Skoda Fabia GreenLine does 127mpg in the hands of Gerhard Plattner

Hyper-miler Gerhard Plattner with the 127mpg Skoda Fabia GreenLine

That rings a bell, we thought. A guy called Gerhard Plattner doing mega-miles in a Skoda. And then we remembered that two years ago the same guy managed to average 100mpg on  a trip in a SEAT Ibiza ECOMOTIVE between Barcelona to Germany.

But that feat of frugality becomes almost one of profligacy in comparison to Gerhard’s latest economy run. Gerhard has driven a Skoda Fabia GreenLine from Austria to Denmark – and back again – on a single ten gallon tank of fuel.

That’s a total of 1,246 miles on public roads – admittedly mostly on motorways – with an average mpg of 127.8. And just in case you find it hard to put that sort of distance in to perspective, it’s the equivalent of 10.5 times round the M25 or London to Edinburgh and back, and then back to Edinburgh with fuel to spare.

Just as on Gerhard’s last trip, the whole economy run was supervised by the IPMC who sealed up the full tank before Gerhard left Austria and unsealed it when he got back. So not much room for a sneaky splash and dash en route.

All very impressive, and a great way of showcasing what you can do in terms of being more economical if you really try. Just as with the last trip, Gerhard doesn’t coast along at 42kph in the slip stream of a lorry to get stupid figures, but focuses on smooth inputs and lots of anticipation of what’s going to happen. And more, we’ve no doubt.

But as Gerhard himself points out, it just goes to show how much difference driving style makes to economy. No one is suggesting everyone can get 50% more mpg than the car maker’s figures just by being a bit more careful.

But big improvements in economy are possible without necessarily having to drive an eco-box.

By Cars UK