Honda’s fuel-sipping 1.6 i-DTEC engine from the next-generation Earth Dreams Technology series has once again underlined its impressive real-world fuel efficiency, with the new Civic Tourer 1.6 i-DTEC powering Honda to victory in this year’s ‘MPG Marathon’.
In the rigorous two-day test over a specially-designated 530km of roads, Honda R&D engineer Fergal McGrath scooped the top spot for Best Outright MPG with an outstanding 2.9l/100km or 97.92mpg, overachieving against the Tourer’s quoted combined 3.8l/100km or 74.3mpg by some 31.8 per cent.
Organised by the UK’s Fleet World magazine, the MPG Marathon is designed to be a true real-world test that demonstrates the benefits to both the environment and the motorist’s back pocket of employing simple, smarter driving techniques.
The 26 teams taking part in this year’s MPG Marathon were free to plan their own routes, provided that they included a number of pre-agreed, fixed points; making keen navigational skills essential. All participating vehicles were fitted with tracking equipment so that event organisers knew exactly where each vehicle was and how far it had travelled over the two-day event.
Ross Durkin, managing editor of Fleet World Group and organiser of the MPG Marathon, commented: “All credit to the Honda engineering team. Their performance in recording an average of 97.92mpg over the two days was quite exceptional given the challenging driving conditions that all the contestants faced. It is testimony to their expert eco-driving skills that they have emerged triumphant against a very strong field of competitors, including nine former champions, and shows what can be achieved with the current generation of eco-friendly models available on the market today.”
Emmet Kavanagh, marketing manager of Universal Honda commented: “Many Civic customers in Ireland have reported excellent real-world fuel economy under a variety of driving conditions, so we felt confident that Honda would be able to achieve a very competitive result in the MPG Marathon. Customers want performance and practicality, but with low running costs, and that’s what the Civic delivers. What’s more the 1.6 i-DTEC engine is available in the Civic, CR-V and next year in the HR-V, so many more customers will get to experience the benefits of this fuel-efficient power unit.”
The Civic Tourer in which the Honda engineers took top spot for Best Outright MPG was an unmodified version of the production car available in Honda dealerships nationwide.
With its compelling combination of high fuel economy and low emissions with power and practicality, the Civic Tourer with super-frugal 1.6 i-DTEC engine provides a competitive 120 PS of power and 300 Nm of torque, yet still delivers 3.8l/100km (74.3mpg ) on the combined cycle, a range of 1,300km on one tank of fuel and CO2 emissions of just 99g/km for annual motor tax of €180.
