36mpg in a V8 Mustang!
Who says you need an Ecoboost for decent economy?
Thanks to a remarkable 75.12 per cent leap from the official 20.9mpg combined figure, the 5.0 V8 Mustang won the competition for best improvement in fuel consumption at the Marathon. Goes to show the big, unstressed engine spinning at low revs can still be of some use!
The car was driven by an ex-works rally team pairing of Andy Dawson and Andrew Marriott. Apparently the Mustang was "perfect" for the event because of its "brilliant steering, handling and roadholding." That meant speed could be conserved, with little energy wasted on speeding up or slowing down.
So well done chaps, you and your Mustang certainly earned a line-lock burnout, some drag races and a few gratuitous throttle blips on the way home. It's nice to hear some good Mustang news too, what with the factory having recently shut down for a few weeks.
Finally, it's worth taking a look at the full MPG Marathon results too; an MX-5 achieved 55.79mpg (but was marked down with time penalties), a Vauxhall Maloo hit the heady heights of 27mpg and a petrol, all-wheel drive Audi A4 did 50mpg. Madness!
Andy's obviously got the same 'gentle' foot he used back then to nurse the Stratos to a win! Thanks to a total lack of interest from Italy the 'British' Stratos notched up a fair few DNF's in its day. Andy's win was definitely a highlight of the car's career.
Also, mpg is a terrible way of measuring things. Precisely because it understates achievements like this. On a long motorway journey I regularly do: my car will cost me about £20 in fuel. Going to 60 mpg or even 70 wouldn't change that figure by much. But justifying £50 (the result of 20 mpg), even to myself, is impossible. So as a daily driver it's out.
At 35 mpg? fk it, it'll do.
When out for a play, the abundance of ratios just means you don't use all of them - 3rd and 4th will suffice for almost every occasion.
I don't see the long gearing as a compromise, just means the car can be more of a jack of all trades. My S2000 is a nightmare on the motorway as it's geared for B-road blasts. 80mph is almost 5000rpm and makes your head spin after a while.
The new LC Lexus has a 10- speed box!
1) You're rolling up to a roundabout in neutral. Nobody does this. You're doing driving wrong.
2) Your car is broken.
I managed the giddy heights of 13.5mpg....
However, it is really dangerous in automatics because it only works based on the brake pedal. Numerous occasions I have got to a roundabout had to wait for a gap and the engine stops just as I want to pull out. Utter madness, fine at traffic lights, not at roundabouts. I routinely turn it off when approaching a roundabout, then turn it on again afterwards.
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