Peugeot 308 hits almost 100mpg

Peugeot

Peugeot has proved that three-figure fuel economy figures for petrol engines might not be too far from becoming a reality, as its new 308 has set what it claims is a record of 99.1mpg.

The 2014 European Car of the Year, powered by a 1.2-litre turbocharged petrol Puretech engine, covered 1,124.7 miles on just one tank of fuel when tested on a track in Spain.

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In doing so, it took more than 32 hours of driving to consume the 51.4-litre contents of its fuel tank. The three-cylinder petrol engine has an official combined fuel economy figure of 61.4mpg and CO2 emissions of 107g/km, trumping the Volkswagen Golf 1.2 TSI’s 57.6mpg and 113g/km CO2.

Peugeot hasn't revealed how the 308 was driven (gently, we suspect) and the car in question appears to have a more aerodyamic front bumper design, despite Peugeot's claims that it was a "standard production model". Even so, it's an impressive return for a car with a petrol engine and shows what can be achieved with conventional internal combustion tehcnology and a bit of will power.

The Peugeot 308 is on sale now, with prices starting at £13,895.

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By Andrew Brady, contributor, MSN Cars