Kia Optima Sets Guinness Record for Fuel Economy

By Jonathan Welsh

Kia Motors Corp. says two drivers set a new Guinness World Record the lowest fuel consumption in a hybrid gasoline vehicle, while driving a 2011 Kia Optima Hybrid sedan through the 48 contiguous states.

Wayne Gerdes from Wadsworth, Ill., and Chris Bernius from New York drove the factory-standard car 7,899 miles while recording an average fuel economy of 64.55 miles per gallon. The result beat the car’s official EPA highway fuel-economy rating by 61%. The result in part shows that drivers can often boost their vehicles’ fuel economy by adjusting their driving habits and using certain techniques to stretch the fuel supply.

“While traveling across the United States the Optima Hybrid experienced temperatures ranging from more than 118 degrees Fahrenheit to less than freezing point. The team climbed through the formidable Rocky mountain chain and negotiated rush hour traffic in Chicago, New York City and Las Vegas – which makes the Optima Hybrid’s fuel consumption figure all the more impressive,” said Kia’s senior executive vice president and chief operating officer Thomas Oh.

The trip took 14 days with an average of 564 miles driven per day. The Optima hybrid used just over 5.5 tanks of gasoline on the route and traveled an average of 1,418 miles between fill-ups. To comply with Guinness World Record guidelines, the Optima Hybrid had to carry two people and their luggage throughout the drive.

The record set is officially titled “Lowest fuel consumption driving through all 48 contiguous U.S. states in a gasoline hybrid car,” which is a new category created by Guinness World Records.