Averaged 77.99 mpg US

Volkswagen has announced the Passat TDI has set a new Guinness World Record for achieving the lowest average fuel consumption during a drive throughout the contiguous United States.
Over the course of the seventeen day trip, Wayne Gerdes and Bob Winger travelled 8,122 miles (13,071 km) and visited all 48 states. In the end, they averaged 77.99 mpg US (3.0 L/100km / 93.6 mpg UK) which beat the previous non-hybrid record of 67.9 mpg US (3.4 L/100km / 81.5 mpg UK). The Passat TDI even beat the hybrid vehicle record of 64.6 mpg (3.6 L/100km / 77.5 mpg UK).
In a statement, Volkswagen of America CEO Jonathan Browning said "To cover 8122 miles on just 104.94 gallons of fuel is nothing short of astonishing and shows just how economical our TDI Clean Diesel vehicles can be. Even for everyday drivers, the mileage benefits of our TDI engines are significant: Volkswagen has no fewer than six TDI Clean Diesel models that achieve an EPA estimated fuel economy rating of 40 mpg or better on the highway."


Source: VW USA

 

Not to put a damper on their achievement, but what was their average speed to attain this number? Just doing quick simple math, they drove for 17 days with total mileage of 8122, which would equate to just under 478 miles per day on average of course. Even if they drove a very conservative 8 hours a day, that is less than 60 miles per hour. If by chance they drove 10 hours, the number drops to 48mph and so on if 12 hours per day. So if one has to drive that slow to achieve this number, it is not really something to brag about in my opinion as it is not real-world driving.

 

They most assuredly did drive somewhere below 50mph, no doubt breaking the minimum speed limit on any interstate that had one. I don't doubt that it's achievable. I also don't doubt that it's unsafe to try.

They also don't mention how many times the car had a mechanical failure, which given that it is a Volkswagen, was probably frequent. But hey, you get infinite miles to the gallon when you're not going anywhere!

 

waste fuel to achieve a record for fuel economy....

 

1st world problems lol