Mirage G4, hatch to challenge fuel economy record. UPDATE: 1,647 km on one tank!

[MetroMPG]

Next week Mitsubishi is aiming to break a fuel economy record by driving a trio of Mirages~1450 km (901 miles) on a single tank of gas.

They're using 3 cars, all 1.2L:

• Mirage hatch 5-speed
• Mirage G4 sedan 5-speed
• Mirage G4 sedan CVT

As for modifications, all three cars "are well within standard or factory stock specifications" according to the company.

The drivers/navigators seem to be made up of professional rally/racers.

According to [the company], the Mirage hatchback has a 35L fuel tank, while the Mirage G4 sedan has a 42L fuel capacity. On paper, it seems obvious the sedans will outlast the sole hatchback.

So that means they're aiming for ...

Mirage hatchback: 41.4 km/L = 97 mpg US = 2.4 L/100 km
Mirage G4 sedan: 34.5 km/L = 81 mpg US = 2.9 L/100 km

Of course, those numbers don't include fuel volume in the fuel filler neck, so the actual calculated fuel economy can be lower and they could still reach their destination.

The record attempt starts Dec. 2 and will take place through the week. Updates to come!

Read the full story: http://www.topgear.com.ph/news/indus...mirage-g4-cars

[Daox]

Thats a pretty lofty goal. This should be interesting.

[3dplane]

Wow!
97 MPG for the hatch ain't going to happen with a factory car. Unless they get a steady 50MPH tailwind for the whole run.
(I got 92 mpg once for a 12 mile one way trip with a 30 mph tailwind)

The sedans might hit their goal of 81 MPG but if they do, I will be very curious to see how.

Either way this is great,plus it raises awareness about these cars!

And of course can't wait for the results!

[MetroMPG]

You could *maybe* get 97 mpg from the hatch if you pulse & glide at an average speed of ~15-20 mph. Maybe that's why they're taking a whole week to go 1450 km?



These can be fun competitions -- I've done a few myself. But I wonder if they're ultimately useless because of the extreme techniques needed to get the crazy numbers.

[3dplane]

Hmm I don't know. It feels like going that slow would hurt the MPGs due to the time spent with the engine on getting the car going again.
But honestly that's why I said "feels" like because I actually never tried that slow. You might be right!

I got this on that tailwind run bouncing between 25 to 45 MPH.

[MetroMPG]

HA! Love that photo.

As for low speed P&G, that's how it's done in some of those crazy ultra-mileage competitions (like Shell) with the custom aero-bodied machines. Burn & coast, baby! Keep the speed low to minimize aero losses, and tire pressure high to minimize rolling losses.

I once did 104 mpg (US) for a 429 km tank in my Firefly/Metro just to see if I could break 100. Ideal summer conditions, and other mods were in place (eg. alternator disabled). Average speed? Just 20 mph! A physically fit bicyclist could have beat that. The same car also did 97 mpg in a Green Grand Prix competition at a ~40 mph average speed over ~70 miles (but it was obviously a much smaller fill, so higher margin for MPG error).

[etm78]

There is no official announcement yet from Mitsubishi Philippines and from the Media. However, one of the members of mirage pilipinas(MPH) living near the end route shared the news already

"One full tank of gas each for three Mitsubishi Mirage (1 Mirage G4 CVT, 1 Mirage G4 M/T and 1 Mirage HB M/T). It was amazing.

The hatchback clocked in at 1,278.80 kms for 35 liters, the Mirage G4 CVT came in at 1,518 kms for 42 liters (this was between GenSan and Davao) and the Mirage G4 M/T are more than 1,610 kms for 42 liters and just 5.7 kms shy from the Mitsubishi Dealership but it was still within the downtown core."

To be sure let us wait for the official announcement.

Congrats to Mirage HB and Mirage G4/ Attrage owners

[etm78]

http://www.topgear.com.ph/news/indus...e-tank-of-fuel

Official Release from Top Gear Philippines

"On December 2, Mitsubishi Motors Philippines began driving two units of the Mirage G4 sedan and one unit of the Mirage hatchback from Luzon to Mindanao with the aim of breaking the previous unofficial Philippine record for the longest distance traveled by a stock passenger car on a single tank of fuel. That record stood at 1,402km, set by a Honda Jazz in 2008.

Before the Mitsubishi caravan took off, company officials had announced that they were aiming to go 1,450km. Well, guess what, the Mirage G4 units did much more than the stated target.

According to MMPC ad and promo manager Arlan Reyes, the Mirage G4 with manual transmission went 1,647km on one full tank of fuel, while the Mirage G4 with CVT did 1,518km.

"The Mirage G4 CVT ran out of gas along Maharlika Highway in General Santos, while the Mirage G4 MT ran out of fuel on MacArthur Street in Davao City," Reyes told TopGear.com.ph. "These two units reached General Santos, and we doubled back to Davao to run out the fuel."

The fuel eco run--dubbed "Mitsubishi Mirage G4 Eco Drive Marathon: Luzon To Mindanao On One Full Tank"--was interrupted by typhoon Hagupit and resumed the drive on December 11.

Now, understand that this fuel eco run employed hypermiling techniques--like drafting, or driving behind a large vehicle to minimize wind drag--so don't expect these mileage figures in real-world driving conditions. Still, the figures are nothing short of incredible. Since the Mirage G4 has a 42L fuel tank, that means the MT unit did 39.21km/L and the CVT unit managed 36.14km/L.

The Mirage G4 units used Shell fuel and Bridgestone tires.

Now that the run is complete, we will soon publish a series of photo-heavy articles detailing how the Mitsubishi Mirage G4 sedans achieved the feat on a day-to-day basis. Reported by Vernon Sarne"

[Daox]

Wow, that is some crazy good fuel economy. For the rest of us, that is 92.2 mpg (US), or 2.6 l/100km!

[MetroMPG]

Thanks for posting, etm78! I had been watching for news, and then realized it was delayed by the typhoon.

I don't think they should have used drafting though!