Honda now holds the Guinness World Records crown for ‘Lowest fuel consumption – all 24 contiguous EU countries (all cars),’ after reaching an average of 100.3 miles per gallon (mpg) over an 8,387 mile trip.
A Honda Civic Tourer 1.6 iDTEC carried the feat, driving from June 1 – 25, and began and ended at Aalst, Belgium following a clockwise trip. The vehicle was operated by two members of Honda’s European Research & Development team, Fergal McGrath and Julian Warren.
Due to Guinness World Records rules, the same two drivers had to be in the vehicle for the entire excursion, thus forcing McGrath and Warren to drive for an average of 7.5 hours a day, or approximately 380 miles.
“It was tough, but we really enjoyed it, and setting this new Guinness World Records title has made all of the hard work worthwhile,” said McGrath. “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 and I are just happy to be back behind our desks for a while.”
The purpose of the trip, which was to convey the fuel economy of the Tourer, was a success as the vehicle easily exceeded its quoted efficiency of 74.3 mpg. Honda also wanted to demonstrate that by using simple driving techniques, the average individual (McGrath and Warren are both amateur drivers) could achieve such fuel economy.
A battery of tests were conducted upon the car’s entry into each of the 24 required countries. Those tests included GPS readings, videos and photographs, the use of a fuel/mileage logbook and a signoff from various individuals who were independent of the outcome. The accuracy of the monitoring was ensured using a tracking device.
