Motoring journalist and TV presenter Tom Ford has managed to complete what he claims to be a record-breaking journey from the UK to Munich and almost back to Britain with a BMW 320d EfficientDynamics saloon on a single tank of fuel.
Ford filled up the diesel-powered bimmer at the Channel Tunnel and made it to Munich, Germany, then as far back as Lille, France on the return before needing to refuel completing a total driving distance of 1,013 miles or 1,629 kilometers on one tank.
Although Ford said he switched the air con and radio off as "a concession to fuel saving", the journalist stated that he didn't use efficient driving techniques such as coasting, or drive deliberately slowly for the trip, which was covered in yesterday's Sunday Times newspaper.
According to Ford, on the way to Munich, he achieved highs of 75.9mpg UK [63.2 mpg US or 3.7lt/100km] , and didn't dip below 65mpg UK [54.1 mpg US or 4.4 lt/100km] for the entire trip. Overall, he achieved an average speed of 59.3mph [95.4km/h] and 68.9mpg UK [57.4 mpg US or 4.1 lt/100km].
"I was prepared for this car to fail in the real world. I was wrong," said Ford. "Although I did try and be careful and drive in a feather-footed manner, I did cruise at a reasonable 65ish mph [105km/h] on the autoroutes and autobahns, so faster than the usual economy run pace."
"Think about it in the context of everyday motoring: comfortably more than 1,000 miles on one tank of diesel means just 12 fills a year for the average motorist – and even driven normally I still think you're looking at 750-800 miles per fill. BMW's EfficientDynamics: it does what it says on the tin," Ford concluded.
The 320d EfficientDynamics sedan is powered by a 2.0-liter four-cylinder turbo diesel engine that develops 163HP between 3,500rpm to 4,200rpm and 360Nm of torque from 1,750rpm to 3,000rpm.
It propels the BMW from zero to 62mph (100km/h) in 8.2 seconds and on to a top speed of 137mph or 220km/h while returning a combined fuel consumption of 4.1 lt/100km, equal to 57.4mpg US or 68.9 mpg UK, and a CO2 rating of 109g/km in the EU test cycle.
To achieve these figures the uber-frugal German sedan comes with a suite of fuel-saving technologies including Auto Start-Stop, Brake Energy Regeneration, Electric Power Steering, a longer transmission ratio, lowered suspension and the use of specially designed aerodynamic alloy wheels with Michelin EnergySaver tires.
BMW 320d EfficientDynamics Gallery
