Dominance of Diesel - Fiesta TDCi ECOnetic Wins UK MPG Marathon at 90.65 mpgUS

[xcel]

Just a touch over a tenth short of the world record holding _ VW Passat TDI when driving around the US over an entire tank.

Wayne Gerdes - CleanMPG - Oct. 9, 2012

A 2012 Ford Fiesta ECOnetic TDCi (2010 shown) - $22,364 to start and rated at a very “wish it were here” 71.33 mpgUS combined on the NEDC. Maybe 56 mpgUS combined on our EPA?

The Ford Fiesta ECOnetic 1.6L TDCi won this year’s 2012 ALD Automotive/Shell FuelSave MPG Marathon, clocking up 90.65 mpgUS mpg over a 370-mile route involving tough, real-world driving in challenging weather conditions.

The annual event is a test of fuel consumption for showroom vehicles, which also demonstrates the financial benefits of simple, smarter driving techniques. This year’s route through the hills of South Wales and the Cotswolds was made more challenging by a bridge collapse and a traffic light failure along the way.

Ford’s winning team, Andrew Marriott and Andy Dawson are both former rally drivers and, beat their nearest rival by over five mpgUS.

The Ford Fiesta ECOnetic with an NEDC combined of 71.33 mpgUS ( and emissions of 87g per km CO2, proved that smarter driving can dramatically reduce the cost of running a family car. This year’s run demonstrated a 27 percent improvement over its official combined fuel consumption figure.

Ford’s ECOnetic technology combines Start/Stop technology, combustion and calibration improvements, smart regenerative charging, revised gear ratios and low rolling resistance tires to achieve the hug NEDC combined figures it is rated at.

The Ford Focus Titanium 1.0L EcoBoost was also entered and proved well off the mark with a paltry 51.61 mpgUS result some 43% off the mark set by the 1.6L turbo diesel.

Event organizers praised this year’s MPG Marathon as the first in which two teams who beat the elusive 83.33 mpgUS or 100mpgIMP barrier.

[waltermlee]

The 370 mile FE marathon is done over two day, with the average segment being 2 to 3 hours and the average segment distance being between 60 to 90 miles per segment with average speed about 32 mph. The partial route documentation provided suggest each route only has a handful of traffic signals to contend with. No traffic jams, no high speed driving to zap MPGs...

The Ford did very well but the Kia Rio gave it had some competition too...

Ford Fiesta Econetic 1.6 TDCi = 108.78 mpgIMP (90.65 mpgUS)
Kia Rio 1.1 CRDi eco = 102.21 mpgIMP (85.17 mpgUS)
Peugeot 208 e-HDi = 93.4 mpgIMP (77.83 mpgUS)
Citroen C1 1.0 VTR = 84.7 mpgIMP (70.58 mpgUS)

(it's the UK so these are imperial gallons which is a bit more that US gallons). mpgUS in ()

Source:

http://www.thempgmarathon.co.uk/
http://www.thempgmarathon.co.uk/news...-mpg-marathon/

[xcel]

Hi Walter:

Thanks for the details. I only wish I was there with our huge by comparison North American VW Passat TDI with the 6-speed stick sedan to go up against Europe's best in their Hyper efficient small turbo diesels

Saying that, I was shocked at the disparity between the 1.6L ECOnetic TDCi and the 1.0L EcoBoost. Ford is trying to sell the smaller EcoBoost's like they are the second coming and just as we suspected, they are getting killed by the super diesels.

Wayne

[chucky2]

Wow, I knew the EB wouldn't be besting the diesel but I had no idea it would be close to that bad. Knowing that it's now like doubly painful we don't get the diesels here in the States.

[phoebeisis]

90 mpg at 32 mph?
How would a hypermiled Prius do in this test?
Wayne-couple of years back you guys got 56 mph with the Prius-running against a 60 mpg Honda diesel-right? Wasn't the average driving speed 55 mph or so-in nasty rainy windy weather?
The long trip from St Louis-or Chicago to CA?
So what would a hypermiled Prius do averaging 32 mph?
Even just driving it-using CC- it might approach 70 mpg at such low speeds?
And the 10-15% diesel premium here in the USA?
Why in the world did the little FORD spark motor do so poorly? It should get 60 mpg by just setting the CC to 45 mph?

Charlie

[PaleMelanesian]

I'd like to get my hands on that Ecoboost and show what it can really do. I (and mike and brandon) have a documented 63 mpg coast-to-coast run in the 1.6 non-turbo. Surely the 1.0 can do better than that!

[xcel]

Hi Andrew:

And we were cooking a bit faster than the "chaps in the UK" were too

Wayne

[phoebeisis]

Yeah- 32 mph???
AT cars might not do great- but 1 LITER MT should get HUGE numbers at such a slow speed-even in a 3000 lb Focus ?
A Prius should do very very well--averaging just 32 mph-70 MPG easily
Even if they didn't allow pulse and glide-32 mph-awfully slow average.
The 1 liter Ford must have been an AT to do so poorly? A Prius would get that 52 mpg at double 32 mph.The rules must have forced them to accel too briskly with that little Turbo-swilled fuel.
Focus and Prius-about the same 3000 lbs right-Fiesta 2500 lbs??
Rules must have forced them to hammer it.
Heck a hybrid Fusion-much much heavier- would beat 52 mpg at 32 mph-maybe beat 60 mpg at 32 mph.

[xcel]

Hi Charlie:

You have to be really really careful with that 32 mph average number. Most in this country only average 31 to 33 mph on their daily commutes (although they will tell you they average 65 + mph) so this run could have been right in the ball park?

A third gen Prius would probably have hit 80 to 85 mpgUS with the C knocking out over 100 mpgUS on a slower stop and go route?

Wayne

[phoebeisis]

Wayne
So a Prius would/might beat it in actual fuel cost fuel economy?
A Fusion Hybrid should do awfully well also-maybe the newest Camry Hybrid also?

Right- if it was a typical USA commute 32 mph-(faster than my commute)-the mpg would be miserable-