BMW Gets 1,013 Miles On Single Tank Of Diesel

Fifth Gear co-host Tom Ford managed to drive a stock BMW 320d ED from the Chunnel exit in France to Munich, Germany and nearly the entire way back on one tank of diesel. That's 1,013 miles, a 68.9MPG average.

To start things off, no, you peasants in the US cannot get a BMW 320d ED, the uber-efficient 2.0-liter turbocharged diesel sold under the "Efficient Dynamics" banner. Remember that. Ford took the BMW from a fill-up just outside the Chunnel exit in Calias, France all the way to Munich, turned around and drove all the way back finally running out of fuel in Lille, France, only 75 miles from Calais. Ford says he didn't hypermile the car, "Although I did try and be careful and drive in a feather-footed manner, I did cruise at a reasonable 65ish mph on the autoroutes and autobahns, so faster than the usual economy run pace." The car ran an average pace of 59.3 MPH and returned as high as 75.9 MPG while sipping from a roughly 16.1 gallon tank. In total the 1,013 mile trip averaged a ridiculously good 68.9 MPG. That's US figures, not some imperial gallon baloney.

Keep in mind this feat was pulled off by a guy who looks like this:

The BMW 320d ES has 165 HP, 280 lb-ft of torque, a 7.5 second 0-62MPH time, a top speed of 142 MPH and does not look like a robot egg, all in a car drivers in the United States cannot buy. [Bimmerfile]

Photo credit: Top Gear