Chevrolet Aveo Improves Mileage at MPG Marathon

Way later than the other carmakers attending the event, American manufacturer GM announced yesterday what their participant Aveo was up to, during the slow-speed race. Steered by the youngest driver which took part in the Marathon, 17-year-old Joe Durkin, GM's Aveo managed to improve its own fuel consumption rating by 16 percent.

In other words, on the 360-mile long route (580 km), the Aveo averaged 59.71 mpg (4l/100 km), better than the factory rated 51.4 mpg consumption. Of course, the manufacturer praises both the car and the driver for the feat. The latter also received praise from Malcolm Curnow and Chris Crebo, traffic officers from Devon and Cornwall.

"Lads my age often get a bad press,” Durkin said in a release. “I wanted to prove that you can be cool and responsible at the same time, and the MPG Marathon was a great way of doing it.”

“I wanted to prove that not all young drivers are irresponsible and careless. In the area where I live there are an above average number of road deaths involving younger drivers, so I wanted to demonstrate that a responsible and smooth approach to driving will not only save you a packet, but is also a cool thing to do.”

The Aveo being driven by the young Durkin in the Marathon was a 1.2S model, which is available in the UK starting from £8,995.

“It’s a really smart car,” Durkin added. “It was great to drive on this event, as the controls were really light, which made it ideal for driving economically."