Renault beats rival brands in 2500km economy contest
Renault has emerged as the top brand in the inaugural WesBank SA Fuel Economy Tour that saw 40 vehicles from various brands covering 2500km between Johannesburg and Cape Town, via Durban and East London.
In the end it was a tight race between Renault and Suzuki, with the former taking top honours after the final refuel in Cape Town on November 16.
The brand victory was calculated by averaging the fuel consumption of the three best performers from each carmaker, and in this case the top Renaults (a Captur, Duster Techroad and Kwid Climber) averaged 5.0695 litres per 100km, while Suzuki’s Swift, Ignis and Baleno averaged out at 5.0970. In third place was Mahindra, with a KUV 100 and a pair of XUV 300s beating Nissan’s Qashqai, Micra and Navara and Ford’s Fiesta, Kuga and Ranger.
The most frugal entrant overall was a Renault Captur 1.5 dCi turbodiesel piloted by motoring journalist Wynter Murdoch and navigated by Carolyn Swan. This crew averaged just 4.7319 litres per 100km over the five day trip.
Next up was a Toyota Aygo 1.0 petrol model driven by fellow journalist Carri-Anne Jane and navigated by Roxanne Jones at an average of 4.8328 l/100km. In third place was a Nissan Qashqai 1.5 turbodiesel piloted by Diete and Eckhard Engelbrecht.
But the competition is not just about small frugal cars. Bakkies are an equally prominent part of the South African landscape and this category had plenty of representation at the Fuel Economy Tour.
The inaugural WesBank SA Fuel Economy Tour saw 40 vehicles from various brands covering 2500km in an epic road trip.
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