There is a news item on the right, "ASA rules in favour of Smart car".
It revolves around whether a Smart car could drive from London to Edingurgh on a single tank of fuel. The ASA has now allowed the claim by Mercedes-Benz to stand.
Isn't ther a very simple way of proving - or otherwise - the validity of this claim?
I would be prepared to do the run for them, all expenses paid , of course.
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Didnt Clarkson do this on TG last year, but he got back to London as well?
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If you look on youtube for smart london to edinburgh you can see the video - it would appear that setting off in the middle of the night, stopping halfway to let rush hour pass and driving at an indicated 50mph are keys to this.
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Didnt Clarkson do this on TG last year but he got back to London as well?
It may well have been last year on the sky channel "Dave" but it was back in 2003 when first broadcast on BBC2, driving an Audi A8 4 0TDi.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=382oFhZ6N5I (part one)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVhCw4SLHsw (part two)
Edited by Dynamic Dave on 05/02/2009 at 08:46
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I would think a diesel Smart car should easily be able to do this 433 miles on 33 litres is less than 60mpg.
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I'd expect most diesel cars to do that journey on one tank of fuel... and many petrol cars as well...
Compared with Clarkson's journey I'd have said the Smart's journey was nothing to write home about... after all its supposed to be an economy car so you'd expect it... but an Audi A8?!
Mind you he did say it was mind-numbingly boring!
Edited by b308 on 05/02/2009 at 10:08
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Do you think Clarkson actually did it though? Or just look at the figures, decide it looked like it might be possible, and filmed something that fitted in with that?
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Do you think Clarkson actually did it though?
I actually think that he did... the speeds he was driving at it would have been at tickover most of the time and no electrics or heating being used... unpleasent, yes, but I suspect possible... also knowing TGs hatred of diesels it would have been easy for them to fail if they'd wanted.
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I could do London to Edinburgh (in greater comfort to boot) in my 2 litre petrol 2003 Focus and have 1.2 gallons left over. 406.7 miles (according to the AA) at 37.4 mpg overall average = 10.9 gallons, tank capacity 12.1 gallons.
Edited by L'escargot on 05/02/2009 at 10:30
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The S60 would do it comfortably as well.
If I kept approximate adherence to limits and didn't hit too much traffic, I'd get about a quarter of the way back again as well.
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best ever with my 2003 Passat PD130 was 50.6mpg brim to brim, 630 miles on just under 12.5 gallons.
That was a family holiday in North Yorks -- motorway thrash to and from the cottage (120 miles each way) plus A-road touring in between.
Those PD motors may not be couth or cultured, but they do have excellent grunt & economy
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I have done it in my 2.0 focus TDCI, It averages 50mpg at motorway cruise. Journey from 10 miles north of the Forth Road Bridge to High Wycombe, could have made it to
South London destination (low fuel light not on) but registering near empty.
Edited by Old Navy on 05/02/2009 at 11:10
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This reminds me of a touring holiday I did with a mate in my 1990 "H" sierra diesel estate a few years back. From Birmingham to Blackpool to Glasgow to Edinburgh to Newcastle and back to Birmingham on one tank of diesel. Included the running about in each of the places mentioned above. The off putting bit was leaving Newcastle with the fuel gauge under 1/4, and the fuel light coming on with 120miles+ to go!!
I worked out that the average was over 60mpg. Sitting at an indicated 60mph (probably 55-56mph really) and driving like a nun was a bit boring mind. Did quite a bit of slipstreaming behind lorries to help the consumption.
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Back in the 80s, CAR magazine drove a Citroën CX DTR Turbo from Land's End to John o'Groats on a single tank - with a bit to spare.
That's progress for you.......
Edited by OldSock on 05/02/2009 at 11:44
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I did Edinburgh to Brighton (in 1990) on a single fill-up in an XJ6 4.2 (mind you it did have 20galls. in two tanks) - still, quite impressive I think.
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That's progress for you.......
>>
Depends if you are talking about driving at low speed for economy or normal everyday motorway speeds.
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the best I got was 730 miles on a tankful of derv on the laguna 1.9dCi. I never got less than 640 miles on a tankful.
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Used to easily manage Fareham (between Portsmouth & Southampton) to Glenrothes (Fife) and still do some running round on a tankful in the VW Sharan (biggish tank though)
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Should be easy enough. I once did about the same length, Norwich to Edinburgh, on about 10 gallons in a 1.6 MGtf, early morning to late afternoon. (It was a non-stop, watertight journey with astonishingly good luck as to traffic lights and other holdups.)
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I've done Hull to Poland on a single tank in a 3 litre petrol. I saw them do it in a diesel on Fifth Gear last year so I thought I'd give it a go.
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Both of my (diesel) cars could do London-Edinburgh easily on one tank. My 2.0TDi Passat would get at least half way back as well - I get at least 700 miles from a tank on a long run and that's not hanging around either!
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my Jag magazine (Jaguar World Monthly) did an article last year some time, where they tried to get an XJ TDVi from John O'Groats to Land's End on one tank.
They achieved it easily, so then tried to get as near as possible to a 1,000 miles. They achieved that as well, getting back to near Bristol, with a range of 1,002 miles
from memory i think they tweaked the ECU, put more air in the tyres and removed everything easily removable e.g. spare wheels, jacks etc
still impressive though
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I just came back (last night) to London from a place close to Bordeaux. I didn't fill up again in northern France as the price difference in diesel is hardly worth it any more and the speed was 130kph or more (ssh!) most of the way. I reckon there's still enough in the tank to run around locally in London for a couple of weeks.
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