3100KM ON 123 LITRES = 3.9 LITRES/100KM

+ Click to Enlarge FUEL SIPPER: This Suzuki Alto averaged 3.9 litres/100km over 3100km across Australia from north to south.

November 3, 2009

After a New Zealand North-South drive at an average of 4.4 litres/100km in October a Suzuki Alto has taken part in another fuel-efficiency marathon – this time across Australia.

The Global Green Challenge ran north-south from Darwin to Adelaide and measured conventional and alternative-fuel cars against each other in a 3100km real-world test. The winner of the challenge was the car that recorded the biggest improvement over its "official" fuel consumption figure.

The Alto covered the 3100km "down Australia" at an average of 3.9 litres/100km, 18.5 percent better than the official Australian combined figure (which is itself 13 percent higher than the EU figure) and a staggering 2.02 litres/100km in city traffic – the lowest recorded on the challenge.

The Alto also won the light and small-car categories and the "best urban cycle" award. It used only 123 litres of fuel for the seven-day trip and emitted an average of 89.9g/km of CO2.

Despite some extremely trying conditions for drivers and cars alike with most teams opting to turn off the aircon to save fuel even in temperatures soaring to 43 degrees, the one-litre, petrol-engined Alto even showed up some of the diesels.

It outranked diesel cars of similar size, including the Ford Fiesta Econetic Turbodiesel and Mini Cooper D, which recorded an overall improvement in fuel consumption of 15.4 percent and 12.2 percent respectively.