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 …
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.
Volkswagen Golf / Rabbit Gas Mileage
Over the years, the Volkswagen Golf’s excellent gas mileage ratings have consistently placed it in the short list of many fuel-conscious car shoppers … with a proviso. The highest VW Golf mileage has been historically achieved in the diesel-powered models. While gas-powered Golfs score highway mileage in the 30 mile per gallon (MPG) range, Golf TDI diesels rank into the mid-40 MPG range on the highway. Consequently, used diesel Golf TDIs are much in demand these days and command remarkable resale values … when you can find them.
2008 Volkswagen EOS MPG Review
MPG-o-Matic Volkswagen EOS Review Summary: The VW EOS is a sporty four-seat convertible that competes most closely with the Audi A4 Cabriolet and BMW 3-series convertibles. The EOS slots in beneath the least expensive Mercedes and above the domestic competition.
Under the hood, the 2008 EOS is fitted with a 2.0 liter turbocharged four cylinder direct injection engine producing 200 horsepower and 207 foot pounds of torque.