To put words into numbers, the vehicle managed 41,75 mpg (6.76l/100 km) over the 353 miles long route (586 km), a 43 percent increase over its official combined fuel economy rating... But at a cost.
“In order to achieve this result, we needed to achieve an on-road average of 30 mph (48 km/h) on a mix of village, town, country and motorway driving. We also had to avoid a lateness penalty of 1.0mpg per minute, at the various checkpoints, meaning that a lot of spirited driving was required,” Iain Robertson, the driver of the Mazda3 explained.
Even if the speed was not at all chest crushing (after all, it was a marathon, not a sprint), the MPS did still have enough punch to make the more demanding drivers proud. The car's engine, a 2.3l DISI Turbo petrol Euro V develops 260 hp at 5,500 rpm and a maximum torque of 380 Nm at 3,000 rpm. This means it can jump from naught to sixty in 6.1 seconds and top at 250 km/h (155 mph).
The marathon was an excelent way for Mazda to advertise its hatchback. The car is on sale in the UK for only a week, for a price starting with £21,500. Thanks to the 224 g/km of CO2 released into the air, the MPS qualifies for the Band K Road Fund License (£215).
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