The Toyota Prius has long been hailed as the king of fuel efficiency, but the 2012 Vw Passat Diesel has emerged as a serious contender, even surpassing the hybrid benchmark. In an impressive feat of fuel-conscious driving, a stock 2012 Volkswagen Passat TDI shattered expectations by achieving an astounding 84.1 miles per gallon (mpg) during a recent 1,626-mile journey from Houston, Texas, to Sterling, Virginia. This remarkable drive not only eclipsed the Prius’s combined 50 mpg but also set a new world record for the longest distance traveled on a single tank of fuel, outperforming the previous record – also held by a Passat TDI – by nearly 100 miles.
This record-breaking 2012 VW Passat Diesel, boasting a starting MSRP of $25,995, was equipped with a six-speed manual transmission. Driven by renowned hyper-milers John and Helen Taylor, the journey was conducted under realistic conditions. They carried 120 pounds of luggage, traveled only during daylight hours encountering normal traffic, and limited their daily driving to a maximum of 14 hours. Despite these everyday factors, the Passat TDI delivered an unprecedented level of fuel efficiency.
“The Passat TDI was the perfect car for the trip,” John Taylor commented. “It offers a spacious interior and ample cargo room, while maintaining exceptional fuel economy that enabled us to achieve this record.”
Volkswagen’s Clean Diesel Lineup: Efficiency and Performance
Rainer Michel, Vice President of Product Strategy for Volkswagen of America, Inc., highlighted the Passat TDI’s unique blend of attributes: “The TDI Clean Diesel [Passat] combines driving dynamics and fuel efficiency unmatched in its class. We commend the Taylors for selecting the 2012 Passat TDI to set this remarkable distance record. Their achievement underscores the exceptional economy the Passat TDI can deliver in capable hands.”
To put this achievement into perspective, the EPA rates the manual transmission 2012 VW Passat Diesel at 31 mpg city, 43 mpg highway, and 35 mpg combined. Even with the six-speed automatic transmission, it maintains impressive figures of 30 mpg city, 40 mpg highway, and 34 mpg combined. Beyond fuel efficiency, the “Clean Diesel” technology in the Passat TDI results in significantly lower CO2 emissions compared to gasoline-powered rivals like the 2012 Toyota Camry, Hyundai Sonata, and Ford Fusion. The 2012 VW Passat Diesel is part of Volkswagen’s growing family of efficient diesel vehicles, which includes:
- VW Jetta TDI: 30 mpg city/42 mpg highway/34 mpg combined
- VW Jetta SportWagen TDI: 30 mpg city/42 mpg highway/34 mpg combined
- VW Golf TDI: 30 mpg city/42 mpg highway/34 mpg combined
- VW Touareg TDI: 19 mpg city/28 mpg highway/22 mpg combined
Volkswagen further expanded its diesel offerings with the 2013 VW Beetle TDI, launched that summer as America’s only diesel compact coupe, boasting an EPA rating of 29 mpg city and 39 mpg highway.
