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A
Volkswagen Passat BlueMotion has
set a new Guinness World Record
for the longest distance
travelled by a standard
production passenger car on a
single tank of fuel.
The attempt, carried out by a
team from The Sunday Times,
involved driving from Maidstone
in Kent to the South of France
and back. The Passat BlueMotion
finally ran out of fuel close to
Calais after completing a
distance of 1,526.63 miles.
The route mainly followed French
autoroutes, but included some
town driving, resulting in an
average speed of just over 45
mph.
Gavin Conway, for The Sunday
Times, drove the Passat
BlueMotion during the three-day
record-breaking trip,
accompanied by a navigator and
video crew. Two AA patrolmen
followed the entire attempt in
their van to witness the journey
independently for the Guinness
World Records organisation,
which accredited the record.
Powered by a Volkswagen
1.6-litre common rail TDI engine
developing 105 PS, the Passat
BlueMotion used for the record
attempt was a standard
production model. In common
with the Polo and Golf
BlueMotion models, the Passat is
fitted with aerodynamic
modifications to the bodywork, a
lower ride height, Stop/Start,
programmed battery charging,
longer gearing and low rolling
resistance tyres. The result is
a vehicle that is completely
conventional to drive, service
and maintain yet among the most
efficient vehicles on the road
today.
The Passat BlueMotion’s fuel
tank was drained before the
record breaking journey and
filled with 77.25 litres of
standard forecourt diesel,
resulting in an overall fuel
consumption of 89.83 miles per
gallon. This substantially
exceeds the Passat BlueMotion’s
official combined figure of 64.2
mpg. The resulting fuel cost for
the journey works out at just
6.17p per mile travelled.
In
setting the record the Passat
BlueMotion travelled a distance
equivalent to driving from
London to Malaga, without
needing to refuel or from New
York to Los Angeles with a
single stop for diesel.
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