Volkswagen Passat TDI Clean Diesel sets fuel economy record

Volkswagen set a new Guinness World Record last week for lowest fuel consumption during an 8,122-mile tour of the lower 48 states in a Volkswagen Passat TDI Clean Diesel, achieving 77.99 mpg during the trip. This new record bested the previous one by about 10 mpg. During this record-setting trip the Passat TDI Clean Diesel also beat the hybrid record by more than 13 miles per gallon.

The 48-state trip took 14 days, with drivers Wayne Gerdes and Bob Winger purchasing only 104.94 gallons of Shell's ultra-low-sulfur diesel fuel for the duration of the trip. Gerdes is the founder of cleanmpg.com and is quite skilled in hypermiling techniques, which the driving team utilized throughout the trip. But the driving team was quick to point out that the techniques they used for this record-setting trip were nothing out of the ordinary, and can be utilized by anyone. The techniques the team used during the trip included were steady acceleration from stoplights, using momentum to crest hills, and simply obeying the posted speed limits.

Volkswagen has a history of setting impressive records with their diesel cars, though the North American market hasn't always received the most efficient diesel sippers from this automaker. For example, the 1998-2005 Volkswagen Lupo, a car two sizes below the Golf, could achieve 78 mpg with a 1.2-liter 3-cylinder engine making 61 hp. The 1999 SEAT Arosa, based on the same platform as the Lupo, achieved similar figures.

We've always had a suspicion that the cheapest and lightest diesel cars were capable of taking on the modern hybrids when it came to fuel efficiency. Even diesel cars from more than 20 years ago had the ability to achieve amazing gas mileage, and demonstrated this by simply driving across a continent.

Back in 1989 a diesel Citroen AX hatch traveled on a 12-gallon tank of diesel from Dover, England, to Barcelona, Spain, setting a Guinness World Record and achieving 87mpg in the process. Other diesel cars from years ago were also able to impress with their modest fuel consumption habits, and they weren't always tiny hatches. The first-generation Mercedes-Benz A-class diesel mini-MPVs from 1997 managed to consistently achieve fuel economy figures in the 40 mpg to 60 mpg ranges. And those were essentially small, upright minivans.

The Volkswagen Passat TDI utilizes a turbocharged Clean Diesel engine with direct injection, and is rated at an EPA estimated 43 mpg on the highway. This essentially means that the car can do almost 800 miles before needing a fill-up. Volkswagen currently offers a total of six Clean Diesel models that produce similar miles per gallon figures.

By Jay Ramey