Peugeot took overall victory in the UK’s 2015 MPG Marathon event when a new 208 diesel 5-door hatchback, driven in real-world driving conditions over 385 miles (619.5km), achieved an average fuel economy of 104.5mpg (2.7 litres/100km).
Not only did the Peugeot 208 record the highest MPG figure of any car taking part in the event, it also registered the ‘Best Percentage Improvement’ with a 29% improvement over official EU Directive 80/1268/EEC Combined Drive Cycle economy figures.
A winning combination: former Peugeot Sport UK Manager, Mick Linford and part-time rally navigator Jemma Champion are victorious in their Peugeot 208 BlueHDi diesel
Peugeot has been a long-standing competitor in the ALD Automotive Fleet World MPG Marathon, with 208 and 308 models previously often appearing on the podium.
The annual 2-day MPG Marathon event is open to all production cars and vans. It is about man and machine
working in harmony to showcase how, in real-world conditions, optimal fuel economy can be achieved. Far from
crawling around at unrealistic speeds, the rules stipulate that teams must reach defined checkpoints by pre-determined times.
This year’s course in Oxfordshire saw navigators negotiate hills and traffic, to challenge and mirror real-world driving experiences.
The victorious model was a new Peugeot 208 5-door hatchback, fitted with a diesel 1.6-litre BlueHDi 75bhp engine that has a declared Combined Drive Cycle fuel economy figure of 80.7mpg (3.5 litres/100km). With only a few miles on the clock and therefore hardly benefitting from being run-in, the car was driven by former Peugeot Sport UK Manager, Mick Linford and part-time rally navigator Jemma Champion. Commenting on the success, Mick Linford said: “We’re absolutely over-the-moon. This is the highest mpg I have ever achieved in the event and I’m absolutely delighted to win it.”
Neil Moscrop, Brand Director at Peugeot UK, explained: “This is a fantastic result which clearly highlights just
how efficient the latest Peugeot range of new cars can be in real-world traffic conditions. Customers seeking
reassurances that they are buying a new car with leading environmental credentials need look no further than Peugeot for the most fuel efficient vehicles on the market.”
Providing standardised new car fuel economy and emissions figures is a requirement imposed on all car manufacturers by the EU Directive 80/1268/EEC. Peugeot currently has the lowest Corporate Average Fuel Emissions (CAFE) of any volume manufacturer in Europe in 2015 and boasts 25 best-in-class lowest CO2 vehicles in its extensive range.
While the current CAFE across all brands is 124g/km, the Peugeot range average is just 106.3g/km. Earlier this year a Peugeot 208 fitted with the new 1.6-litre BlueHDi 100bhp engine and Stop & Start technology set a new long-distance fuel consumption record. Staged at Peugeot’s test circuit at Belchamp, France, and strictly supervised by independent adjudicators, the car averaged just over 141mpg (2.0 litres/100km). While it was undeniably a demonstration of optimised capability at a test circuit, the UK’s MPG Marathon result is now all the more significant, given it has been achieved in real-world driving conditions.
At a time when the public’s attention is firmly focused on new car fuel economy, Peugeot’s victory shows it is
perfectly possible to improve, by a significant margin, on manufacturers’ laboratory certified fuel consumption figures. There is an even-more fuel efficient 208 being introduced into the Peugeot 208 line-up in October with the 1.6-litre BlueHDi diesel 75bhp gaining Stop & Start technology, offering a Combined Drive Cycle fuel economy of 94.2mpg (3.0 litres/100km).
