Efficient driving the real saver

A Hyundai on the way to Wellington in the AA EnergyWise Rally. Photo / Jacqui Madelin

It took four days, 49 cars, 5200 litres of fuel and 86,387km of driving to find out if hybrids are all they're cracked up to be. And the answer is, if you want to cut fossil fuel use buy a small diesel. But if your budget's more important, buy a tiny petrol car - or a hybrid.

The Mini Cooper d used just 74.53l of diesel over the 1763km of the AA EnergyWise rally, the least amount of fuel for any entrant.

But its $92.34 diesel cost for the distance almost doubled to $169.92 when road user charges (RUC) were added.

So the winner on cost was Honda's new Insight hybrid on $147.83, followed by a Honda Civic hybrid at $148.48 and Toyota Prius hybrid on $150.83. Indeed the top six cars based on price to fill were all hybrids, with seventh the diminutive Suzuki Alto.

But there's more to buying a car than its thirst; you might want space. The rally proved that by selecting the right car, you can have both. A 2.0-litre Subaru Outback diesel with its 110kW/350Nm grunt and 490-litre boot did the same distance for $189.34, of which $77.57 was RUC.

Then again, the Toyota hybrid Camry I drove delivered space and comfort without spending extra on fuel. It was 12th overall on cost to fill, at $171.17 proving cheaper to run than one of the Honda Jazz 1.3-litre models entered in the small car class. I know which one I'd rather drive from Auckland to Wellington.

Put the build, battery and recycle costs aside, and hybrids have clearly made their point.

So has modern technology, for even SUVs and performance cars delivered a reasonable return. The Hyundai Sante Fe diesel averaged 6.3l/100km despite being driven by a recent Hyundai customer and not a professional driver.

As for the Subaru WRX STI piloted for two days by rally ace Emma Gilmour, it again proved a mighty engine can be driven frugally by netting a 8.1l/km average, well below its 10.5 claim. That's Corolla-beating thirst Monday-to-Friday and a weekend blaster; the best of both worlds.

Several cars on the rally saved 20per cent over their claimed thirst. Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority CEO Mike Underhill calculates that if every driver in New Zealand did that, "A tank of fuel the size of a football field and 1.5 times the height of Parliament's beehive would be saved per annum at a cost of $1.1billion."

He says, "What the EnergyWise Rally consistently shows is that the way you drive your car makes a massive difference to the amount of fuel you use. And fuel efficient driving is something every single motorist can do, starting today."

Meantime the fact hybrids dominated a fuel economy rally run on real New Zealand roads at real-world speeds proves hybrid tech has come of age.

THE WINNERS

Class Winners

* Small: Honda Jazz 1.3, 5.265l/100km ($167.93)

* Compact: Honda Insight S, 4.645l/100km ($147.83)

* Medium: Toyota Camry Hybrid, 5.367l/100km ($171.17)

* Large: BMW 520d SE Sedan, 4.869l/100km ($189.98 inc RUC)

* Small Lifestyle: Mitsubishi ASX Sport 1.8L 4WD Diesel, 5.389l/100km ($195.30 inc RUC)

* Large Lifestyle: Subaru Outback 2.0D Euro Spec, 5.117l/100km ($189.34 inc RUC)

Category Winners

* Conventional petrol: Suzuki Alto AMF310GL, 4.466l/100km

* Diesel: Mini Cooper d, 4.227l/100km

* Hybrid: Toyota Prius, 4.390l/100km