All About Japan Autos

Who needs a Prius? In a recent test by Ford, a stock 2011 Mustang V6 drove 776.6 miles on a single tank of gas — netting an average of 48.5 mpg.

Go ahead. Pick your jaw up off the floor. We’ll wait…

“On Tuesday, June 23, a group of Ford engineers hit the track at Bristol Motor Speedway in Tennessee in a completely stock 2011 Mustang V6,” explains Autoblog. “When Mustangs are on a track, usually the drivers are in search of outright speed, but that wasn’t the case this time around. Instead the team of five drivers alternated every hour to see how far they could make the Mustang go on just one tank of gas.”

Ford’s goal was to complete 1,000 laps (533 miles) in its all-new 305-horsepower V6 Mustang. It blew that mark away. “When the dust settled, the Mustang not only completed the challenge, but had actually gone on to complete 1,457 laps (776.5 miles) before the tank ran dry, averaging an impressive 48.5 mpg,” reports CNET.

Of course, the Mustang wasn’t driving in real-world conditions. Not only was it on a track and being test driven by professionals, but its average speed was clocked at only 43.9 mph. The Boston Globe explains, “The group employed fuel efficient techniques like minimizing air conditioning, keeping a steady pace, avoiding sudden stops and starts (they stopped to switch drivers but not to add fuel to the 16-gallon tank) and keeping the rpms low.”

Nevertheless, the results are impressive — especially for a muscle car. Then again, the 2011 Ford Mustang V6 is the first vehicle equipped with more than 300 horsepower to net an EPA-estimated fuel economy of 31 mpg (highway).

If you’re in the market for a new car, check out the U.S. News rankings of this year’s best cars as well as this month’s best car deals.