Mazda Proves Its Efficiency
 |
DARTFORD, UNITED KINGDOM – Sept 22, 2010: Entering a two-car team of last year’s winning Mazda3 MPS for Reg Burnard and a Mazda6 2.0-litre Estate car for Iain Robertson (2009 MPG ‘Percentage Improvement’ Champion), Mazda proved that its models continue to achieve outstanding fuel efficiency in even the most testing of conditions.
The 2010 Fleet World/ALD Automotive/Total Eco 10 MPG Marathon used its Ettington Chase, Warwickshire HQ as a base for covering 216 miles in the first and 183 miles in the second of two days of gruelling motoring. Broken into three stages per day, an early combination of Welsh hills and testing navigation ensured that no records would be broken in 2010.
As usual, the organisers selected routes that included a typical combination of town and country driving, incorporating main routes and motorways, upon which the Mazda3 MPS could demonstrate its remarkable overall efficiency. Reg Burnard, co-driven by Michael Stevens, was delighted with the 37.12 percent (40.31mpg) performance of his car and stated, “We know from the previous results achieved by Mazda’s hottest hatchback model that its frugal use of petrol is something that can be attained by almost any driver.”
Selecting the more popular Mazda6 2.0-litre Estate for his challenge, Iain Robertson, with navigator Rob Marshall, highlighted, “The longer estate car body would always prove its overall aerodynamic efficiency on motorways, where we found travelling at between 55-70mph the car was capable of returning over 52mpg. However, overcoming its greater weight at lower speeds dropped the final figure to 45.63mpg, a 12.94 percent improvement over the stated government results.”
As stated earlier, the sometimes tortuous and very challenging driving route virtually ensured that no records would be broken in 2010. However, Iain Robertson added, “Our two-car entry demonstrated that Mazda, which has made on-going efficiency improvements in all of its petrol models, is more than capable of matching equivalent diesel class results, where the cost per litre is still greater.”
As usual, the Mazda MPG Marathon team exercised a strict regime of
eco-driving that can be achieved by almost any driver. Mazda’s
Eco-Driving tips are as follows:
As Iain Robertson stated, “Driving economically is not the same as driving slowly. By careful planning, blending and flowing with other traffic and managing the use of Mazda’s on-board computer (using the instant fuel consumption read-out), it is possible to reduce car running costs realistically.”
Iain Robertson is a freelance journalist and Editor and correspondent with national, regional and specialist press. Rob Marshall is a freelance journalist and correspondent with several outlets in the specialist press. Reg Burnard is a freelance motoring journalist. Michael Stevens is a former rally co-driver.