Peugeot 308 HDi breaks two Guinness world records

A Peugeot 308 HDi driven on a 25 day journey around Australia has entered the Guinness book of records for setting two new fuel economy records. Driven by John and Helen Taylor, the car broke both the ‘Round Australia Diesel Economy World Record’ as well as the overall ‘Round Australia World Fuel Economy Record’.

The diesel-powered 308 traveled a total of 14,580km (9,060miles) and averaged an amazing 1,919km (1,192miles) from a single 60L tank. This equates to a final fuel consumption figure of 3.13L/100km (75mpg) and carbon emissions levels of just 90.3g/km. Before you question the setup, take note that is a family hatch that can easily seat five people and the records were achieved with two passengers and their gear on board, which included two large suitcases with clothes for the entire 25 day trip.

The car used was a regular 308 XS HDi manual featuring a 1.6L turbodiesel engine with 80kW and 240Nm of torque on tap. The official fuel consumption rating for the mixed cycle is just 4.9L/100km (48mpg) with carbon emissions of 130g/km. This is the same powertrain Peugeot is considering mating to a hybrid system, and we can only imagine what new fuel-economy records could be broken with such a car.