A diesel-engined Nissan Micra has completed a journey from Gaborone in Botswana to Maputo in Mozambique – a distance of 963 km - on less than a single tank of fuel at a consumption of just 3,3 l/100 km.
The Micra 1.5 dCi, a brand new three-door derivative of Nissan's popular B-segment passenger car, is Nissan's first diesel-engined car to be made available in South Africa. It is due to be launched to the public in early March.
In a remarkable demonstration of the fuel efficiency of the Micra's new 1,5-litre common rail, direct injection diesel engine, well-known South African economy driver Willie Nel, a nine-times winner of the annual Total Economy Run, drove the car through four countries and four cities non-stop in a time of 11 hours and 47 minutes averaging 81 km/h and using only 31 litres of diesel.
Nel, renown for previous trips across the length and breadth of South Africa and beyond during which he has achieved remarkable fuel consumption figures, was accompanied by Richard Carstens, who has been associated with the running of the Total Economy Run for many years and was acting as official observer for Motorsport South Africa.
"The Nissan Micra dCi performed faultlessly and was an absolute pleasure to drive," said Nel, who has competed in every Total Economy Run since the event – the longest-running motor sport event in South Africa – was first run in 1976.
"We started from the Gaborone Sun hotel in Botswana, crossed into South Africa at Zeerust and then followed the N4 through Pretoria to Middelburg in Mpumalanga. We then turned off the N4 and passed through Hendrina and Carolina before crossing into Swaziland at Oshoek border post.
"We then drove through Mbabane and Manzini in Swaziland before crossing into Mozambique at Nomahasha border post. We completed our journey where the freeway ends in Maputo.
"Weather conditions were good and we appreciated the Micra's many comfort features which included fully automatic climate control and a six-disc CD changer."
"One of the keys to the Micra's sales success is the use of practical technology, features that one usually finds on larger and more expensive cars, but which are functional and easy to use," says Nissan's general manager of marketing and planning, Gerhard Fourie.
"Today's young and upwardly mobile professional are looking for safety, practicality and technology and the Micra offers these in abundance," says Fourie.
"Nissan believes that technology works best when it is harnessed to make our daily lives easier. Micra is fresh and innovative and, despite its relatively short time on the market, it has already attracted a strong and loyal customer base.
"The diesel-engined Micra will attract new buyers and create greater awareness of the Nissan brand as dynamic and innovative," Fourie adds.
# # #
