There is a route that will allow you to visit all 48 contiguous states of the United States (excluding Alaska and Hawaii, for obvious reasons), while travelling just more than 13 000km. And ever since the fuel crisis of 1973, American carmakers have competed to see who can do it on the least amount of fuel.
But now they've all been trumped by a Volkswagen Passat 2.0 TDI, which has visited all of the 'lower 48' states while using a total of only 397.2 litres of ultra-low sulphur diesel, recording an average fuel consumption of almost exactly three litres per 100km, as confirmed by the Guinness Book of World Records.
That not only trashed the existing record (for conventional cars) of 3.4 litres per 100km but also convincingly demolished Toyota's benchmark for hybrid cars of 3.6 litres per 100km.
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT
OK, the VW wasn't absolutely standard; it was fitted with special Continental PureContact low rolling-resistance tyres and a Linear Logic ScanGauge driving computer - but there's nothing to stop you from doing the same on your own car.
The super-frugal six-speed manual-transmission Passat was driven by motoring journalist Wayne Gerdes, founder of cleanmpg.com, who has made a career out of feather-footed driving, achieving record fuel-consumption figures in more than 100 vehicles (he's also the holder of the hybrid record for the 'lower 48' route at 3.6 litres per 100km!) and Bob Winger, an electronics engineer who's long been involved in energy and conservation projects.
They left Volkswagen of America's headquarters in Herndon, Virginia, at noon on Friday 7 June and arrived back Sunday the 24th after 13 071km and 17 days of almost superhuman patience and concentration.
“Obviously, we use some specialised driving techniques to record figures like that,” Gerdes admitted, “but there's no reason why everyday drivers shouldn't use the same principles to achieve some remarkable numbers.”
WAYNE GERDES' FUEL-SAVING SECRETS:
Look way ahead: Look for conditions that will interrupt your perfect driving 15 to 45 seconds ahead, rather than reacting to what's happening just in front of you.
Use gravity: Allow your momentum to build up on downhill sections so that you can crest the next rise without using extra fuel.
Let the GTI Joes win the Stoplight GP: Heavy acceleration and braking use a lot more fuel than coasting between intersections.
Keep to the speed limits: The difference in fuel consumption between 90km/h and 120km/h can be as much as 30 percent in some cars.