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Stock Volkswagen diesel goes 1626.1 miles on a single tank

19K views 107 replies 68 participants last post by  MCTB 
#1 ·
http://jalopnik.com/5908578/stock-volkswagen-diesel-goes-16261-miles-on-single-tank-of-fuel


Stock Volkswagen Diesel Goes 1626.1 Miles On Single Tank Of Fuel

Averaging 84.1 miles per gallon, John and Helen Taylor drove a stock, manual 2012 Passat TDI from Houston, TX to Sterling, VA on one tank of diesel. It took them three days and 1,626.1 miles, but they set a new fuel economy world record.

Specifically, they broke the record for the longest distance on one tank of clean diesel fuel by 99.5 miles, previously held by a European diesel Passat. The Taylors already hold numerous world driving records, and they didn't do any modifications to boost their mileage. They drove in 14-hour stretches, sticking to regular daytime traffic. They also had 120 pounds of luggage in the car.

Meanwhile, diesels accounted for a a fifth of all US Passat sales in March, and nearly a quarter of all of Volkswagen USA's sales were TDIs for the first quarter of 2012. Maybe American buyers are finding out that you don't have to buy a Prius after all.

Photo Credit: Volkswagen USA
 
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#31 ·
they didnt drive on the interstate, there are articles out there with a lot more details.
they took mostly rural roads with speed limits up to 60 MPH and only on those faster 60MPH roads they went 5 under.
their average did end up being just over 40 MPH for the whole trip.
is it doable? yes it is, would one go craze,, yes.

as for being stuck behind them... most rural roads are Broken YELLOW line, so you can pass whenever. and even if it was interstate that would mean 2 lanes minimum each way, so once again you could pass
 
#19 ·
Please.. 3 days driving 1600 miles. I can't possibly imagine driving on the highway at 40 mph, let alone for 3 days and 1600 miles. I'd just open the door and jump out hoping for a quick and sudden death.

Yeah, no thanks! The fuel efficiency achieved is not worth my time. I'd rather dump lots and lots of hydrocarbons in the air with my kittyless 335i :rolleyes::rolleyes:
 
#40 ·
i wonder if the 14 hours driving takes into account breaks for lunch and bathroom. if it does, then the average could very well go up to 50ish mph average.

my dad got 55mpg while going 55 in traffic (not stop and go). im sure if you baby it, you can get somewhat close to 65, but 84 seems a bit high.


if you do the math tho, 1626.1 miles / 84.1 mpg, then you 19.33 gallons of Vin Diesel. I thought the passat has an 18.7 tank. filled to the brim, and w fuel already in the lines, i doubt that could make up the .6 gallon difference. :confused:
 
#60 ·
A few summers ago with my TDI I set out to go a whole summer of city driving on one tank. I planned to bicycle when I could to save fuel too. I made it about two months and probably about 600km in before I had to drive to another city and throw my plan off but in that while, I manged 68 IMPG city driving. I was very impressed but I imagine it was hard on the car. I avoided idling whenever possible, coasted in neutral a whole lot and when I was close to my destination, I would off engine coast to a parking spot. When I worked it out right, I could coast over a kilometre to a spot with the engine off. :beer: :thumbup:
 
#62 · (Edited)
14 hours is really not that bad,
when i drove from NYC to Park City 2,200 miles, i did it in 2 days
1st day 900 miles in 13 hours, stopped to fill up twice, used bathroom, food to go
2nd day 1300 miles in 17 hours, stopped to fill up 3 times, used bathroom, food to go
that was in my 03 Impala, so cruising in that boat is no biggie.

even now i drive from LA to Denver in the winter. this is now in my 10 TDI GOLF
i've had 17 hour dirves
record was just under 13 ,,, still averaged low 40's and mid 40's on way back thanks to elevation drop :laugh:
only stops are for fuel/bathroom and food to go to save time.

but thats just me and i enjoy being on the road :wave:
 
#63 ·
While it seems highly unlikely, I do believe in exceptions and assuming all this is true I think it's awesome! I managed to get 46 mpg once in the winter driving 65 mph for a period of 37 miles on the highway using cruise control and not slowing down or accelerating at any point... that's about 15 mpg over what was advertised by VW. Is it practical? Not really. Is it fun? Kinda. :thumbup:
 
#68 ·
That is crazy yesterday i averaged 55mpg going 60-65mph mostly but i have in no hurry and just wanted to relax. I could not handle it for the tank of the trip. Best was 657mpt at 75mph in my JSW TDi. I could hit 750 maybe 800 a tank if i hypermilled and went 60-65mph on 14 gallons of gas.
 
#75 ·
Also, adblue is more efficient then the constricting NO_x cat that occasionally needs more fuel to burn clean.

At any rate, I have no problem getting more than 60mpg on congested, slow (but freely-flowing) highways or on country roads, without even trying. Most likely, they took country roads. Someone may want to check google maps distances - that may reveal it.

Also, don't forget MT TDIs easily get 10% better real-world (and Euro-measured) mileage than DSG.
 
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