Read some interesting figures on fuel consumption, so if you believe all the scaremongering that the world is about to stop spinning when we run out of crude oil, then you’d better not buy a Bugatti Veyron.
Why? The Veyron is the biggest gas guzzler for sale anywhere in the world with official consumption figures of 23.5 liters of fuel for every 100 kilometers it travels. And remember that at full noise you get about 15 minutes out of a full tank in your Veyron.
At the other end of the scale the Mitsubishi i-MiEV battery-powered city car is effectively rated at just over 2.1 L/100 km worked out by some weird and wonderful formula that says there is an equivalency because it takes fossil fuel to recharge its battery. (EPA mathematics again.)
Next most frugal is the all-electric Nissan Leaf (rated at 2.4 L/100 km) and the electric-with-petrol-generator-backup Chevrolet Volt rated at 3.9 L/100 km.
The Toyota Prius is the most economical hybrid car to run in the US, pegging an average fuel use of 4.7 L/100 km, while the best conventionally engined cars are the Audi A3 and the Volkswagen Jetta, both powered by a 2.0 liter turbo diesel engine, that returns an average of about 6.9 L/100 km.
Of the two hydrogen fuel cell vehicles available in the US – the Honda FCX Clarity and Mercedes-Benz’s B-Class-based F-Cell – the Honda betters its German rival by 0.5L/100km to peg an official fuel use rate of 3.9L/100km.
However, since we will not run out of oil in my lifetime I wouldn’t worry too much. If you can afford the duty on a Veyron, you can afford the petrol.
