Avensis delivers range-busting economy on Lands End to John o’Groats run
- New Avensis Tourer with 2.0-litre D-4D engine covers Britain end-to-end on one tank of diesel
- Economy run from Lands End to John o’Groats via Toyota’s Burnaston factory achieves an average 71.5mpg over 904.9 miles
- Challenge undertaken by journalists Joe Clifford and Andrew Biddle for Banzai magazine
Just one tank of fuel can take you from one end of Britain to the other in a Toyota Avensis, as a long distance economy challenge taken up by two journalists for Banzai magazine has proved.
Editor Joe Clifford and Andrew Biddle accomplished the feat in a standard Avensis T Spirit Tourer, powered by the latest version of Toyota’s 2.0-litre D-4D diesel engine. The high efficiency of the engine and six-speed manual transmission, and the pair’s eco-conscious driving style helped clock up 904.9 miles at an average 71.5mpg – just a shade less than the car’s official extra urban consumption figure.
Their route included a stop-off at Toyota’s Burnaston plant – home of the Avensis – where they saw first hand the attention to quality and the commitment to the environment throughout the manufacturing process.
At the beginning of their three-day journey, the duo brimmed the Avensis’s 60-litre tank and programmed their route on the car’s Touch & Go navigation system. The on-board computer calculated a driving range of just 580 miles, but that limit was comprehensively smashed: the car covered more than 170 miles on the last bar of the fuel gauge alone, in spite of having to tackle mountain climbs, pouring rain and high winds.
Commenting on their success, Clifford said: “The Toyota shrugged off the mileage with ease and showed such frugality for fuel that we wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it highly. That it is also comfortable, roomy, tax-friendly for business users, bursting with kit and beautifully built are simply bonuses.”
The full story of the Avensis economy run is published in the April edition of Banzai, available from 15 March.
