Paris to Beijing: Mercedes Vehicles Complete "Diesel Marathon" Run

BEIJING — Mercedes-Benz wrapped up its marathon Paris-to-Beijing diesel run on November 17, reporting that the eBay team won the fuel economy contest with an average of 7.19 liters/100 km (32.7 mpg) over the 8,700-mile trek.

The diesel endurance test followed the path of the legendary first transcontinental auto race held 99 years ago, which ran from Beijing to Paris. All participating cars in the 2006 race were standard production 224-horsepower Mercedes-Benz E-Class. All cars were equipped with winter tires and a suspension that was raised by just under 2 inches.

Mercedes reported that in only 25 driving days, participants passed through nine countries under extreme conditions, including snow and ice. The average daily driving distance was about 350 miles. The company noted that the 360 participants and 40-person support team ate 8,200 sandwiches, 5,300 bananas and 4,000 chocolate bars and drank 9,600 bottles of mineral water.

© Source: original article on insideline