TREK BREAKS RECORD FOR MILEAGE

Lisa Calvi and Garry Sowerby broke the record for fuel
efficiency during a cross-Canada trek in a
2014 Chevrolet Cruze Clean Turbo Diesel

 

By Lisa Calvi, Postmedia News - We did it!  We broke a Canadian record for lowest fuel consumption.  My husband Garry Sowerby and I, drove from Vancouver to Halifax on the shortest route in a 2014 Chevrolet Cruze Clean Turbo Diesel.

After 5,956 kilometres, we had an average 4.21 L/100 km.  That's 67.09 miles per imperial gallon and beats the existing Canadian record of 5.59 L/100 km.  The Cruze consumed 250.9 litres of diesel fuel.  (More information on these statistics below.)

On the final day, Friday, Aug. 30, departing Woodstock, New Brunswick in the dark, a silence came over the cockpit.  After an hour, the first words Garry uttered were: "Once the fog clears, the big question will be which way is the wind blowing?  Will it be in our favour?"  He continued to mutter about getting 'the number' down.  It didn't sound good.

"You can't believe the numbers in my head!" he said.  "Elevation.  Average speed."

"Oh yes I can," I replied.  "You're saying them out loud!"

In silence again, I recalled a story he told me about a similar challenge run he made through Scandinavia in 1991.

That trip took place B.L. - Before Lisa, as I call the time before we met.  On that trip, the Fuel Nerd stretched his female travelling companion's patience to the limits.

Near the end of the run, as the incessant rattling and muttering of numbers intensified, she threw a jar of peanuts at Garry across a hotel room.

Through my musings in the car on that last morning, Garry cheerily and suddenly asked: "You ready to throw a jar of peanuts at me yet?"

Noting his confidence in the outcome, he adds: "If someone wanted to take a crack at breaking our record, they'd have to think hard about attempting it."

A road trip with the mission of beating a record must have parameters.  These were ours:

1. Average overall speed on the entire journey must be 80 km/h or above.  This may seem slow but you have to think that speed limits through most of Northern Ontario are 90 km/h.  There is not much four-lane highway in Canada where the speed limit is 110 km/h.  We drove the speed limit, slightly under where it was safe to do so.  We travelled with the flow of traffic on two-lane highways and used passing lanes to their full efficiency.
2. The entire trip must be completed in eight days or 192 hours.  We did it in 189 hours.
3. The entire route must be within Canada between Halifax and Vancouver.  Direction of travel is up to the drive team.
4. No boats, ferries, airplanes or trains allowed.
5. You must use the least amount of fuel.
6. Vehicle used is up to the drive team.  We chose a 2014 Chevy Clean Turbo Diesel Cruze.  (GM says it's the most fuel frugal non-hybrid on the market.)

We had a memorable road trip, made some remarkable friends and showed that a massive drive across the country can be fun, frugal and fuel-efficient.

CONFESSIONS:

1. Shoes: In my first column, I stated that, to keep weight down in the vehicle, I would take just one pair of shoes.  Of course, I had to bring a pair of "going out" wedges for urban nights in Vancouver and Ottawa.  Final Shoe Statistics: Five pairs.  Least worn? Those "going out" ones, of course.
2. You're waiting for me to admit we hyper-miled, drafted behind transport trucks or waited out headwinds at roadside and had daily arguments.  Didn't happen.
3. At the outset, I thought I would try to quit chocolate.  This didn't happen, nor did I throw a jar of peanuts at my husband.
4. We would do it again in a heartbeat.

FINAL VEHICLE STATISTICS:

Overall fuel consumption: 4.21 litres per 100 kilometres
Fuel used: 253.8 litres according to instrument panel; 248.6 litres according to receipts.  We averaged the two to get 250.9 litres
Vancouver-Halifax: 5,955.8 km
Average speed: 80.3 km/h