John and Helen Taylor broke the Guinness World Record for lowest fuel consumption driving the new clean diesel Volkswagen Jetta TDI. The Taylors traveled across 48 contiguous state and averaged a record breaking 58.82 miles a gallon! They drove for 20 days and covered 9,419 miles. On some legs they even achieved 60 mpg.

Some fuel saving tips the Taylors offer are to avoid idling and higher speeds, minimize vehicle drag and perform regular vehicle maintenance.

Winning Combination

The Taylors were able to achieve such outstanding gas mileage by using a winning combination of driving a fuel efficient car, burning Shell Ultra Low Sulfur diesel fuel and employing economic driving methods.

The new Jetta is features a 2.0-liter turbocharged I-4 diesel motor that makes 140-hp and a monstrous 236 lb-ft torque. The transmission options are a six-speed manual and the popular DSG six-speed dual-clutch automatic. The DSG automatic is a robotically managed manual that shifts fast and clean and takes full gain of the torque by perfectly matching the power curves. The DSG automatic also comes with a manual mode that allows the driver to manually shift by merely tapping the handle up or down, all without having to push in a clutch.

Not only is the new VW fuel efficient, but it is easier on our environment as well. What helps this VW motor meet such strict standards is the NOx storage catalytic converter. This main element presents a significant reduction in nitrogen oxides which Volkswagen attains with measures inside the engine and with the new converter technology. The result is a shocking 90% reduction in nitrogen oxides (NOx). The new Jetta TDI can be purchased at East Coast VW

World Record

The previous record was 51.58 mpg. Now, the Taylors have set a new world record for the lowest fuel consumption driving across 48 states at an impressive 58.82 mpg. They say ""the terrain was very diverse, the weather less than ideal and the traffic heavy at rush hour and the VW Jetta TDI handled it all beautifully, showing its fuel efficiency and its fun-to-drive dynamic capability, just two of this vehicles many attributes," said John Taylor. "The car efficiently helped us to drive to a fuel economy world record."

Approximately 12 official check-in and refueling stops across the country were included throughout the duration of the drive. The couple drove on a counter-clockwise route passing through: Washington D.C.; New York City, Rutland, Vermont; Toledo, Ohio; Des Moines, Iowa; Spearfish, S.D.; Missoula, Mont.; Winnemucca, Nev.; Santa Monica, Calif.; Durango, Colo.; Oklahoma City, Okla.; Mount Vernon, Ill.; Ponchatoula, La.; and,Beckley, W.V. Some of the fuel saving tips the Taylors advocate include: avoiding idling and higher speeds, minimizing vehicle drag and performing regular vehicle maintenance.

The Taylors have made a 26-year career out of driving economically and conducting workshops globally on fuel-efficient driving techniques. They have collected 82 world fuel economy and vehicle-related records from drives around the globe in Australia, Asia, South Africa, Europe, the

Middle East and North America.