After twenty days, John and Helen Taylor have completed their tour of the 48 contiguous states in a 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI, setting a new Guinness World Record for lowest fuel consumption in their cross-country trek. The Taylors scored a remarkable 58.82 miles per gallon (MPG), despite facing adverse weather conditions. The world record marks an impressive debut for Volkswagen’s new clean diesel technology here in America.
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NY to LA Biodiesel Trek Completed in Record Time
Nik Bristow and Brian Pierce set out to drive coast-to-coast non-stop from New York City to Los Angeles on “one tank” of biodiesel fuel, but ran short due to miscalculation. Nik and Brian thought they had everything nailed down when they left NYC at 10 PM on Monday night in their 2006 Volkswagen Jetta TDI sedan. They hadn’t planned to pick up an additional 15 gallons of fuel in Flagstaff, Arizona.
Call it NY to LA on one tank and a 15 gallon refill. On a 2903 mile trip that took just one day, 14 hours and 37 minutes, setting an unofficial new record time for a coast-to-coast trip on biodiesel.
Blame the fuel shortfall on short fills and heavy feet …
Chrysler Surprise: Electric Drive in 2010
While it’s been nearly impossible to escape the buzz surrounding the Chevy Volt (apologies for the phrase) a great many journalists and bloggers had written off the chances of Chrysler making a splash in the new world of electric cars … a great many, but not this one.
Just a week after the Volt’s unveiling, Chrysler is playing its trump cards … pulling the curtain on not just one, but three brand new electric vehicles … one for each of its marquees. The iconic Jeep Wrangler and Chrysler minivan will be transformed into electric vehicles, along with a brand new Dodge EV sports car that Left Lane News has pegged as a reworked Lotus Europa.
VW Jetta TDI Averaging 59+ MPG in Cross Country Trek
How far would you drive to land in the Guinness Book of World Records?
How about 8,000 miles?
As we reported earlier this month, John and Helen Taylor are in the midst of driving through the contiguous 48 states, in the hopes of setting a new Guinness world’s record for the lowest fuel consumption on a cross-country voyage.
To date, the Taylors have averaged 59.42 miles per gallon (MPG) in their clean diesel 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI. The trek began on September 3rd in Chantilly, Virginia and ended its first leg in Santa Monica, California, with 5,499 miles driven in twelve days, at a cost of $362.44.
The full trip is expected to take 24 days, winding up in West Virginia.
Guinness specifies that a minimum of 15 miles must be driven in each state and that the vehicle be a stock production unit, with no modifications, whatsoever. Photographic evidence must be taken of the entire trip. This is the first time that Guinness has allowed the use of a GPS navigation unit.
Saab 9-3 Gas Mileage
While the long-running Saab 9-3 doesn’t top the charts when it comes to gas mileage, it is capable of producing respectable numbers when driven conservatively.
The 9-3 is well-outfitted. All current 9-3s are equipped with traction control, electronic stability, anti-lock four-wheel disc brakes, and six-speed manual transmissions as standard equipment. An electronically controlled five-speed Saab Sentronic automatic is optional in the 2.0T, while a six-speed Sentronic is available in the Aero; both offer manual gear selection.
The 9-3 is available with three engine choices, all of which are intercooled turbos. The 9-3 2.0T is equipped with a 2.0 liter four-cylinder engine that produces 210 horsepower (HP) and 221 foot pounds of torque. The 9-3 Aero is fitted with a 2.8 liter six-cylinder engine that prodices 255 HP and 258 foot pounds of torque. The Aero’s Cross-Wheel Drive (XWD) option takes the six up a notch to 280 HP / 295 foot pounds, and ratchets down the gas mileage (as is the case with all AWD vehicles).