Audi US Mileage Marathon Highlights Diesel Efficiency

21 October 2008

The Audi Mileage Marathon, comprising a fleet of 23 Audi diesel TDIs driven by 184 drivers from 15 countries on a 4,887-mile (7,865-kilometer) route from New York City to Los Angeles, California, concluded on Sunday. The best Audi A4 3.0 TDI quattro had an average fuel consumption of 5.3 L/100km (44.4 US mpg); the new Audi Q5 3.0 TDI performance SUV scored 6.1 L/100 km (38.6 US mpg); the new Audi Q7 3.0 TDI with ultra low emission system scored a best average fuel consumption of 7.1 L/100 km (33.1 US mpg). The Audi A3 2.0 TDI had the lowest consumption of all the cars taking part, with 4.7 L/100 km (50.0 US mpg).

The Mileage Marathon was the first practical test for the Tier 2 Bin 5-compliant (i.e., 50-state) Audi Q7 3.0 TDI with ultra low emission system. This exhaust emission control system reduced oxides of nitrogen by up to 90%. Series production of the Audi Q7 3.0 TDI with ultra low emission system will start before the end of this year, and its market launch is planned for 2009 in both the USA and Europe.

The Mileage Marathon was not conceived as an extreme economy run, but as a practical test closely related to typical day-to-day conditions. The route was a realistic combination of typical road and traffic situations. Long sections of highway alternated with stages on regular out-of-town roads. Stop-and-go driving in major cities was included as well as lengthy uphill and downhill gradients&madsh;for example, the more than 3,300-meter (10,827-ft) Rocky Mountain passes or in the Sierra Nevada.