High-performance sports cars and fuel economy just don’t go together.
That’s the commonly-held view, but in an independent test drive, former Touring Car ace Klaus Niedzwiedz has debunked it with a 648km (400 mile) journey in a 345-horsepower Porsche 911 Carrera fitted with Porsche’s seven-speed PDK double-clutch auto gearbox.
Niedzwiedz, who presents a motoring programme on German television, averaged 6.7 litres/100km (42.2mpg) easily beating the car’s official Euro 5 standard rating of 9.8 litres/100km(28.8mpg).
His average speed was more than 80km/h for the drive which included about 190 kilometres on country roads, 30km in city traffic, and the remainder on the Autobahn.
A certified inspector from the German Car Inspection Authority, DEKRA, filled up the Porsche’s tank before and after the test drive. He had also sealed the fuel tank and the engine compartment.
Niedzwiedz strove to keep engine speed between 1800 and 2000rpm, with a road speed between 90 and 130km/h, and averaged 84km/h.
“The result proves that with a lot of feeling and discipline you can even drive a 3.6-litre, 345bhp sports car very economically,” he said.
