Kia’s Niro just took the Guinness Record for lowest fuel consumption driving across the USA coast-to-coast in a hybrid car averaging 76.6 mpg US (equivalent to 92 mpg UK or 3.07 Litres/100 km).
The hybrid crossover was driven 3,715.4 miles from Los Angeles City Hall to New York City Hall. Well-known “hyper miler” Wayne Gerdes of Carlsbad, Calif., and co-driver Robert Winger of Williamsburg, Va., used only 48.5 gallons or 4.1 tanks of petrol.
“We’re extremely pleased with the Niro’s record-breaking performance,” said Orth Hedrick, vice president, product planning Kia Motors America. “We set out to build a vehicle that offers real-world utility, great looks and fantastic mileage, and setting the Guinness World Record title confirms our achievement. KIA made no modifications to the standard vehicle”
Kia says the Niro utility vehicle fits the “Urban Crossover Hybrid Vehicle” category. It’s Kia’s first dedicated hybrid electric vehicle, and was designed to “bridge the gap between outstanding fuel economy and compact crossover usefulness.”
Its official EPA mileage rating for the standard FE package is (US) 52 mpg highway, 49 city, and 50 mpg combined. How the drivers were able to make the leap to 76.6 mpg in highway driving wasn’t explained, but a safe guess is they utilized every hyper miler technique feasible.
It all makes for a nice press release, but don’t expect to repeat the performance, unless you also are prepared for extreme austerity measures in your driving style.
2017 KIA NIRO SETS GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS? TITLE FOR LOWEST FUEL CONSUMPTION BY A HYBRID VEHICLE
