There are only a few miles between Europe and Africa. The ferry to cross the Gibraltar strait takes less than an hour, but with flying so cheap, few drivers are getting on it. This may change now that we have cars which can begin the journey in Africa and drive all the way to the UK without a refill. One car just did it. A 1,223 miles trip. A Mercedes E300 Bluetec Hybrid left Tangiers in Morocco, and drove North, all the way up to Goodwood, West Sussex. Driving time was 27 hours.

The best part was that the 80-liter fuel tank (21.3 U.S. gallons) wasn’t even empty. There was enough fuel left to drive a further 100 miles, equating to a range of 1,323 miles. An astounding performance considering the Mercedes E-class is a roomy sedan with a large trunk. That’s the efficiency of a diesel engine maximized with the addition of a mild hybrid system.