The record for the longest distance driven on one-tank of fuel has recently been broken by John and Helen Taylor who used the latest 2012 Volkswagen Passat TDI to get from Houston, Texas to Sterling, Virginia. Sadly we in Malaysia will not be able to enjoy fuel economy like this as modern diesel engines cannot be run in Malaysia efficiently on our EURO2M diesel fuel.
The Australian couple drove 1626 miles on one tank of fuel. Going past nine states took them 3 days to complete. When the Passat is fitted with the 6-speed manual, it has an EPA rating of 35 mpg. But what the Taylors got for their single tank was a return of 84.1 mpg, almost 2 times the Passat TDI’s highway rating of 43 mpg. The Taylors broke the old record of 1526.6 miles, which was held by a previous-generation, Euro-spec Passat that had a 1.6-liter BlueMotion diesel.
To verify the record, police officers from both Texas and Virginia checked the fueling, mileage, and sealing of the fuel door. The U.S. spec Passat that the Taylors used was completely stocked with a 2.0-liter, four cylinder turbodiesel (140bhp and 236 lb-ft of torque) mated to a six-speed manual transmission. This vehicle carried 120 pounds of luggage and was driven through the usual traffic situations.
John and Helen took turns in driving. John Taylor said that the Passat TDI was the “perfect car” for the journey because it provides a lot of interior and cargo space but it is economical too. In 2011 the couple got 64.62 mpg from a 2012 Chevrolet Cruze Eco. As a result, they established a new world record for best fuel economy in a non-hybrid gas-powered vehicle.
