Volkswagen has set a new record for the distance travelled on a single tank of fuel. The attempt took place in the USA and covered 2,617 kilometres in a 2.0-litre Passat TDI - beating the previous record by 160 kilometres.
Both records were set by John and Helen Taylor and for this attempt the couple travelled from Houston, Texas to Sterling, Virginia. The trip took three days to complete with John and Helen sharing the driving. To make the test realistic driving took place mostly in the day, under normal traffic conditions and the couple carried around 55kg of luggage in the boot.
Average fuel consumption for the journey worked out at 101mpg (2.8 litres/100km), on ultra-low sulphur diesel.
A state certified testing station in Houston calibrated the Passat's speedometer and odometer prior to the drive. The same city's law enforcement officers validated the mileage, oversaw the filling and sealing of the fuel tank at the start of the drive. At the end of the trip a Loudoun County, Virginia, Sherriff's Deputy confirmed the mileage prior to removing the fuel tank seal.
To date the Taylors have collected more than 90 fuel economy and vehicle related records around the world.