Audi Mileage Marathon: Day 1 down, Cleveland here we come!
Click above for high-res gallery from day 1 of the mileage marathon
One day down, oh so many to go! Actually, only six more days for me as we prepare to leave Capitol Hill this morning on our way to hook up with Autoblog team captain and coach Mr. Neff in his hometown. Over the first day my co-driver Jason Allen from Kelley Blue Book and myself managed to cover the 250 miles from Central Park to Capitol Hill with a fuel consumption of just 28.8 mpg! Not too shabby for for a 5,400-lb SUV. Along the way we spent nearly 40 minutes covering the few miles from the Tavern on the Green to the George Washington Bridge along with a hefty backup just north of DC. For anyone that's used to sitting next to Cummins-powered Ram or Power Stroke Super Duty at light, the level of quiet and refinement in these modern diesels is just startling. This diesel Q7 actually seems quieter than the gasoline powered version. Elsewhere in the fleet there were even more impressive mileage numbers. The Audi A3 piloted by youngsters Denise McCluggage and Kate McLeod got 46.7 miles from every gallon of diesel and Todd Kaho averaged 40.1 mpg in an A4 sedan with the same 3.0 TDI that's in this Q7. Stay tuned for more updates as we head westward.
Gallery: Audi Mileage Marathon: Day 1
Our travel and lodging for this media event was provided by the manufacturer.
Our travel and lodging for this media event was provided by the manufacturer.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Bryan Dever 10:05AM (10/07/2008)
Wait, are we going to get any of these AUDI TDI cars? or is it just marketing, because i will pickup a a3-a4 TDI in a hearbeat
Reply
Torqued 2:09PM (10/07/2008)
I would be all over a diesel A3!
snig 10:11AM (10/07/2008)
Awesome! Saw one this morning in McLean, VA! Pretty sure it was the A3. I was in the black STI on Old Dominion. Saw the car and thought, "what the heck? Cannonball coming through my part of town?"
Reply
Bluestreak 10:18AM (10/07/2008)
I've never cared much for Audis, feeling they were less visceral and driver-centric than BMWs. However, I applaud the company for pursuing diesels, if only they would make them widely available in the States.
Reply
Bill Montgomery 2:40PM (10/07/2008)
True, Audi has been a leader in Diesel technology for some time now. Evidence to their dominating racing achievements in ALMS with their R10 (and previous Petrol R8). It's great to see Audi's vehicle dynamics taking charge these days. The R8 and RS4 really changed the way that the company prioritizes roadfeel, handling and overall vehicle dynamics. The new 'MLB' chassis that they've changed over to in their vehicles are getting great reviews, particularly when teamed with the Audi Drive Select. With the new Sport Quattro differential and rear-biased power distributions, I think we will see the new 2009 S4, upcoming RS-TT and RS5 taking over as the best handling vehicles in their class. BMW has a well deserved reputation in this area, but has fallen short in their styling and overall vehicle design (particularly interior) IMO. Not sure what Mercedes has been doing as they have followed a more middle of the road approach in all areas. IMO Audi is arguably one of the more interesting car makers around at the moment.
Mattias 10:42AM (10/07/2008)
You'll get them. The 2.0l diesel is already homologated for the US and is sold in the Volkswagen Jetta. Expect similar mileage there. The 3.0l V6 will appear in 2009 in the US -- at least in the Q7.
Reply
John Johnson 10:45AM (10/07/2008)
Kill italics plz thx.
Oh and TDI FTW :D
Reply
jjpg2000 1:04PM (10/07/2008)
+1, End Italics and Bold tags should be at the end of every post so this doesn't happen anymore.
John 10:46AM (10/07/2008)
My god, why can't we have powerplants like these in vehicles here?
Reply
Sheepszies 10:53AM (10/07/2008)
To Audi: Bring em all, and bring em now!
Reply
Eddie 11:46AM (10/07/2008)
I bet they'll bring the A4 3.0TDI to the US to compete with the BMW 335d coming at the end of the year. 40mpg would be awesome.
Reply
Tal D 11:55AM (10/07/2008)
Audi diesels seem promising...believe diesel is best stop gap power source until power resources being researched are fully developed.....Volvo will probably/possibly have diesel hybrid models by 2012...that technology may yield even better mpg...outlook getting better all around for increased
fuel mileage no matter which fuel is used.
Reply
chewy 12:35PM (10/07/2008)
Very impressive numbers. No other people mover will get you 28 on the highway.
Reply
Jason 12:47PM (10/07/2008)
B8 A4 w/ 2.0L TDI, 6MT and Quattro please!
With a chip it would have plenty of power (torque) and would return fantastic mileage.
Reply
Jason 2:27PM (10/10/2008)
The A4 Diesel got 40mpg? I drove to Wilmington Yesterday in my A4 Avant 2.O Turbo ('06) and got 33mpg. What happened to the numbers we were hearing about for the test drives in Europe?
That said, I sure would like the option to have one!
Reply
viper3ez 2:52PM (10/07/2008)
i saw the A4(i thin) looked more like a big TT at about 1145 this morning in Frederick, MDheading north on I-270 away from DC
Reply
JP 1:17PM (10/09/2008)
Awesome, I saw you guys leaving DC this morning on 395 going in to VA! Cool!
JP
Reply
Ron 10:00PM (10/08/2008)
I was driving 90 west bound in Cleveland this morning around 9am heading to work in the horrible, horrible rain. Low and behold a see a grey what looked to be a4 in the far right lane. Having recently read this article I sped up to take a look and sure enough, it was in fact the a4 tdi with the shell logo and audi mileage marathon all over it.
Then as I was getting off the exit ramp, I saw the Q7 and A3. So if the driver of the a4 saw a black '08 STI come speeding past and then keep pace in the right lane... that was me, lol!
Reply