Toyota Yaris, Aygo win World MPG Marathon with 80+ mpg
OK, tell me who isn't on a mileage marathon these days? We're still rocking the Audi trip, and the Peugots and the Corvette were busy in the UK with the ALD event. Meanwhile, we get a note from Toyota that their fleet has "dominated" the ALD World MPG Marathon. ToMoCo's definition of dominating is that a Yaris got the highest overall fuel economy while an Aygo got the highest mileage with a petrol engine.
The numbers are pretty astounding: the Yaris, driven by Andrew Andersz and Gary Luton, got 84.66 mpg while James Sutherland and Richard Hill piloted the Aygo to 82.39 mpg. I'm not sure what, if any, modifications were allowed to the vehicles in this event, but you've got to admit that 80+ mpg is awful impressive, even if those are Imperial gallons.
[Source: Toyota]
PRESS RELEASE:
13 October 2008
TOYOTA DOMINATES FLEET WORLD MPG MARATHON Yaris achieves lowest overall consumption
A Yaris driven by Andrew Andersz and Gary Luton achieved the highest overall fuel economy in the 2008 ALD Fleet World MPG Marathon. Seeing off stiff competition and winning Toyota top spot for the third year running, the Yaris 1.4 D-4D achieved 84.66 mpg, the highest figure attained out of all the 39 vehicles which took part in the 400-mile challenge last week.
The result represented a 34.81 per cent improvement over the official combined consumption figure of 62.8 mpg. The cross-Britain route was designed to include all aspects of motoring, with different types of roads and driving conditions.
Winners for the last two years in a Toyota Aygo, James Sutherland and Richard Hill from Peak Performance, recorded the highest overall figure for a petrol engine in their 1.0-litre car with 82.39 mpg, improving on the
78.39 mpg they achieved last year in the same vehicle.
Richard Balshaw, General Manager for Toyota Fleet said: "Achieving the highest overall consumption in both diesel and petrol classes has highlighted the efficiency of Toyota engines across the board. With a raft of new models due in the coming year with even stronger fuel efficiency and lower CO2 emissions, Toyota will remain highly competitive in the fleet market."
Ross Durkin, Publisher of Fleet World added, "It's not what you drive, but how you drive that makes the difference. Naturally if you drive carefully in a vehicle which is already highly economical you will reap double the benefit, as the performance of the Toyota Yaris in this year's event clearly demonstrated."
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
GGTD 6:54PM (10/13/2008)
I would really like to see more articles like this. Hybrids are a fad, high efficiency vehicles using traditional methods are going to provide the biggest immediate benefit. Someone needs to start thinking of the next step past hybrids and get to work!
Diesel has gotten a lot cleaner, but isn't it still frowned upon in the States? I doubt we'll see this car in the States if it's a diesel engine.
Reply
Noel 2:00AM (10/14/2008)
Agreed. I drive a hybrid myself, but I understand that my car is a stopgap for something better down the line. Some of the features that impress me about my Civic Hybrid have nothing to do with the battery pack: start-stop at red lights, cylinder deactivation, low-rolling resistance tires, small displacement (1.3L), improved aerodynamics, lighter rims, and an instantaneous mileage display, all of which could easily make it into most production vehicles today and would immediately have an impact on fuel consumption.
Brn 8:55AM (10/14/2008)
"Diesel has gotten a lot cleaner, but isn't it still frowned upon in the States?"
I wouldn't say frowned upon. Most aren't clean enough to pass emissions here and it would cost too much to bring them up to snuff. Add to that, diesel fuel is currently about 38% more costly than gas where I live. It doesn't make financial sense.
Btw: I believe the diesel fuel prices are artificially inflated.
BoneHeadOtto 9:25AM (10/14/2008)
"Someone needs to start thinking of the next step past hybrids and get to work!"'
new to ABG i see. welcome.
BoneHeadOtto 9:25AM (10/14/2008)
Hybrids are a transition technology to electric vehicles and not a "fad". SUVs were a fad. Hybrids are currently the most efficient city car technology we have. Yes there are mods that can be made to standard cars but dont be fooled by this 80mpg claim. These are the same drivers that would get 100+ mpg in an insight. So no one has made a std car here that is more efficient than a hybrid. Personally i prefer teh simpler tech and i like to drive a manual so i dont own a hybrid. But hybrids are far closer to our next transportation solution and not a fad. The solution is electric powered cars. But the problem is not the engine but the fuel/battery.
Reply
paulwesterberg 10:35AM (10/14/2008)
I agree, electric is the future, but the problem with gasoline is the engine. A gallon of gas holds a tremendous amount of energy - enough to move a car 200 miles if it were used efficiently. But most internal combustion engines are only 20-25% efficient and waste a huge amount of energy as heat. Gasoline is very energy dense, easy to store, easy to transport, but we don't currently have an efficient way to convert the energy in gas into propulsion.
These mpg marathons are rigged to showcase internal combustion engines, they use a long course of mostly highway miles which gives optimal mileage for combustion engines. Hybrids excel at city driving, stop and go traffic, because they can shut off the engine and capture regenerative braking power. MPG marathons do not accurately reflect the way normal people drive.
Audi has zero credibility because they only allowed their cars to compete(I wonder who will win) and use embedded bloggers to sell their publicity stunt as news.
Nai Nehctik 12:12PM (10/14/2008)
I drive a 2008 Yaris. I have tried for months to drive as efficiently as possible. The most miles I have ever gotten was 39 MPG. How they got 80+ I would really like to know.
Reply
Keith 2:17PM (10/14/2008)
The Yaris cited is actually a diesel version not available in the states. So your 39mpg is pretty good!
Marty 1:13PM (2/04/2009)
Hybrids and electrics are not even close to ready.
Do you know how much a battery weighs? Do you know how much energy it takes to create a battery, let alone push it around?
Do you know what happens to a battery when it is used up?
We should BAN all batteries in cars until they can be efficiently recycled. We are only lying to ourselves if we think this is a solution.
We need to develop responsible battery technology.
Until then, use diesel (simplest engines, lowest embodied energy), raise the gasoline prices to diesel levels through taxes (to fund battery technology development), and institute a vehicle weight tax (for non-commercial vehicles).
Batteries are HORRIBLE right now. Talk to any engineer who understands life-cycle analysis. AS OF RIGHT NOW THEY ARE NOT THE ANSWER.
Reply