1,626 Miles on ONE Tank of Gas

[nissangirl74]

I don't know whether to say or

http://www.thecarconnection.com/news/10 ... d+Blogs%29

Wish I could drive one for a month and find out for myself.

[MinisterofDOOM]

Yeah but they had to sit in a Passat for 1600 miles. I'll keep my 17mpg thanks.

[asoomal]

Honestly thought it was gonna be a Versa.

[Jesda]

My Volvo S60 got 630 miles per tank. That -seems- nice but it gets boring on a road trip. I'd fill up at half a tank.

I should have kept that car.

[Bubba1]

That's an amazing figure even with a pair of hypermiler drivers. I have not been a huge modern VW fan, but after driving a couple of VW's newest generation diesels both on and off track, I might have to reconsider my position. This newest generation Tdi's are torquey, very quiet, competent, and get great gas mileage. Naysayers should test drive one. I think they'd be surprised.

If I were looking for a new economy car, I'd probably look at a diesel before a hybrid.

[300ZXttZMAN]

Honestly thought it was gonna be a Versa.

This

Yeah but they had to sit in a Passat for 1600 miles. I'll keep my 17mpg thanks.

THIS THIS THIS, for sure...

[hannibal]

If I were looking for a new economy car, I'd probably look at a diesel before a hybrid.

Diesels are so much better than they were a few years ago. Europe loves them and we're reaping the benefits.

Jeremy from Top Gear did 800 miles in a A8 diesel. He said he never went over 1600rpm. I can't believe the Passat could do 1600 miles without some seriously careful driving.

[NolimitZ32]

JC all did something like 800 miles in the TTDiesel Jag a few seasons ago as well. they really are becoming amazing. And even though everyone hates CVT I say they need to start combining CVT and Diesel, its the best of both worlds, could even have an eco mode a street mode and a sport mode.

[MinisterofDOOM]

JC all did something like 800 miles in the TTDiesel Jag a few seasons ago as well. they really are becoming amazing. And even though everyone hates CVT I say they need to start combining CVT and Diesel, its the best of both worlds, could even have an eco mode a street mode and a sport mode.

CVT and Diesel are, in theory, a great matchup. If you think about it, CVTs could be HUGELY beneficial for trucks hauling trailers. Whether they're Peterbilts or F350s. Scalability between unloaded and loaded would be fantastic. But the CVT's biggest weakness is torque. They just can't take it. Toroidal-type CVTs handle it better than belt-type, but they still can't take it like a modern heavy-duty automatic or manual can. There's a reason Nissan only puts CVTs in their FWD cars in the US, and it is NOT that Infiniti would go under if they tried to sell CVT-only G37s (because if you ask Nissan, that's not true). It's because even the toroidal longitudinal CVT they use in the more economical models of Skyline and other rear-drivers in Japan is NOT up to the torque of the hotrod V6s and V8s we demand of our cars in the US.
You can get a Skyline 250GT with a CVT. You can even get a Fuga 350GT with a CVT. But you can't get a Skyline 370GT or a Fuga 450GT with a CVT. Not because the CVT sucks for performance or would kill sales (again...those are true but Nissan would never admit it) but because it CANNOT TAKE THE TORQUE that is output by those motors. It can't take the abuse. The Extroid (the name for Nissan's longitudinal toroidal CVT design) is the toughest CVT Nissan makes, and it can barely stand the torque of a 3.5 liter V6.

Definitely not a valid diesel economy solution at this point.

[NolimitZ32]

1. Yes I realize full well that CVTs aren't known for their ability to handle torque. 2. Not saying its viable at this very moment but that it is a great idea altogether if the opportunity to make money off the idea were to arise I guarantee you within weeks there would be a CVT available that could handle all the torque you could throw at it. At this point the R&D costs out-weight the market analysts' supposed benefits so no one is doing anything about it. I for one would totally drive a TDI if I could get 60mpg out of it and with the push of a button turn it into a raging monster. Best of both worlds, but as we've covered on this forum many times before We are not your average consumer so we must suffer at the hands of a market shaped by automotive incompetents, soccer moms, and Joe Bill Bobs who wouldn't know a good solid vehicle if it were spelled out on cue cards.

[MinisterofDOOM]

I'm still waiting patiently for a CVT that offers a user-controlled linear ratio lever. No notched gears, just a sliding lever. All the benefit of the CVT with all the fun of user involvement (less the clutch, of course). Push forward for shorter ratio, pull back for taller.

[Bubba1]

Definitely not a valid diesel economy solution at this point.

Agree, not yet, but soon perhaps. Given the increasing success of the new generation diesels, combined with an increasing amount of gas stations (at least here in the northeast) beginning to offer diesel right beside gasoline, I can see it becoming much more than a niche product.