Audi A6 TDI Ultra Travels 14 Countries on Single Tank; Sets World Record

Audi, in collaboration with RAC - a driving-assistance company, recently set a new Guinness world record for driving to 14 countries on a single tank of fuel.

By NDTV Auto Team

1 mins read

Published on June 15, 2015

Highlights

Audi, in collaboration with RAC - a driving-assistance company, recently set a new Guinness world record for driving to 14 countries on a single tank of fuel. The challenge was completed with an unmodified Audi A6 TDI ultra that encompassed a total of 1158.9 miles (1865.07Kms). The A6 TDI ultra returned an impressive mileage of 75.9mpg i.e. 26.87Km/l, which is more than the officially claimed mileage of over 67mpg (23.72Km/l). The car gets a 73-litre fuel tank. The trip began in Maastricht at 9.48am (GMT) on June 9 and ended in Hungary at 12.44pm (GMT) on June 10. Andrew Frankel, a motoring journalist, and racing driver Rebecca Jackson drove the A6 TDI ultra almost non-stop for nearly 28 hours from the Netherlands to Hungary, passing through Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Switzerland, Lichtenstein, Austria, Germany, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Serbia. The two drivers, who had to maintain an average speed of 50mph (80.46Km/h) to achieve the feat, faced several challenges during this driving adventure that included diversions for both, heavy traffic because of an accident, and a closed tunnel which led to an unplanned mountain detour. Andrew Frankel, said, "I'm delighted to be part of the team that has set this record and would like to think it will stand for some time as we eked out every last mile from the A6's tank. From an endurance point of view the challenge actually proved to be far harder than both Rebecca and I imagined it would be. Despite sharing the driving we were on the road almost continuously for 28 hours, focused on maintaining an average speed of around 50mph. In order to do this you have to be fully aware of what's going on around you and anticipate what could happen with the traffic ahead. While it was normal driving in one sense, it was also a very different type of driving, but nevertheless demanding." Audi reserves the 'ultra' badge for the most frugal of its line-up i.e. the A3, A4, A5, A7 Sportback and TT models.