Mercedes-Benz vans took the fuel-efficiency honours in the latest AA/ALD Automotive MPG Marathon.
In the category for medium-sized vans between 2.6 and 2.99 tonnes, Mercedes Vitos took the first two places.
The winning Vito 109CDI, which was entered by rental giant Northgate plc and wore the colours of easyVan, returned a stunning 55.04mpg, the highest figure ever recorded by a panel van in an MPG Marathon.
A Vito 111CDI fielded by Mercedes-Benz was hot on its heels with 54.54mpg, while rival products from Renault and Vauxhall were left trailing in their wake.
The Northgate/easyVan vehicle was driven by Steve Johnson, Marketing Manager of driver training specialist Drive & Survive, who was accompanied by Tina Ries, of event organiser, Van Fleet World magazine.
Steve employed a host of “defensive” driving tactics at the wheel. “Maintaining concentration, observation and anticipation, particularly by timing my arrival at junctions to avoid stopping, meant I could maintain a fairly even pace,” he explains. “This, combined with the Vito’s inherent fuel-efficiency, enabled me to return this very high mpg figure.”
Meanwhile, a 3.5-tonne Mercedes Sprinter 311CDI saw off competition from five other van models to return a cost per tonne/mile figure of 14.85p, making it the most productive vehicle by a margin. The high-roofed, Medium length Sprinter achieved 43.87mpg.
The AA/ALD MPG Marathon promotes ‘eco driving’ to save lives and money, and reduce harmful emissions. Thirty car and light commercial vehicle drivers and navigators took part in this year’s event, completing a 330-mile round trip between AA headquarters in Basingstoke, and Torquay.
Participants had to contend with weather conditions that varied from bright sunshine to fog, as well as roadworks and heavy congestion during the two-day endurance trial, which saw vans carry half of their payloads.
David Wallace, Director of AA Business Services, a main sponsor of the event, says: “This event has proved that there is more to be achieved in terms of savings by investing in the right vehicle for the job and the right kind of driver training.
“Both will help save drivers and businesses thousands of pounds, as well as making a significant impact upon the carbon footprint that we, as a nation, produce every year.”
And Steve Bridge, Van Sales and Marketing Director for Mercedes-Benz, adds: “Minimising costly wear and tear on vehicles and improving fuel efficiency will add to the bottom line of any business.
“The results of this latest MPG Marathon confirm once again that as well as being safer and better built than competing products, with long service intervals and market-leading warranties, Mercedes vans also lead the way when it comes to fuel economy.” |
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