Seven seater luxury MPV breaks world fuel economy record

1724 kilometers on a single tank of diesel

A Chrysler Voyager SE, fitted with an all-new 2.5-litre common rail turbo diesel (CRD) engine, set a new world record for fuel economy, travelling 1724 kilometres on a single tank of diesel fuel. The same Voyager then followed this achievement by establishing 22 time and distance records for a diesel-powered MPV, covering a distance of 4284 km in 24 hours. All of the records are subject to confirmation.

The seven-seat Voyager, was driven to a new world record for the greatest distance covered by a standard production vehicle on a single tank of fuel by John Taylor and his wife Helen - both from Australia. Traveling at an average speed of 76 km/h, the Taylors achieved a fuel consumption of just 4.35 litres/100 km. 

They drove the standard Voyager on normal roads and in all kinds of traffic and weather conditions,  from DaimlerChrysler’s Eurostar production facility in Graz, Austria, where the new Voyager is built, to the Brussels headquarters of Chrysler Jeep Europe and then on to Calais in Northern France. On arriving in Calais, they found that there was still sufficient fuel remaining in the 75-litre tank for the vehicle to be driven back to Brussels, completing their total journey in less than the 24 hours permitted by the regulations. 

After having proved the fuel economy of the Voyager and its CRD engine, the same vehicle completed a 24 hour drive at the Prototipo Test Facility at Nardo, near Brindisi, in Southern Italy. Piloted by three drivers from Chrysler’s Team ORECA Viper racing team, the Voyager set 22 records for speed and endurance. 

The Voyager went further in 24 hours – more than 142 km in fact – than the winning Chrysler Viper traveled in the 24 Hours of Daytona race earlier this year. The total distance was only 247 km less than the class-winning Chrysler Viper covered in the 24 Hours of Le Mans.Drivers Ni Amorim of Portugal, Jean-Phillipe Belloc of France and Marc Duez of Belgium, completed 340 laps of the 12.6-kilometre high speed Prototipo circuit, stopping only to refuel the Voyager. A second vehicle, a Chrysler Voyager 2.5 CRD LX, followed the Team ORECA vehicle throughout the 24 hour period.

Both vehicles ran flawlessly and no spare parts or maintenance – other than routine fluid level checks – were required during the 24 hours. “For the drivers from Team ORECA and John and Helen Taylor to break such contrasting world records in the same standard vehicle, just days apart without a single hitch, proves beyond doubt that the new Voyager’s CRD engine is powerful, economical and durable,” said Steven Landry, President of Chrysler Jeep Europe.

Both of the record-breaking drives were independently observed by Police Constable Steve Driver, from the West Midlands Police Force in the UK. He was responsible for ensuring that the Taylors strictly adhered to all road traffic laws. He was responsible for sealing the Voyager’s 75-litre fuel tank at the start of the fuel economy drive in Austria and he removed the seal when the vehicle was refilled in Belgium. He was also present to monitor and confirm the lap counts and timings throughout the 24-hour drive in Italy. Commenting on his record-breaking drive, fuel economy driving expert John Taylor said:

  “We didn’t intentionally set out to beat this fuel economy world record. We were attempting to reach Brussels from Graz on a single tank of fuel but after achieving it on just over half a tank, we knew straight away that there was a possibility we could go on to break the record. We achieved it with fuel to spare!”

“I have achieved many fuel economy feats in the past but this one definitely ranks as my greatest one so far,” he added. “We were amazed by the low consumption of the new Voyager in what were realistic and tough driving conditions.”

To prove that this achievement was no fluke, the Taylors then drove from Brussels to Cento Ferrara, near Bologna, Italy, where the new CRD engine is produced. The Voyager travelled 1161 km on just 53 litres of fuel, achieving a fuel consumption of 4.56 litres/100 km. The all-new, 2500 cc 16-valve four cylinder turbocharged common rail diesel engine, developed by DaimlerChrysler subsidiary Detroit Diesel in Cento Ferrara, is the most powerful in the MPV segment. It produces 104 kW at 4000 rpm and 340 Nm torque at 1800 rpm.

This works out at 41.6kW per litre – 22 per cent more than the previous version – and 125 Nm per litre, 17 per cent better than the previous engine. On the road, this provides the Voyager with spirited performance. The new vehicle is capable of a top speed of 185 kph, where permitted, and accelerates from rest to 100 kph in around 12 seconds. The engine complies with the new Euro III emissions regulations.