In a quest to show the versatility of diesel and promote an alternative to hybrid vehicles, two men drove through all 48 contiguous US states. Wayne Gerdes, and Bob Winger Piloted a 2015 Golf TDI from Volkswagen headquarters in Herdon, Virginia 8,233.5 miles around the nation and back again. The feat of their accomplishment being measured in miles per gallon; 81.17 mpg, a new world record! They smashed their previous 2013 record of 77.99 mpg held by a 2013 Passat TDI.

The 2015 Golf TDI features a 150hp, 2.0 liter diesel powerplant.

VW has been a pioneer in diesel technology for the average motoring consumer, providing an alternative to electric power. Economy minded drivers have been offered attractive selling points to counter the hybrid car movement.

Consumers are becoming educated of the perils of electric car technology (especially when considering the longevity of batteries and charging times) and the detrimental production methods required to mass produce these vehicles.

Adding to the credibility of these two men, their ultra efficient diesel Golf had a manual gearbox, and was EPA estimated to only achieve 45 mpg. The discipline of throttle, braking, and gear changes is demonstrated to have a profound effect on the ultimate fuel economy of your car.

Fuel stops were logged and tracking mileage tracking was done by Guinness.

In order to make the accomplishment of their drive possible a creative route was needed. A loop starting in the state of Virginia continued in a Southwestern direction through the South, heading North through Mississippi the course plowed West across the bread basket of America before heading North through Nevada.

The return leg of this conservatively driven road trip cuts across Montana, past the Black Hills of the Dakotas, grazes the Great Lakes and finally on to the New England Coast. The final run took the economy thrill seeking men through the last few colonies before landing back in Virginia. Their journey took 16 days, but only cost $294.98 in fuel!

A large loop route was used to touch all 48 states in the most efficient manner.