diesel

Fuel Mileage – How High Can It Go?

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While Americans typically refer to gas mileage, rather than fuel mileage, there’s a change afoot.

Highly fuel-efficient clean diesel-equipped vehicles have finally begun to reach our shores, and little-by-little, they’re making an impact. Time to adjust the lexicon. It’s fuel mileage, not gas mileage, when you’re driving a diesel.

Last month, I had the good fortune to interview a globe-hopping fuel economy record-setting couple from Australia, John and Helen Taylor, who had just set a new Guinness World Record for fuel mileage in a trip through the 48 states. The Taylors achieved an amazing 58.82 miles per gallon (MPG) in over 9000 miles of driving in a brand new clean diesel 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI. That’s a number that couldn’t be touched with the current crop of hybrids.

We can thank the German manufacturers for making heavy investments in the technology.

The VW Jettas are the first of the clean diesels to arrive. Next up are the Audi Q7 and BMW 335d, with the Audi A4 to follow at some point in 2009 or 2010. Just this month, Audi ran a cross-country dieselfest, inviting automotive journalists from around the globe to partake in a coast-to-coast voyage to bring light to the excellent fuel mileage results of their fleet of clean diesel-equipped A3s, A4s, and Q7s.

The best is yet to come.

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Inside the Jetta TDI Cup Paddock

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Ever wonder what a grid full of race cars look like after a hard fought race? I wandered into the VW Jetta TDI Cup paddock with my trusty DVX after the first race of a double-header weekend at the NJ Motorsports Park in Millville, NJ last Saturday and had a bit of fun catching these … Read more

Drill, Baby, Drill? Pffffft.

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Drill, Baby, Drill isn’t an answer. It’s a cattle call … for sheep. When you actually look at the numbers, you’ll see that whatever oil America has untapped is but a tiny fraction of what we will ultimately need. Yes, we should increase domestic production, but only on shore. In order to quickly create jobs … Read more

September’s Auto Sales a Sea of Red

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How bad were last month’s auto sales? About as bad as it gets … or perhaps, has gotten, so far. Autoblog’s chart of automotive sales for September 2008 tells the bloody tale. These are frightening times. Every automaker, save three, saw double digit sales volume drops over September 2007, despite aggressive discounting and marketing programs. … Read more

VW Jetta TDI Sets New World Record: 58.82 MPG

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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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