from one pure electric car ( the Nissan Leaf SL ), to plug-in gas-electric hybrids ( including the Volvo XC90 T8 ; Ford CMAX Energi ; Mercedes-Benz S550e ; the Hyundai Sonata plug-in hybrid ), and just about everything in between .
27 different automotive journalists were the drivers . Let ’ s be clear ; this is not a race . There is no clear winner — except the driver who achieves the best overall fuel consumption based upon six randomly assigned vehicles running six specific yet quite different legs of a rally-type event from Toronto to Ottawa . This individual is awarded a green jersey after all results are tabulated .
You may believe that it would probably be won by the individual who only drove the most fuel efficient vehicles .
Hold that thought — bearing in mind each driver was allocated six vehicles , assigned the evening before the first leg of the rally .
Here are the participating automobiles in addition to the five aforementioned cars : Chevrolet Spark ; Chevrolet Cruze ; Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid ; Chevrolet Volt ; Fiat 500 1957 Edition ; Ford Focus 1.0-litre ; Smart fortwo cabriolet ; Honda Civic Sedan Touring ; Honda HR-V EX ; Kia Optima LX Eco Turbo ; Lexus CT 200h ; Lexus RX 450h ; Mazda CX3 ; Mazda CX-9 ; Mazda MX-5 ; Nissan Altima 2.5 SL ; Porsche 911 Carrera ; Subaru Impreza ; Toyota RAV4 Hybrid ; Toyota Prius ; the not-yet-available-built-in- Japan Toyota Mirai — a fuel cell powered sedan and the lone diesel entry , the Chevrolet Colorado pickup .
“ At the end of the event when the results from all six recorded legs were tabulated , every single vehicle achieved better fuel efficiency ratings than NRCan .”
A real mix ; truly something for everyone — extremes , perhaps . On one hand there is the Chevy Spark , a subcompact urban car and a luxury-laden Mercedes S-class ; a performance sport car , the Porsche 911 and the Colorado Diesel .
The six vehicles I drove for the various stages were the Chevy Colorado Diesel ; the Porsche 911 Carrera ; the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid ; the Honda Civic Sedan ; the Chevy Malibu Hybrid ; and , finally , the Mazda CX-3 GT .
There is really only one stipulation for every driver : absolutely no hypermiling . While some of the participants hold racing licenses and many have experience on various tracks , for this event , we were asked to drive “ normally ”. This means easing up on our speed and driving at the posted limits , accelerating and braking smoothly and anticipating traffic situations ahead to prevent unnecessary stops .
At the end of the event when the results from all six recorded legs were tabulated , every single vehicle achieved better fuel efficiency ratings than NRCan . In fact , on average overall fuel efficiency was 133.2 per cent , 33.2 per cent better than NRCan ’ s own ratings . Furthermore , the automotive journalist who achieved the greatest fuel efficiency numbers — and won the green jersey — achieved 157.3 per cent . The writer with the highest ( worst ) numbers still came in at 116.8 per cent . Surprised ? Well you shouldn ’ t be . Of all the participating vehicles , the one with the highest NRCan number is the 2016 Chevrolet Colorado Diesel , rated at 10.3 L / 100 km . At the event ’ s conclusion , the average fuel consumption over six legs , for this vehicle and six different drivers came in at 7.1 L / 100 km !
The vehicle with the lowest consumption number ( based upon gasoline and electric power ) as rated by NRCan is the 2016 Toyota Prius , rated at 4.5 L / 100 km . Just like the Colorado , over six legs with six different and randomly selected drivers , a rating of 3.2 L / 100 kms was achieved .
There is still one bigger surprise . The vehicle that presented the greatest gap between NRCan and actual consumption over the event was the 2016 Volvo XC90 T8 . NRCan rates this luxury vehicle at 9.5 L / 100 km combined . Six auto journalists incredibly averaged 5.9 L / 100 km — over the exact same routes as every other participating automobile .
It ’ s all quite remarkable , really . Is your mind blown yet ? Are you beginning to sense a pattern ? It ’ s quite simple . No matter what vehicle you drive on any given road , it ’ s all about how you drive — not necessarily what you drive . TDM
20 THE DRIVER