The team set out from Aalst, Belgium, on 1 June, navigating the continent in a clockwise direction. They returned to their start point on Thursday 25 June, recording the fuel economy figures which exceed the Tourer’s quoted efficiency of 61.9 mpg US (3.8 liters per 100km) by more than 25%.

Under the rules the same two drivers must be in the car for the whole journey, giving Fergal and Julian, Honda R&D colleagues of some 18 years and based in the UK, the challenge of driving an average of approximately 380 miles (612 km), taking around 7.5 hours, each day.

The Guinness World Records title attempt required the car to enter each of the 24 countries specified, collecting a range of evidence including a fuel/mileage logbook, GPS readings, video and photographs and independent witness signatures to prove that it has done so. To ensure accurate monitoring of the route, journey time and distance driven, the record car was fitted with a tracking device, provided by fleet telematics and stolen vehicle recovery expert, TRACKER (part of the Tantalum Corporation).

Under the rules of the record title attempt the car must be a standard model in every respect, with no modifications to create an advantage, to replicate ‘real world’ conditions. This was judged by independent witnesses at the beginning and end of the attempt. Fueling was carried out at regular filling stations, with the tank filled to the maximum at each stop to ensure no weight advantage. Additionally, tires were inflated to the recommended pressures and the wheel alignment set to factory specification to represent the experience of the regular customer.

The team, both amateur drivers, were also keen to show that through adopting some simple but very effective driving techniques, anybody could achieve such remarkable fuel economy. They simply used some very logical methods including careful and sensible route planning, driving smoothly and consistently without harsh acceleration or braking, anticipating the road conditions ahead, carrying no unnecessary weight, and ensuring that the car was correctly maintained at all times. Driving speed was always within the law and keeping up with traffic conditions.

Civic Tourer. Honda introduced the Civic Tourer as a response to changing European market conditions for the C-segment estate market. The development team for the Civic Tourer carried out customer clinics in Europe before the development process began, in order to confirm what is important to customers when choosing an estate. This research identified two main target customer groups for the Civic Tourer; families raising young children who are upgrading from smaller categories or from the used car market; and customers with children who have left home, who are downsizing from the traditional higher category.

The new 1.6 i-DTEC diesel engine was the first from Honda’s next generation Earth Dreams Technology series to be introduced in Europe. The 1.6 i-DTEC engine, with a compression ratio of 16:1, provides 120 PS (118 hp, 88 kW) of power and 300 N·m (221 lb-ft) of torque.

Honda’s 1.6-liter i-DTEC features an aluminum cylinder head joined to an open deck aluminum block, weighing 47kg (104 lbs) less than the 2.2 liter i-DTEC engine. All individual components were redesigned to minimize their weight and size, and advanced production techniques helped reduce weight even further.

The thickness of the cylinder walls was reduced to 8mm, down from 9mm on the 2.2 liter i-DTEC. In addition, lighter pistons and connection rods were used.

The Civic Tourer offers Honda’s Eco Assist technology to help owners drive at optimum efficiency, based on insight that different driving styles can create as much as a 15% variance in fuel economy. The system uses the car’s speedometer to advise drivers how their driving style is impacting on fuel economy. If the car is being driven efficiently, the dashboard glows green. If the driver slightly exceeds the best level of throttle control, the dashboard will glow white/green. Finally, during heavy acceleration and deceleration, it will glow white.

The system is further enhanced with the option of ECON mode, which once activated alters the mapping of the drive-by-wire throttle system to ensure a smooth increase in torque for a more relaxing drive and greater fuel efficiency.

To further enhance efficiency, Idle Stop technology is standard on all Civic Tourer models with a manual transmission; a seamless system which can contribute up to a 5 g/km of CO₂ saving for the diesel engine.