[SIZE=4]DOE rubber-stamps Ford Fiesta's frugal 19 km/L run[/SIZE]
Words by Christopher Kho
Since its launch a year ago, Ford has badged its fun-loving little Fiesta with the words “fuel efficient.” But with no official numbers to back-up the claim, we couldn't quite put our finger on how “fuel efficient” this small car really is. Now, as it celebrates is 1st birthday in the Philippines, the blue oval brand finally gets to put its foot where its mouth is.
In a recent fuel economy run supervised by the Department of Energy (DOE), four of Ford's Fiesta's set out to prove just how fuel-frugal they can be. The challenge was to take a 700-kilometer expedition from Balintawak to Vigan and back on a single tank of gas. With the DOE keeping a watchful eye, all four Fiesta's were inspected, and its hoods, lift gates, and fuel gates were officially sealed before setting off.
Each Fiesta carried on-board a driver and navigator, driving at normal conditions with the windows closed and aircon switched-on at speed “1” throughout the trip. Running at average speeds of 40 to 80 km/h depending on traffic conditions, the team traversed on highway roads from Manila to Vigan to Pampanga via the NLEX. And for the record, all four tires on each vehicle were pumped to the manufacture-recommended 32 psi....
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DOE rubber-stamps Ford Fiesta's frugal 19 km/L run