KEY POINTS:
Fifty-nine vehicles will leave Auckland tomorrow on a four-day, 1626km odyssey to see which are the most fuel-frugal. Every two years, the EnergyWise Rally pits the most unlikely drivers and cars against each other, and this year they'll include vehicles as diverse as the two-seat, 1.0-litre Smart ForTwo, a long-wheelbase BMW 7 Series - the Government limo - and a high-performance HSV Maloo R8 ute.
The AA's technical services manager, Stella Stocks, isn't surprised at the variety. "I think there's a heightened awareness of fuel efficiency, which explains the record entry... There's been a perception that big is thirsty, so they'll be trying to demonstrate that big is more fuel-efficient than you expect."
Given that the big cars' engines aren't working as hard at 100km/h as the Smart's will be, there could be a few surprises.
Among them are that V8 Supercar ace Greg Murphy is not driving the HSV, but a Holden Astra CDTi.
His compact car class pits him against Hans Tholstrup, who holds records worldwide for fuel economy runs and flew in to drive a Hyundai i30.
Both are driving diesels. Stocks says that the big interest this year is in smaller and diesel-fuelled cars, and the results are again likely to show how
the current road user charge (RUC) structure penalises the owners of the most fuel-frugal vehicles.
The RUC tax levied on diesel cars is the same for the VW BlueMotion Polo - a favourite this year with its 3.8l/100km claim - as it is for the gargantuan BMW.
Is the rally relevant to the ordinary Kiwi? The answer is yes. Professional drivers do best at this event because they've got all the skills required, but the AA rules require that cars stick to the speed limit where possible - with four official cars scattered among the field to keep the entrants honest.
They insist on a passenger, luggage for four days and a string of other regulations. Each car must be as sold - so the diminutive Hyundai Getz CRDi this writer will pilot will carry the first-aid kit and fire extinguisher sold standard with each car.
Every entry uses pump fuel, with Gull stations in Auckland, Palmerston North and Rotorua providing fills.
The winner is judged not on how little fuel it uses, but how little it costs to fill including tax - which is when frugal petrol engines overtake the more efficient diesels, with their per-kilometre RUC structure.
Notable absences this year include Toyota, which - despite its range of hybrids and its new diesel Corollas - has declined to compete.
However, Hyundai is pitting a full diesel range against Honda, which aims to prove that optimising conventional engines, or mating them with hybrid technology, is as frugal as diesel or alternative fuels.
Meanwhile, Subaru-lovers will be keen to see how the new Legacy and Outback diesels - on sale early next year - will perform. You can see who's winning, and whether Greg Murphy can keep his lead-foot tendencies in check at www.aaenergywiserally.org.nz, which will be updated daily.
