Conti-shod Mondeo sets diesel efficiency record

Want to achieve 84 miles per gallon or 2.8 litres per 100 kilometres? Then you need an economical vehicle, efficient driving style – and suitable tyres. Norwegians Knut Wilthil and Hanrik Borchegrevink recently set out to smash the economy record for a series production diesel vehicle on European roads and headed out on a road trip from Helsingfors, near the Finnish capital Helsinki. They chose the Ford Mondeo ECOnetic, fitted with Continental’s ContiEcoContact 5 summer tyres.

From Helsinki, they headed north and travelled the east coast of Sweden along the Gulf of Bothia, continuing south to Stockholm via Haparada. They then set their sights on Uddevalla, on the west coast of Sweden, and crossed the border into Norway. The Ford came to a stop just after Oslo – the tank was finally empty.

On the 46-hour journey, the vehicle required just 2.8 litres of fuel per 100 kilometres. According to the manufacturer, the Ford Mondeo ECOnetic with a start-stop system, 1.6-litre TDCi diesel engine that delivers 115hp normally uses 4.3 litres per 100 kilometres. This means that the tank would have run dry after 1,649.5 kilometres, a full 886.9 kilometres sooner than Wilthil and Borchegrevink’s vehicle.

 Reporting the two men’s achievement, Continental notes that they got so far due to their economic driving style plus the size 205/60R16 ContiEcoContact 5 tyres fitted to the car – tyres that offer 20 per cent lower rolling resistance than their predecessors. “This top performance is the best evidence of how far we have come in the last few years in the development of energy efficient tyres,” commented Frank Larsen, technical director of Continental tyres in Norway.

As Wilthil and Borchegrevink neared the destination of their nearly two-day tour, they explained their driving tactics: “While driving, you should always make sure that there is enough space between you and the car in front. If you’re in a hurry and continually accelerate and brake, you don’t really gain time, but instead drive up gas consumption.”