Everyone wants to save in gas amidst this harsh economic time. So it will be a real bonus to have the most fuel efficient car ever. Kia’s recent hybrid car, the new Optima had just made a record in Guinness World Records by accomplishing the most fuel efficient trip that gave the car its title of the most fuel efficient car existing. Let us take a look at how this car made this monumental journey to the record books!
The Journey
The journey begins by having a factory standard 2011 Kia Optima Hybrid car, and two drivers, Wayne Gerdes from Wadsworth, Illinois, and Chris Bernius from New York City piloting the car. Two standard luggages were placed in the car for a more realistic test scenario. The goal of the journey is to beat a previous world record by having a minimum fuel consumption of 4.5 liters per 100 kilometers. The two drivers started the epic journey on August 26, 2011 from Kia’s manufacturing facility inWest Point,Georgiaand drove off in a clockwise direction. The drivers averaged 907 kilometers per day, and had regular gas fill ups after each 2,282 kilometers of distance travelled. The travel all in all lasted for 14 days, a total of 12,712 kilometers, using only 5.5 tanks of gasoline across 48USstates. The journey was also in all kinds of conditions like traffic, heat in deserts etc that made the ultimate demonstration of real-world fuel economy and toughness.
On September 12, the two drivers were back in their origin of West Point, and Guinness World Record Adjudicator Philip Robertson verified that the Kia Optima Hybrid did use only 5.5 tanks of gasoline, and made the conclusion that the car had an average fuel consumption of 3.6 liters per 100 kilometers only which beat the former record by about 23%. The awarding ceremony was conducted on the said Kia West PointGeorgiamanufacturing facility.
The record was officially titled “Lowest fuel consumption driving through all 48 contiguousUSstates in a gasoline hybrid car.” This is a new category created by Guinness World Records.
Kia Optima Hybrid Overview
The 2011 Kia Optima Hybrid is the third generation of the Optima family from Kia having a universal GDI 2.4 liter 166 HP 4 cylinder engine that has a 6 speed manual or 6 speed automatic transmissions with Eco dash display. The goal of the car is to have maximum fuel economy by employing a new concept of injection system, which is the new port-injection set up accompanied by an Atkinson combustion cycle that when combined with the Optima’s electric motor, it proves to be fuel efficient and less expensive to manufacture. The hybrid label is so as the car has an electric mode which uses battery only to run the vehicle to save gas in certain situations.
The great feature of this car is its Eco mode that can be activated by the car’s dashboard system. The Eco mode further optimizes the vehicle’s performance, throttle mapping, and electric assist for a much more fuel saving capability. The dashboard also shows this Eco Dynamics screen which indicates to the driver if the car is being friendly to the environment that will always update the driver of the car’s needs of repairs or checks to maintain its Eco friendliness.
Verdict
The 2011 Hybrid is truly one for the record books. The drivers of the car in the epic record breaking journey stressed that the 2011 Optima Hybrid is the perfect vehicle to be driven in that long road trip. The car is spacious, comfy and fun to drive, and performed flawlessly without hassles and really consumed little gas throughout the 12,712 kilometer drive. The Guinness also praised the car with its fuel economy and great performance through the harsh road and temperature conditions. The car was released on the market last November 2011 in the US and is still a vehicle being sold at around $27,250 which is not that expensive given its nice luxury look and fuel efficiency and Eco friendly features. So if you want a decent looking sedan that will give the maximum fuel economy, do not hesitate to get the 2011 Kia Optima Hybrid as you won’t regret getting this record breaking vehicle!
Author bio:
Sandra Thomas is an adventurous woman, she loves going to the beach and driving 4x4s offroad, She’s also a loving mother to her daughter, Andrea. She is also as passionate advocate of saving the planet. Follow her adventures on her Twitter.
You must log in to post a comment.