Discussion on:

Volkswagen car goes 1,626 miles on a tank of gas

A tall 6th gear can go a long way to improve MPG if you know how to drive.

In a car with a 24 mpg hwy EPA score, on long highway trips I get 45 mpg with my 4 speed automatic. 30 mpg with a 75/25 mix of hwy/city driving on a daily basis.

I have a Skoda Octavia with a similar TDI engine, but it is very difficult to drive as efficiently as they did. I will establish my own record sometime. Depending on road conditions I have got, so far, as much as 56 mpg on a trip. My mean driving performance is 42 mpg. The car has a 6 speed DSG transmission which allows for automatic AND manual driving. But driving strategy plays an important role.

The driver of the car actually does more in this than most realize. I keep my speeds at or near 55 most of the time on the highway. You have to watch all the time for opportunity to increase speed without using fuel and when the opportunity arises you need to take it, then let that speed carry you up the next hill. I regularly get 60mpg out of my Prius by very careful driving. I wish more would try it this would send a clear message to the fuel companies.

I get 55 mpg (that's per UK gallon*) from my 22 year old Toyota Corolla on a long journey (my definition of long in the UK is "more than 200 miles"). On 2 occasions I did precise mpg tests, both on journeys of about 220 miles but to different destinations. 55.7 on one trip and 55.6 on the other. In both cases I drive as described by Groit.
As an example of how speed affects fuel consumption, in a car I owned from 1983 to 1995 I did one of the trips mentioned above first at slightly above the speed limit and got 26 mpg then on the return trip I took it easy doing 55-60 mph most of the way and got 36 to the gallon. That's a 38% improvement.
In Milton Keynes, UK, where I live and do much of my driving, the place is renowned for its roundabouts (over 300 at my last count). To optimise fuel economy I ease off as I approach a roundabout and watch the traffic on or coming onto the rooundabout so that as I reach it, my speed matches that of those already on the roundabout and I have a smooth drive without needing to use the brakes or hard acceleration. I repeatedly encounter other drivers who overtake me, brake hard as they reach the roundabout, often having to stop to give way to traffic on the roundabout. I sail past them and am halfway to the next roundabout before they pass me again and the same behaviour is repeated roundabout after roundabout. They are either stupid ar unobservant as I make exactly the same rate of progress as they do. Today I was overtaken by a Porsche a mere 100 yards from a stationary queue - a complete failure to 'read' the road and traffic conditions ahead by the Porsche driver.
Yes, technology is a great help but good mpg is also in large part due to the driver.

* 1 UK gallon = 1.25 x 1 US gallon

This article makes it clear that we need to get the EURO versions sold in the USA... What are we waiting for $6 a gallon gasoline and diesel fuel?

When you see new cars and trucks that get 5 mpg AND 20 horsepower more than last years model you know they could have flat lined the horsepower and gained a few more mgp.

I can't speak for the rest of Europe but here in the UK at one of the cheaper petrol stations, we're paying 1.36 GBP (why isn't the English pound symbol recognised on this site?) per litre and that translates at the current GBP/$ exchange rate into $7.80 per US gallon. So that's why we (well some of us, anyway) are mpg aware! What I don't understand is that in the 60s, most American cars were huge gas guzzlers then came fuel awareness, probably caused by rising prices and many Americans started driving more economical vehicles; recently it's gone the other way with many people (and here in the UK) once again driving gas guzzlers in the shape of huge 4x4 SUVs. Why? (sorry but I don't have an answer).
I'm commenting on the USA because I'm replying to a USA commenter and I have a certain familiarity with the USA as I've been spending a month there every year since 1999.

Please give all the details so we can increase our MPG also. I can get as much as 469 miles on a tank with our Toyota Yaris gas automatic: When I see the traffic light turn red in the distance, I shut the engine off and coast to a stop (but I must keep the ignition "ON" so the electronic odometer continues registering the miles). And I never run the AC. I keep the tires one or two psi higher than the specified 32 psi.

Shutting off your engine and drifting into traffic as you described is dangerous unless your car is designed to do it automatically.

I applaud their efforts, but I hope these people are not road hazards as well with their driving habits.

Groit hit on a good hyper mile tactic. Traffic and road conditions permitting, waiting until a downhill grade to accelerate is an easy one.

My commute route allows me to gently accelerate to around 55 on my only onramp which is a slight downhill slope. After that there is an uphill grade for about 2 miles before it levels out and another mile later is starts a downhill grade.

If traffic safety permits I'll hold 55 until I get to the hill and accelerate to 65 on the down slope. Doing less than 65 in good weather conditions can be dangerous on that highway and I will gently accelerate on the hill rather than get rear ended. A few mpg is not worth some ones life.

A good week is when I can do that every day. I can see a 2 or 3 mpg boost if all else in my driving is equal.

A lead foot is a killer of mpg.

I have a toyota (different model) and if I turn off the ignition the brakes dont work very well - be careful !
(Reply to "Tell Us The Details So We Can Do It Also!")

No power brakes.
No power steering.
No air conditioning (Important if you live in desert climates in the summer.)

In particular:

"...John and Helen Taylor of Australia was able..."

Should be "...John and Helen Taylor of Australia were able..."

and "Volkswagon" should always be "Volkswagen."

Shouldn't the headline read "Volkswagen car goes 1,626 miles on a tank of FUEL" (emphasis added) ? If its a diesel, it does not use gas!

Well spotted P.F.Bruns! Should we correct pronunciation too? It's not Volks Wagon, it's Folks Vargen. Germans pronounce their V as our F and their W as our V.
As for using the singular form of a verb for a plural subject, that's rife these days, even among journalists who, as writing English is their profession, should at least know the rudiments of English grammar. At least there are a few of us left who can spot these errors.

The Passat is a great car for super-sized US expectations, but many Europeans drive smaller even more efficient VW diesels http://www.nextgreencar.com/view-car/26041/VW-Polo-Diesel-Manual-5-speed

Compare that to the Mini Cooper in US trim:
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/noframes/31638.shtml

83 vs 32

I don't care how pretty those Cooper wheels are...

I can't do that well on a moped. Diesel 4 cylinder + 6 speed manual = great efficiency. I would like to see how she does burning waste cooking oil!

The driver is a large determining factor. This is why the woman who sued over low mpg doesn't really have a case. I get substantialy better mpg than another member of my family, driving the same vehicle.

In the old days, there was this thing called the Mobil Economy Run. The secret, besides over-inflating your tires by a few psi, was "driving as if there was a raw egg between your foot and the accelerator pedal." coasting, keeping highway speeds down, etc.

My humorous attempt to help people improve their fuel consumption is at http://www.conservect.org/energy/Conservation/GasPriceProtest/tabid/605/Default.aspx (scroll down to the top ten). Comments, suggestions to energy@conservect.org are welcome.

As some have mentioned - drving style is the key.

It is the chief means I achieve under 6.0 litres pre 100 km (over 40 mpg US or about 50 mpg Imp) in my regular suburban commute (which is a stop start 15km run).

Two main tricks: when approaching a traffic light, whatch the lights from a distance. Youi can often gauge when the change is due. If it is likely to go red before you get there - take the foot off, and coast. I have learned to judge the coasting distance of my car to a stop from most typical speeds. Another trick is to know a few routes, and change the route based on the traffic lights - if I am approaching a red, I can often turn right (North American laws) so as not to stop and idle at the light, instead of waiting at and then going straight only to turn right later.

The other key factor is to accelerate gently. In order not to be annoying, I make sure to start immediately on the change of lights - which gives me a half second head start on the lead footed drivers behind and beside me. I accelerate more gently, but I don't look like a sluggard.

Anticipation also works by letting me change lanes far ahead of obstacles such as works vehicles parked in my lane, or vehicles slowing for a left turn. If I wait until I am upon these obstacles, I will be stuck waiting for a gap to ease around them. With anticipation, I can change lanes while still flowing with the traffic.

As well as fuel savings, I believe that these practices all make me a safer driver (unlike mucking around with tire pressure, and switching off the engine).