78mpg! VW sets Guinness World Record for fuel economy with clean (non-hybrid) diesel technology

By Marcus Amick June 27, 2013

When it comes to fuel economy, Volkswagen has earned the kind of bragging rights that practically every carmaker on the planet would like to have.

The VW Passat TDI Clean Diesel has set a new Guinness World Records for the lowest fuel consumption for a non-hybrid car in 48 U.S. with an achievement of 77.99 mpg, which is more than 10 mpg better than the previous mark of 67.9 mpg.

The number also beats the hybrid vehicle record of 64.6 mpg by more than 13 mpg, according to an official VW press release.

Wayne Gerdes, founder of cleanmpg.com, was the primary driver. The automotive journalist, who has made a career out of hypermiling, has set mileage records in more than 100 vehicles. His co-driver was Bob Winger, an electronics engineer.

The record-setting journey began on June 7, departing from Volkswagen of America’s headquarters in Herndon, Virginia. The drivers arrived back to Hendon on June 24th, having covered 8122 miles and visited all 48 states.

Jonathan Browning, President and CEO, Volkswagen Group of America, Inc., said the achievement is a major milestone for clean diesel technology.

“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,” said Browning.

Gerdes said that while he thought they had a good chance of beating the existing record with the Passat TDI, he never imagined they’d achieve the type of fuel economy they did.

“To smash it by averaging 77.99 mpg is really impressive and a testament to the potential of Volkswagen’s TDI Clean Diesel vehicles,” he said. “Obviously, we employ some specialized techniques to achieve such figures, but there’s no reason why owners of TDI vehicles shouldn’t be able to achieve great mileage with a few simple pointers.”

Gerdes also offered a few tips for other TDI Clean Diesel owners to conserve fuel like planning your route in advance, practicing lighter braking and acceleration and obeying speed limits.

Sounds like good advice for just about any driver looking to get better fuel economy if you ask us.

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Marcus Amick has been writing about the world of cars for more than ten years and has covered everything from new automobiles…

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