Honest boss, I can get 59mpg in one of these...

I don’t know about you, but I am pretty happy if I can get more than 37mpg in my Transit. My all-time (loaded) record is 42mpg, obtained after driving all day at a cruising speed of 50mph on quiet roads (it was in Norway).

However, when placed alongside the winners of the recent ALD Automotive/Shell FuelSave MPG Marathon, I look like a lead-footed boy racer. Contestants had to complete a time-limited 372-mile course over two days. Each driver had two goals – getting the best possible mpg and scoring the biggest improvement over their vehicle’s official combined mpg figure.

The team that achieved the best overall percentage improvement in the LCV category managed to squeeze 59.11mpg out of a standard Renault Trafic – a massive 54.73% better than the van’s official combined mpg figure of 38.2mpg, which is fairly realistic.

Ford also did well in the van categories, with a 2.2l 100PS Transit Econetic achieving 59mpg and Transits emerging as the overall winners in both the 2,800kg and 3,500kg categories.

The small vans entering the competition showed that 70mpg+ fuel consumption figures are not just for cars, scoring some impressive results – although not all managed to beat their manufacturers’ official figures:

• Fiat Fiorino: 82.96mpg – best overall mpg for a van
• Citroen Nemo: 81.79mpg
• Vauxhall Corsavan Ecoflex: 71.3mpg (below the official figure of 78.3mpg!)

It is probably fair to say that the drivers went a bit slower than a van driver normally would – indeed, Corsavan driver Neil McIntee went at 40mph on single carriageways and 50mph on motorways and dual carriageways. I think most van drivers would get a few ‘hurry up hints’ from their bosses for that kind of tardiness, but it does prove the difference that speed can make.

The drivers started from Cirencester on both days and followed circular routes past major towns, including Basingstoke, Southampton, Portsmouth and Salisbury.