The Diesel Invasion is Here!

We have just joined Audi for the fourth leg of the Audi Mileage Marathon which is a cross-country, 14-day trip that started in New York on October 6th and finishes in Los Anageles on October 20th.

The purpose of the trip is simple:  prove to America that diesel tecnology makes sense and those perceptions that these cars are slow, loud, and smelly are history. 

Day 1:  Las Vegas to Mammoth Lakes, CA
330-mile journey that consisted of dramatic elevation changes.

Our test vehicle is the Audi A3 2.0TDI.  It was fast, it was quiet, and it was efficient.  We averaged over 36MPG and 58MPH.  Considering the terrain, the A3 convinced us why diesels need to be here.  I can't think of any vehicle currently being sold in the U.S. today that has as much room as the A3 and would have performed comparably.  And keep in mind that on some of the more flatter legs, journalists driving the A3 achieved 50.1MPG!  I'm sure they weren't hammering through Death Valley like we did, but driving style will affect any vehicle's performance.

Day 2:  Mammoth Lakes, CA to Monterey, CA
Our first day was quite clearly not a proper test of Audi's diesel technology and efficiencies.  And after getting scolded by our German hosts (in a humorous manner), we decided to get serious about MPGs.  Instead of hammering through the mountains, we decided to employ more reasonable driving techniques and the difference was tremendous.  Our average fuel consumption increased by over 38% to 50.4 MPG, while our average speed decreased by 15% to 48MPH.  This is a tremendous turnaround, which was partially aided by some descending roads en route to Monterey.  Regardless, the notion that 50+ MPG can be achieved from an Audi A3 which is capable of carrying 5 passengers and their gear.  

Day 3:  Monterey, CA to Santa Monica, CA
The last leg of this 3-day journey was a scenic drive down the California Coast.  300+ miles of the most beautiful seascape imaginable.  The goal is to break the 50.6 MPG that was achieved between Chicago and Cleveland during the first week of driving.  Stay tuned!