A Volkswagen Passat BlueMotion driven by Galvin Conway (a writer for Sunday times) had embarked on a very long journey with the Guinness Record in mind. So what was it? Well, Conway has managed to cover an astounding 2,458km on just a single tank of diesel (in this case, 77.25 litres) averaging 31.8km/l. The vehicle in question is a Passat BlueMotion that sports a 1.6L diesel engine producing 105bhp, the same one found in the Vento.

However, in addition to that engine, the Passat got help from low resistance tires, Stop-Start, longer ratio gearing and subtle aerodynamic tweaks to make the car more slippery. Conway took to the French roads to see how long he could go before his Passat ran out of fuel. Conway’s record run took him three days over which he averaged 45mph (72km/h) thereby making his way into the Guinness Book of records for the longest distance traveled by a production passenger car on a single tank of fuel. The final figures – Distance : 1526.63miles (2456.3km) covered on 77.25 litres of diesel.

Hit the jump for press release.

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PRESS RELEASE
1,527 MILES ON ONE TANK: PASSAT BLUEMOTION SETS NEW WORLD RECORD

A Volkswagen Passat BlueMotion has set a new Guinness World Record for the longest distance travelled by a standard production passenger car on a single tank of fuel.

The attempt, carried out by a team from The Sunday Times, involved driving from Maidstone in Kent to the South of France and back. The Passat BlueMotion finally ran out of fuel close to Calais after completing a distance of 1,526.63 miles.

The route mainly followed French autoroutes, but included some town driving, resulting in an average speed of just over 45 mph.

Gavin Conway, for The Sunday Times, drove the Passat BlueMotion during the three-day record-breaking trip, accompanied by a navigator and video crew. Two AA patrolmen followed the entire attempt in their van to witness the journey independently for the Guinness World Records organisation, which accredited the record.

Powered by a Volkswagen 1.6-litre common rail TDI engine developing 105 PS, the Passat BlueMotion used for the record attempt was a standard production model. In common with the Polo and Golf BlueMotion models, the Passat is fitted with aerodynamic modifications to the bodywork, a lower ride height, Stop/Start, programmed battery charging, longer gearing and low rolling resistance tyres. The result is a vehicle that is completely conventional to drive, service and maintain yet among the most efficient vehicles on the road today.

The Passat BlueMotion’s fuel tank was drained before the record breaking journey and filled with 77.25 litres of standard forecourt diesel, resulting in an overall fuel consumption of 89.83 miles per gallon. This substantially exceeds the Passat BlueMotion’s official combined figure of 64.2 mpg. The resulting fuel cost for the journey works out at just 6.17p per mile travelled.

In setting the record the Passat BlueMotion travelled a distance equivalent to driving from London to Malaga, without needing to refuel or from New York to Los Angeles with a single stop for diesel.

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