Honda aims for 13,679.4km Guinness World Record title

By CARSIFU | 28 May 2015


TOKYO: Honda’s 1.6 i-DTEC engine will undergo an 8,500mile (13,679.4km) real-world fuel economy test across 24 contiguous European countries with the aim to set a new Guinness World Records title for fuel efficiency.

The test will occur on June 1, where two members of Honda’s European Research & Development (R&D) team - 18-year colleagues based in Swindon, UK - Fergal McGrath and Julian Warren.

The duo will take turns to helm a Honda Civic Tourer for the epic journey from Aalst, Belgium.

The remaining 23 countries, in alphabetical order, are Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden.

Based at Honda’s European manufacturing facility in Swindon, UK, the drivers are 18-year Honda R&D colleagues.

Under the rules of the Guinness World Records title attempt of ‘Lowest Fuel Consumption – all 24 contiguous EU countries’, the same two drivers must be in the car for every kilometre of the journey.

They will drive an average of 595km, taking 7.5 hours per day, heading towards the Netherlands and Germany, navigating the Continent in a clockwise direction, with the aim of returning to their starting point some 25 days later, on June 25.

Under the rules and regulations, the entire trip will be measured in both litres per 100km and miles per gallon.

If successful, the record will be applied to all cars - including hybrid and electric models, and the car to enter each of the 24 countries specified, collecting a range of evidence including a fuel/mileage logbook, GPS readings, video, photographs and independent witness signatures as proof.

To ensure accurate monitoring of the route, journey time and distance driven, the record car has been fitted with a tracking device, provided by fleet telematics and stolen vehicle recovery expert, TRACKER (part of the Tantalum Corporation).

Honda Civic Tourer - 02
The unit will provide a host of real-time information throughout the journey, to ensure that Honda can supply a robust and reliable automated data-evidence to meet the requirements stipulated by Guinness World Records.

The title attempt comes on the back of several independent tests, which have proven Honda’s engine has consistently out-performed its rated fuel efficiency in real-world driving conditions – and now a never before attempt in Europe.

The car which attempts the record must be a standard model in every respect, with no modifications to give an advantage and will be judged by an independent witness at the beginning and end of the record attempt.

The car can only travel by road, therefore the route does not extend to the UK, Ireland, Cyprus and Malta, which make up the remainder of the 28 EU countries.

In order to ensure no unfair advantage by reducing weight, the tank of the car must be filled to the maximum at each fuel stop.

“Since its launch in 2013 we have seen the 1.6 i-DTEC engine consistently over-perform on real-world fuel efficiency in our Civic, Civic Tourer and CR-V models, and this is our opportunity to put it to the ultimate test on a huge scale,” said Honda UK managing director Philip Crossman.

“We are very much looking forward to the record attempt, and while we’re excited we’re both a little nervous about the scale of the task that awaits us,” said McGrath.

He added that a huge amount of planning has gone into taking on this challenge and looks forward to a successful result when returning to Brussels on June 25, but there’s more than 170 hours behind the wheel to contend with first.

Follow Honda’s record attempt and get involved at #RealFuelChallenge and supporters can follow the live progression of the two drivers at www.tracker.co.uk/RealFuelChallenge.

Keywords