BP ULTIMATE - THE ULTIMATE TEST
TIME FOR A CHANGE
Is A Higher Grade Fuel Really Worth The Extra Pennies? Try BP Ultimate And You Might Be Surprised At The Results. At Britain's Biggest Motoring Media Agency Car And Driving, They Have Been - As Editor Jonathan Crouch Explains....
Travelling tens of thousands of miles annually at the wheel, it's fair to say that writers from the Car and Driving motoring media agency are no strangers to filling station forecourts. They've consumed more Ginsters pastry products than can possibly be healthy and each member has exceeded the recommended lifetime intake of all-day breakfast sandwiches several times over. They've also pumped a massive quantity of fuel. 
Without gallons of petrol and diesel, the whole roadtesting operation would, quite literally, grind to a shuddering halt. Over the years, it has become clear to the roadtest team that fuel can make a surprising difference to the performance of a car and so, to see what results use of a premium fuel might bring, it was decided for a pilot period that Car and Driving should switch their entire roadtesting programme to run on BP Ultimate.
In its latest guise, this fuel claims to be able to offer up to 28 more miles per tank with its unleaded version, also claiming to offer significant improvements in engine cleaning performance, with 33% faster engine cleaning, meaning performance benefits are delivered quicker. In diesel form, it offers 22 extra miles per tank and boasts more than three times the engine cleaning performance than before with a 380% improved flow at the critical 'point of injection'. There are also better fuel economy benefits and further reductions in diesel exhaust emissions. 
The merits of BP's high grade Ultimate fuel products first became apparent during the 2005 Car and Driving Performance Car Of The Year test. Tied-in with the rigorous series of evaluation exercises that took a select group of the world's finest sportscars to some of Europe's most demanding stretches of road and racetrack, the team conducted a comparison test looking at the differences between BP Ultimate and conventional unleaded petrol. The results were a surprise even to the Car and Driving roadtesters. Essentially, BP Ultimate appeared to provide a marked improvement in performance.
This wasn't just the subjective ramblings of a wizened old roadtester after one too many Ginsters Buffet bars either: this was scientific fact - as Car and Driving Roadtest Editor Andy Enright explains: "At our performance car of the year test, we had the use of a Racelogic Vbox. It's a GPS-based telemetry system that can accurately record details of a car's performance. We took a set of figures from each vehicle running on normal unleaded petrol, then conducted the same test but using BP Ultimate. Almost across the board, there was a small but clear improvement in performance." 
The kind of boost in acceleration gained from BP Ultimate fuel would be hard to detect without the use of advanced measuring equipment but it is there and the Car and Driving team did report a general pick-up in the cars' responses with Ultimate in the tank. BP claim that the fuel can improve acceleration by as much as 5% thanks to its higher octane levels and the reduced engine friction it facilitates. In the longer term, the cleaning properties of BP Ultimate will also keep an engine in better working order further enhancing performance. 
It was all enough to prompt the wholesale switch of the Car and Driving roadtest programme to BP Ultimate fuels. Petrol or diesel, nothing but BP Ultimate products have passed the filler caps of the cars, vans and motorhomes on evaluation. This ensures that all the vehicles compete on a level playing field while being given the best possible chance of performing to their full potential. 
BP Ultimate's ability to make a car go faster is always going to be its headline-grabbing quality but there are other advantages which perhaps give it a stronger appeal to the average motorist. Car and Driving Family View Editor, Hannah Rainford explains: "There are a lot of costs attached to modern motoring and as motorists, we do our best to minimise them but BP Ultimate is an example of a short-term cost that can lead to long-term benefits. Yes, the fuel does cost more than conventional alternatives but it also has a significant impact on the condition of your engine which has a whole range of positive effects. Using normal fuels, the levels of deposits that build up on key components in the engine are far higher. These deposits can reduce power and responsiveness but also increase fuel consumption, exhaust emissions and engine vibration. BP Ultimate is specially formulated to reduce the build-up of deposits, it actually cleans the engine while you drive."
In an age of global warming where we are being made increasingly aware of the impact that burning fossil fuels is having on the environment, BP Ultimate can play a small but important role in cutting the emissions from your vehicle. Dave King is the Car and Driving Motorhome and Caravan Editor and he's all for doing his bit to help save the planet: "Obviously, leaving the car at home and riding a bike would be of more benefit but sometimes getting behind the wheel is unavoidable and at least BP Ultimate does more to help preserve our natural surroundings than conventional fuels. The Ultimate fuels improve the efficiency of the combustion process inside the engine so that levels of unburnt hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides and carbon dioxide emitted into the atmosphere are cut. It's a small contribution to a big problem but every little helps."
BP Ultimate Diesel fuel provides similar benefits to those of its petrol counterpart. It has higher levels of cetane than normal diesel which means it burns more effectively and with fewer by-products. Steve Walker, Car and Driving's Commercial Vehicle Editor, has used it extensively in cars, vans and pick-ups: "Most larger companies are still going to fuel their fleets with the cheapest fuel available - cost being the be all and end all of most commercial transport decisions. There is, however, a case for smaller operations who use less fuel upgrading to BP Ultimate. Its special formulation can reduce rust and wear inside the engine, potentially extending the life of the vehicle. Then there are the performance, emissions and fuel consumption benefits which all add up."
We're not talking about huge advantages here but there are certainly advantages to be gleaned from a switch to BP Ultimate fuel. The various positive effects that it has on a vehicle are accumulated over thousands of miles and can eventually end up having an important part to play in the enjoyment and value you get from your motoring. Having used it over an extended period, the Car and Driving roadtesters have plenty of good things to say about BP Ultimate petrol and diesel. Perhaps, next time you stop for fuel, instead of stocking up on filling station junk food, you could invest in something more nourishing for your vehicle's tank.