warren, took on the challenge to demonstrate the fuel economy of the Honda Civic Tourer 1.6 i-DTEC.
Honda says its Civic Tourer has a claimed fuel consumption of 3.8 litres/100km.
ECONOMICAL RESULTS
The automaker says the distance travelled is similar to its team driving to Australia from their home in the UK, stopping just nine times to refuel. Honda claims the car achieved an average 1499km on each tank of fuel.
The team set out on their road trip from Aalst, Belgium, on June 1 2015, navigating the continent in a clockwise direction, and returning to their start point on June 25.
McGrath said: “It was tough, but we really enjoyed it, and setting this new title has made all of the hard work worthwhile. This was a huge team effort so I’d like to thank everyone involved for all of their commitment and support. After spending so much time behind the wheel Julian (Warren) and I are just happy to be back behind our desks for a while!”
STRICT RULES
The official Guinness title is ‘Lowest Fuel Consumption – all 24 contiguous EU countries’.
Under the rules the same two drivers must be in the car for the whole journey, giving 18-year colleagues MvGrath and Warren the challenge of driving an average of approximately 611km, taking around 7.5 hours, each day.
Based on strict and rigorous guidelines, the title attempt required the car to enter each of the 24 countries, collecting a range of evidence including a fuel/mileage logbook, GPS readings, video and photographs and independent witness signatures
To ensure accurate monitoring of the route, journey time and distance driven, the record car was fitted with a tracking device, provided by fleet telematics and a tracking device.
SIMPLE TACTICS
Rules included that the car must be a standard model in every respect, with no modifications to create an advantage, to replicate ‘real world’ conditions. This was judged by independent witnesses at the beginning and end of the attempt.
Refuelling was carried out at regular filling stations, with the tank filled to the maximum at each stop to ensure no weight advantage, claims the automaker. Additionally, tyres were inflated to the recommended pressures and the wheel alignment set to factory specification to represent the experience of the regular customer.
Honda further added that both amateur drivers were keen to show that through adopting some simple but very effective driving techniques, anybody could achieve such remarkable fuel economy. They used logical methods including careful route planning, driving smoothly and consistently without harsh acceleration or braking, anticipating the road conditions ahead, carrying no unnecessary weight, and ensuring that the car was correctly maintained at all times.
