New Suzuki XL7 Hybrid logs in an amazing 68 km/L

Tope Crisostomo

Yes, you read it right. Suzuki Philippines’ newest Suzuki XL7 Hybrid recently squeezed out a whopping 67.80 km/L during a driving event with the local motoring media. The incredible feat took place during the affair which pitted about 40 journalists into 12 units of the Suzuki XL7 Hybrid. The route? From the Suzuki dealership in Kawit, Cavite, the participants drove all the way to Nasugbu, Batangas, traversing southwestward of Antero Soriano Highway (19.2km), Governor’s Drive (9.7km), going to Ternate Highway (41.8km), and passing through Kaybiang Tunnel, before arriving at our destination which covered about 72 km of distance, and a driving time of more or less 2 to 3 hours in total (depending on the driving).

“The Suzuki XL7 is our recent addition to our lineup of seven-seaters that offer Smart Hybrid technology now made available in the local market,” Suzuki Philippines senior marketing manager, Odessa Gan, said during an interview with Inquirer Motoring.

“We’ve invited the media to test drive the vehicle so that you can experience the driveability of the product and this specific offering in the market,” she added.

The driving activity-cum-fuel eco run

Like any usual driving activity of Suzuki in the past, the actual activity first started with a sumptuous breakfast and a detailed briefing at the designated Suzuki dealership. After a full belly, from there, the fun fuel economy run competition eventually kicked off. For starters, a fuel eco run is a driving activity wherein the main goal of the driver is to “do his best” or better yet, “tooth and nail,” save fuel while traversing a specific route under actual real road conditions. Here, the fuel tank of the car is filled to the brim. Then, after filling the tank, the team with its designated driver goes through the paces. Finally, once arriving at the specified destination, particularly a gas station, the vehicle’s gas tank is again refueled. By doing this, one determines the amount of fuel the team or the specific vehicle has consumed. The tank with the least amount of fuel consumed is deemed the winner.

Particularly, the competitive spirit of the participants are ignited and like I said, “tooth and nail,” just to save fuel. The best way to do this is by just feathering on the gas pedal and driving as smoothly as possible. Usually, before in the past, competitive teams turn off the aircons as this also plays a factor in saving fuel. This time, however, with the scorching summer heat, this was not allowed.

So, to cut the story short, the team that won the particular fuel economy run only consumed 1.06 liters of fuel while covering a distance of 72km.

Making the event more fun

Now, to spice things up, the Japanese carmaker not only organized a fuel economy run competition, but also a “mini-sportsfest” for everyone to enjoy. This was particularly held at the sprawling grounds of Pico de Loro in Nasugbu, Batangas, which featured countless amenities for its guests. The “mini-sports fest” consisted of games such as basketball shooting, badminton, golf and “buzz wire,” wherein teams accumulated points for every activity. In the end, the team with the most points after all the activities won.

Planting a tree for the next generation

The two-day activity was not only fun but also worthwhile as participants were able to plant trees. The particular activity was also in conjunction with why the carmaker started to introduce hybrid technology in its lineup of vehicles: for a greener environment.

“We’re doing this for the next generation. We’re planting trees for them,” an elated Norihide Takei, general manager for Suzuki Automobile, who is also the brainchild of the activity, shared during our brief conversation.