Our previous BC adventure had been the furthest we’d taken the PacHy to date, but Baymax would now face a journey of more than double that length – and its first trip over the border into the States. A prior commitment meant no sightseeing stops on the way down, just long days of 10 or more hours on the road, plus stops for fuel and food.
Coming home, we strayed from the ever-present I-15 to see the Grand Canyon’s North Rim and meander through Utah’s spectacular canyon country, including the incredible Scenic Byway 12. We can’t recommend that road enough, regardless of what you’re driving.
The frequent fill-ups and differing state fuel standards gave me the chance to experiment with different grades of gasoline, but with accompanying changes in temperature and terrain, I couldn’t prove conclusively that one delivered better economy than the next. We recorded 7.1L/100km (33mpg) overall, which is what we’ve come to expect from hybrid-running on the highway – very welcome during a period of unusually high gas prices and even more impressive considering the car cruised for thousands of miles at 70mph/113km/h or above, full of people and gear. I’m sure there are other vehicles out there that could do the same job just as efficiently, but not many.