October 2008 Car News - GBCarLoans.com
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20th October 2008
Frugal Ford vans take top cv places in mpg marathon
Ford Transits were the first and second placed vans in this year's MPG Marathon. They were awarded best-in-class for fuel consumption with the lowest cost per mile.
Fords Transit triumphs, the 2.2-litre Ford Transit TDCi short and medium wheelbase vans were the most payload-efficient commercial vehicles in the competition. Ford topped their class by returning best mpg and lowest cost per tonne mile. All commercial vehicles were loaded with half their permissable load weight and driven over the 400-mile route to demonstrate the most fuel efficient transportation of goods. There were some 40 cars and commercial vehicles driven over urban, country roads and motorways. The route chosen was between Bristol and Manchester and was aimed at proving that the cost of motoring can be hugely reduced if a vehicle is driven thoughtfully and smoothly.
The Ford Transit medium wheelbase carrying 840kg, registered just 11.35 pence/tonne mile.
Next best commercial vehicle in the nine-strong category was the Ford Transit short wheelbase delivering 12.7 pence/tonne mile. Both Ford CVs achieved independently verified best-in-class fuel consumption results – 45.2 and 47mpg for short and medium-wheelbase models respectively.
Barry Gale, Ford commercial vehicle chief engineer, said: "This is a great result for the UK's favourite van and reflects well on our Essex-based Ford Transit engineering team. Minimising operating costs is the ultimate goal for fleet managers and we're delighted that a well-driven Ford Transit can lead the field."
The average fuel consumption improvement on the vehicles was 23 per cent.
Energy saving Focus ECOnetic
The Energy Saving Trust, partners of Ford in its 2008 Smart Driving Challenge, entered a 1.6-litre Ford Focus ECOnetic, officially capable of 65.6mpg, according to its European Drive Cycle figure. Featuring a range of aerodynamic and technical enhancements Ford ECOnetic models, Focus, Mondeo and Fiesta produce the best fuel consumption figures.
In the MPG Marathon, EST head of transport Nigel Underdown and his co-driver topped 78.5mpg – an improvement of over 20 per cent compared with the car's homologated figure.
MPG Marathon organiser Ross Durkin said: “It’s not what you drive but how you drive that makes the difference and once again the combined efforts of all the participants and sponsors delivered a first class, educational event which has proved that skilled driving techniques work and make a dramatic impact on miles per gallon.”
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