Automotive

VW Golf crosses 48 US states on less than $300 worth of fuel

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The Golf's motor is unmodified
The Golf's trip comes after Honda achieved a similar record around Europe
The Golf's motor is unmodified
The Golf's performance was better than a Passat could manage during VW's last attempt
The record-setting team
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Hot on the heels of Honda's hypermiling efforts in Europe, Volkswagen has traversed the lower 48 American states in a Golf TDI, using just 101.43 gallons of diesel along the way.

The Golf's miserly fuel use across the 8,233.5 mile (13,250.53 km) journey equated to 81.17 mpg (2.9 l/100km), topping the figure of 77.99 mpg it set using a Passat on the same route. Over the course of the 16 day journey, fuel costs were just $294.98.

As well as managing to beat VW's own record, the Golf's trip gave it the (slightly contrived) Guinness World Record for lowest fuel consumption across the 48 contiguous US States for a non-hybrid car.

As per the rules outlined by Guinness, the record-setting car is unmodified from the standard Golf, although VW undoubtedly spent time optimizing its tire pressures and wheel alignment to eke out every last mile per gallon. As you'd expect, drivers Wayne Gerdes and Bob Winger also used hypermiling techniques like smooth acceleration and braking.

Honda and Volkswagen aren't the only ones to attempt a long-distance fuel consumption test. The RAC and Audi recently undertook a test to see how far they could get on the one tank of fuel – in the end, the 28 hour journey took them across 14 different European countries.

Source: Volkswagen

Check out driver Wayne Gerdes explaining his fuel-saving tips below.

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4 comments
windykites
I have just checked, and the flight from New York to San Francisco costs about $520. A bit more than the cost of diesel, but a darn sight quicker, and you don't have to drive.
An interesting comparison would be how much it would cost to get across 48 states in an electric car!
tampa florida
"I have just checked, and the flight from New York to San Francisco costs about $520. A bit more than the cost of diesel, but a darn sight quicker, and you don't have to drive.
windykites1"
don't forget about the cost of a rental car when you get there
joe-ev
101,43 gal of diesel equals 14.5 million btu's of energy The Golf EV would use 2450 kWh of electricity over the same distance according to the official mpg-e rating. That equals 8.36 million btu's of energy. Keep in mind that this is a world record. Average Joe would burn twice the amount of diesel over the same distance. Bottom line is all internal combustion cars suck big time in the efficiency department when compared to EV's
Don Duncan
So-called Hybrid EVs are an ICE with battery assist. Are they more efficient than the ICE alone? If so, how may miles do you have to drive to to break even with the higher price? What is the battery life/cost? Based on your average drive, what is your milage? Factor in your long trips, & short ones.
These are questions you must consider to keep the car manufacturers from ripping you off.
The only true EV is a Tesla BEV. It can't be justified economically, yet. I will evaluate the new model III selling for $35K if it goes on sale.