VW Golf TDI sets fuel economy record

Another high mileage mark is now in the Guinness World Records book as hypermiling whiz Wayne Gerdes and co-driver Bob Winger managed to stretch the existing "lowest fuel consumption — 48 U.S. states for a non-hybrid car" record to an impressive 81.17 mpg. Starting out from VW’s American headquarters in Herndon, Virginia, on June 22 and returning July 7, Gerdes bettered his own 77.99-mpg record set in a Golf TDI back in 2013 and beat the 74.34-mpg Guinness benchmark for hybrid vehicles. 

Also: Class of 2016 — New Cars Ready to Roll 

EPA-rated at 45 mpg highway, the record-setting 2015 Golf TDI covered 8,233.5 miles in traversing the 48 contiguous states while burning 101.43 gallons of Shell diesel that cost a total of $294.98. While your mileage will most assuredly differ, Gerdes claims "it is possible to get truly impressive mileage results by using just a few simple fuel-saving techniques." In addition to a set of Goodyear Assurance Fuel Max tires designed to optimize fuel efficiency, this record-setting VW also fitted with a Linear Logic ScanGauge II to precisely measure fuel usage. LG G4 smartphones and a Garmin Nüvi 57 LM GPS unit were used to meet Guinness World Record tracking requirements.

More Volkswagen News…

Quick Take: 2015 Volkswagen Jetta GLI