The Times sets drivers ''MPG Marathon'' challenge

With more car owners becoming a slave to the petrol pump, car manufacturers have had their thinking caps on, coming up with extra fuel efficient diesel cars that can over come than 1,000 miles before needing juice.

BMW claim that their 320d Efficient Dynamics will cover up to 1,048 miles between fuel stops - that's a more than impressive 78.2 mpg for the first of the German contenders. Volkswagen too, has its own offering, the Passat Blue Motion 1.6 TDI, which just beats its BMW rival, achieving up to 1,144 miles. Meanwhile, Audi's A3 1.6 TDI can manage 1,035 miles, completing the German hyper fuel efficient line-up.

Such statistics will provide welcome news for new and used car buyers, hoping to reduce their time at the pump, in an era where a gallon of petrol could cost in excess of £6.

The Times couldn't let these claims go untested, commissioning their team of motoring writers to test the vehicles vital statistics, citing an independent fuel expert, Peter de Nayer as likening fuel efficiency figures to a ''Turkish bazaar, with each manufacturer trying to outdo the other, being aided and abetted by the official government fuel test - which is completely unrealistic.''

Nevertheless, in this case, it seems the manufacturers claims had solid grounding, as the 320d ED and Passat Blue Motion achieved over 1,000 miles, with the VW just nipping the BMW to the post, covering an impressive 1,102 miles from Surrey to BMW headquarters in Wolfsburg and back, still recording over a quarter of a tank of fuel. Doing the maths, that would suggest the Passat could cover around 1,600 miles on one tank.

Writer Gavin Conway, commented on his journey in the camel-like Passat, saying: ''For the last 300 miles, I knew I was home and dry, regardless of how I drove, so I went much more quickly.'' Conway challenged other drivers saying ''anybody care to beat that?''

 

 

Paul Mason, Milton Keynes, Volvo C30

Michael Hogan, Birmingham, Ford Focus