Most CEOs take private jets and chauffeured rides to major auto shows. Bugatti’s Mate Rimac? He drives his very own Chiron. Honestly, it’s the kind of power move that makes sense when you’re running one of the world’s most exclusive hypercar brands. Rimac recently made the trip from his base to the Munich auto show in his personal Bugatti Chiron, completing the roughly 310-mile journey on a single tank of gas.
But here’s where it gets interesting. He managed to achieve around 14.3 mpg during the trip, proving that even a 1,000+ horsepower monster can be somewhat civilized when you’re not constantly exploring its upper limits. That said, Rimac did mention the trip did include some high-speed bursts, because who wouldn’t open up a Chiron on the highway? Rimac’s average speed for the roughly 300-mile journey was around 64 mph, proving he wasn’t hypermiling it either.
For context, that’s actually impressive efficiency for a hypercar packing a quad-turbocharged W16 engine producing 1,479 horsepower and 1,180 lb-ft of torque. The Chiron’s massive 26.4-gallon fuel tank gave Rimac the range he needed, though it’s worth noting that the same tank can be completely drained in just nine minutes if you decide to maintain the car’s 261 mph top speed the whole way.
The Chiron’s real-world efficiency during Rimac’s Munich trip reveals something fascinating about modern hypercars. When driven like actual transportation rather than high-speed weapons, these engineering marvels can deliver surprisingly reasonable consumption figures. Of course, “reasonable” is relative when discussing a $4 million hypercar that accelerates from 0-60 mph in 2.3 seconds. At regular highway speeds, the Chiron’s advanced aerodynamics and sophisticated 7-speed dual-clutch transmission work together to make for a surprisingly efficient, if invaluable, mode of transport.
Rimac’s decision to actually drive his Chiron to Munich reflects a refreshing philosophy in the hypercar world. While many owners treat these machines as garage queens or investment pieces, the Bugatti CEO and Rimac founder demonstrates they’re meant to be experienced, with his own car rolling over 18,000 miles on the odometer. Sure, 14.3 mpg isn’t exactly Prius territory, but for a hypercar that can drain its fuel tank in under 10 minutes at full chat, it’s remarkably civilized. Sometimes the best way to showcase automotive excellence is simply using it as intended, even if “intended use” involves a $4 million commute.
