The annual Total Economy Run has long been a most viable means of evaluating which cars exactly are the most economical on the road today. In the current environment where it costs upward of R10 per litre to refuel any car, choosing one that will go furthest on a tankful is becoming ever more important to the man in the street.

So this year more than ever, Total Economy Run results are important, but just as significant is the fact that a car's carbon dioxide emissions have become a vital factor in car buying the world over. South Africa too, will soon start taxing motorists according to their cars' carbon emissions, and the results of the Total Economy Run once again best prove just which cars are the most eco friendly in their particular class.

To that end, Cars in Action's Total Economy Run results include real world CO2 emissions data derived from the actual Total Economy Run results and factored into our standard emissions formulae for petrol and diesel.

For every litre of petrol or diesel burned, there is a specific amount of carbon produced, so we can most accurately determine the actual carbon emissions of any car via a simple calculation based on how much petrol or diesel each car consumed. Those figures make for most interesting reading, too.

Getting down to the event itself, the 32nd Total Economy run saw 16 South African motor manufacturers and distributors enter 43 cars that were tested on a demanding and quick-running 1000km route around hilly Mphumalanga.

A new Citroen C4 Picasso proved the most efficient car on the event, which finished in Middelburg Saturday 26 July, while a Ford Ikon 1.4 TDCI used the least fuel of all.

Significantly though, all four of the Total Economy Run's premier prizes were won by new models that have arrived on SA roads in the past 12 months, signifying a definite trend in the motor industry that's seen new automotive technology improve fuel consumption and emissions across the board...

The Overall Index of Fuel Efficiency winning Citroen C4 Picasso was driven by Economy Run veteran Spotti Woodhead and Graham Mephius and posted a specific fuel consumption of 3.077l/100km per ton. The 1.8 ton (all-in mass weighed with the crew and a full tank of fuel on board) Picasso sipped 5.4 litres per hundred kilometres to make it the most economical car in the event for its weight.

The lone Citroen also won the Index of Diesel Efficiency award and was adjudged by the organisers to be the cleanest burning vehicle on the event according to their brand new high tech gas analysing equipment. The C4 Picasso was launched in SA in March 2008.

A Mazda6 2.0 piloted by Philip Hull and Willie du Plessis and a model launched just this month, won the Index of Petrol Efficiency award at a specific consumption of 3.850l/100km/ton.

A Ford Ikon 1.4 TDCI, which was launched in SA late last year and driven by Roger Rouessart and Johan Seiling, used the least fuel of all in the 2008 event, sipping just 4.45l/100km of diesel and producing 121g of carbon dioxide per kilometre.

The all-new Daihatsu Charade, which is in the process of being launched and was piloted by SA Guild of Motoring Journalists Chairman Wynter Murdoch and Dorian Radue, was the most economical petrol car on the event at 4.97l/100km, which equates to 115g/km carbon dioxide emissions — the best on the event thanks to petrol's lower carbon density producing less harmful emissions than an albeit more economical diesel car...

The Total Economy Run also recognises excellence in fuel consumption in the various categories of car and the event's twelve classes all showed excellent fuel economy results.

In the petrol classes, the overall winning Murdoch/Radue Daihatsu Charade won Class A sipping just 4.96l/100km, while Stuart Greig and Wynand Gerber took Class B honours in their Mazda2 1.3 at 5.77l/100km. The Ford Ikon 1.6 of Harry Young and Riette Wannenburg drove to Class C honours at 6.41l/100km, while Hull/du Plessis Index winning Mazda6 2.0i also won class D sipping 6.36l/100km

The bigger petrol classes saw a duel between Geoff Mortimer and Martin Ciolkosk's Class F Chevrolet Lumina SS that used 9.84l/100km and the Keith Burford/Chris de Wit Class G Chrysler 300C at 9.74l/100km. The Sport Utility Class L was won by the Erich and Pieter de Vries Nissan X Trail that consumed 8.71l/100km.

In the diesel classes, the Overall Least Fuel award winning Rouessart/Sieling Ford Ikon 1.4 TDCI won class H at 4.45l/100km, while their Team Lazarus Ford team-mates Roger Hills and Ivor Stewart's Focus 1.6 TDCI sipped 4.66l/100km.

Class J was a fairytale win for SEAT, which only decided to enter the Total Economy Run two days before the start of the event, but Etienne Lourens and Carolyn Swan drove their Leon TDI to Class J victory at 5.59l/100km on the Spanish brand's Economy Run debut...

The big diesel Class K was won by Gordon Noble and Graham Bate in a Volvo S40 2.4 D5 that used 6.16l/100km, while Jerry Paice and Karel de Waal won the SUV diesel Class K in a Ssangyong Kyron 2.7d that consumed 7.40l/100km.

Besides the fact that new models dominated the top awards in this year's Total Economy Run, the event attracted entries from several Chinese carmakers for the first time and Chana, Chery and Geely were all out to prove their brands' fuel economy prowess. None of them were disappointed and all proved competitive — and they and more Chinese carmakers are sure to be back for more.

The event ran like clockwork as usual under wily Clerk of the Course Adri de Bruyn and represents one of the world's longest running motorsport sponsorships as Total continues to use fuel economy and low emissions to leverage its petroleum products.

In closing, if a carmaker did not enter the Total Economy Run, one has to wonder why? Is it that they are just not interested in competitively proving their respective fuel economy and emissions mantras?

Or are they just scared that they will be beaten?

Either way, if you want to choose a car primarily for its fuel economy and/or low emissions prowess, you would not go wrong by choosing it by virtue of its Total Economy Run results.

All the winners — and losers — here have had the balls to put their product to the test against their direct market rivals. The rest stayed away at their own peril...

2008 TOTAL ECONOMY RUN RESULTS

Overall Index of Fuel Efficiency
1 Woodhead/Mephius Citroen C4 Picasso HDI 3.07l/100km/ton
2 Rouessart/Sieling Ford Ikon 1.4 TDCI 3.09l/100km/ton
3 Hills/Stewart Ford Focus 1.6 TDCI 3.09l/100km/ton

Index of Diesel Efficiency
Woodhead/Mephius Citroen C4 Picasso HDI 3.07l/100km/ton

Index of Petrol Efficiency
Hull/du Plessis Mazda 6 2.0i 3.85l/100km/ton

Overall Least Fuel Used
1 Rouessart/Sieling Ford Ikon 1.4 TDCI 4.45l/100km 121g/km
2 Hills/Stewart Ford Focus 1.6 TDCI 4.66l/100km 126g/km
3 McKenzie/McKenzie Renault Clio 1.5 DCi 4.71l/100km 128g/km

Overall Least Diesel Used
Rouessart/Sieling Ford Ikon 1.4 TDCI 4.45l/100km 121g/km

Overall Least Petrol Used
Murdoch/Radue Daihatsu Charade 4.96l/100km 115g/km

Classes
A: Murdoch/Radue Daihatsu Charade 4.96l/100km 115g/km
B: Grieg/Gerber Mazda 2 1.3 5.77l/100km 133g/km
C: Young/Wannenburg Ford Ikon 1.6 6.41l/100km 148g/km
D: Hull/du Plessis Mazda 6 2.0i 6.36l/100km 147g/km
F: Mortimer/Ciolkosk Chevrolet Lumina SS 9.84l/100km 228g/km
G: Burford/de Wit Chrysler 300C 9.74l/100km 225g/km
H: Rouessart/Sieling Ford Ikon 1.4 TDCI 4.45l/100km 121g/km
I: Hills/Stewart Ford Focus 1.6 TDCI 4.66l/100km 126g/km
J: Lourens/Swan Seat Leon TDI 5.59l/100km 152g/km
K: Noble/Bate Volvo S40 2,4 D5 6.16l/100km 167g/km
L: de Vries/de Vries Nissan X Trail 8.71l/100km 202g/km
M: Paice/de Waal Ssangyong Kyron 2.7d 7.40l/100km 201g/km