Here’s an idea for a road trip: drive non-stop from Southern California to New York City, stopping only four times for fuel, and do it in less than 48 hours while traveling at normal freeway speeds. It’s an impressive challenge, and just the sort of challenge that economy-watching “hypermilers” live for.
Sound like fun? Sound impossible? It’s not. Audi recently sponsored a “Truth in 48” event that saw eight drivers in three diesel-powered Audis rise to that very challenge. A 2014 Audi A5 TDI, A7 TDI and Q5 TDI all completed the journey in 46 hours and 9 minutes. The trip managed 2850 miles on just four fuel stops, and the diesel-powered luxury sedans averaged over 40mpg.
Careful driving resulted in significant gains over the vehicles’ EPA fuel economy ratings as well. At an average speed of 61mph, the A6 TDI averaged 43.561 mpg, a significant gain over its 24 city/38 highway/29 combined rating. The A7 TDI performed similarly, hitting 42.653 mpg, and the Q5 TDI, which was along as a support vehicle carrying spare tires and supplies, managed 38.623 mpg. Compared to its 24 city/31 highway/27 combined EPA rating, that’s equally impressive.
Diesel cars are hitting new heights in popularity in the U.S., and this achievement is likely to feed the fire.
