The hypercar realm is not for us, mere mortals. These cars start over one million dollars, can do 0-60 mph in the speed of thought, bespoke interiors, 300 mph top speeds, and a gas tank that is as good as empty the second you fire it up. The Bugatti Chiron is an undeniable force to be reckoned with. Until recently, this was the fastest car in the world, so it stands to reason that it might not be the most fuel-efficient. 

The Bugatti Chiron has a W16 engine that has never been anything close to fuel-efficient, but the Bugatti Chiron Pur Sport has just set a new low for the brand. The Pur Sport is now tied for first as the least fuel-efficient car on the market.

A race to the bottom

As all fuel ratings go, they determined the Bugatti’s horrible fuel figures by taking the mpg it gets in town and on the highway and getting an average. In town, the Bugatti Chiron Pur Sport gets 8 mpg. Yep, only 8. The highway isn’t much better at 13 mpg. The combined mpg is 10. Just 10. According to Road & Track, the only other cars currently for sale that get this little bunce to the ounce is the Lamborghini Aventador S and the Aventador S Roadster. 

The Bugatti Chiron Pur Sport is the “ sportier” version of the Chiron

I don’t even know how that sentence makes any sense. How can the former fastest car in the world have a sportier version? Well, it does, and it’s the Pur Sport. This version of the Chiron is even 100 lbs lighter than the regular one, and it still gets worse gas mileage. 

There are a few reasons why this lighter car gets worse gas mileage. To drive at the insane speeds that it’s capable of, the Chiron Pur Sport has tons of aero added that creates drag. There is a fixed-wing in the back and a redesigned front bumper designed to catch more wind and make the Chiron more stable. 

I guess, if you are gonna go for it, you gotta go for it

It’s not just the added aero that is hurting the Bugatti Chiron Pur Sport; the new gearbox isn’t helping either. The Pur Sport has 15-percent shorter gear ratios than the normal Chiron. The effects of this gearing are that in the same gear, going the same speed, the Pur Sport is running at higher RPMs, which is better for performance but burns more fuel. 

The Bugatti Chiron Pur Sport is all about context 

Although it gets worse fuel economy than the regular one, the Pur Sport has been stripped to save weight anywhere possible. Bugatti made the wheels out of magnesium, deleted the hydraulics for the active wing, switched the brake pad panels to titanium, and switched to light-weight disc brakes. 

Look, 10 mpg is wildly inefficient and completely irresponsible for the environment, but we are talking about a hypercar that only 60 people will even be allowed to buy. This car is a 1,500-hp track machine that will very rarely be driven. It is a wasteful thing, but most folks will have them in the garage and run their mouths about it more than the actual car itself.