|
There is no questioning iQ’s status as one of the most
fuel-efficient cars on the market, but a new hypermiling
challenge has seen the tiny Toyota perform way beyond its
official mpg figures.
Piloted by two of the team from the iQ blog, a standard iQ2 with
a 1.0-litre VVT-i petrol engine, broke through 500 miles on a
single tank of fuel. What makes the achievement all the more
remarkable is that this was no finely tuned marathon attempt,
but a gruelling drive through some of the most congested town
centres in the south and midlands of England and Wales.
Setting out from Brighton on 25 January, the team tagged 18
cities in two days on a route that took them as far west as
Cardiff and as far north as Wolverhampton. With atrocious
weather conditions and rush hour traffic to contend with, there
was pessimism about reaching the target, given that the
theoretical range from a full 32-litre tank in an iQ is 462
miles. But in spite of wind, rain, congestion and the need to
run the heater, headlights and wipers – all a drain on fuel
consumption – the car managed 504.2 miles before ending its
journey in central Oxford. That works out at 71.6mpg, compared
to an official combined cycle figure of 65.7mpg.
You can read more about the hypermiling challenge at the iQ blog
at
www.toyota.co.uk/iqblog |
