After almost 4 200 km journey along through Europe is the Fuel-Efficiency Marathon “Audi-Efficiency Challenge” arrived in the Italian destination. Main conclusion of the tour: Even more than the engineers in engine development is capable of, can affect the riders and drivers of consumption of a car.

The proverbial distance “from A to B indicates” the origin of thoughts for this trip, with great public support of his claim of Audi as a manufacturer of efficient cars will. At the northern edge of Europe, on the archipelago of the Lofoten Islands, Norway is the place Å, while in the vicinity of Lago Maggiore, where geographers see the commencement of southern Europe, the town is Bée. 120 participants in nine stages shooed 20 test cars through nine countries. The vehicle fleet was by no means only from known Spritknausern models such as the A3 1.6 TDI and A4 2.0 TDI e, but also from sports coupes such as the TT RS or thick vessels such as the Q7 V12 TDI.

Economy as a challenge? Ex-racing driver and Le Mans winner Emanuele Pirro sees it entirely professional reasons, “Who is an efficient way, you need less fuel stops and runs more laps. They can decide the race between victory and defeat. In everyday life we want not only friendly to our his environment, but also friendly to our wallets. ”

With a share of up to 30 percent, Audi saving expert Kai-Uwe Jochims determined the driver of a passenger car, how high fuel consumption on the so often quoted to travel from A to B. The proportion that can affect the car constructors, is significantly lower. Who can be saved through consistent lightweight 100 kg vehicle weight, improving fuel consumption for example, just 0.3 to 0.5 liters.

Who abspeckt many pounds to the body, requires an efficient spiral that further cost-cutting effects of the arrangement, and is rewarded at every fuel stop. A lighter car is coming out with smaller brakes, all suspension components can shrink, because not as much mass can be slowed or has mitigated – which leads to further weight savings. Even a full tank means weight: Lighter cars can get by with smaller fuel tanks. Ten percent less drag in the final to bring 0.15 liters per 100 kilometers. An intelligent climate management can save 0.2 liters.
Not without pride, Audi again and again points out that more than 30 vehicles of the model range below 140 grams of CO2 emitted per kilometer. Thus, the Ingolstadt brand take a leading position among premium manufacturers. Although belonged, so Audi’s Chief Financial Officer Axel Strotbek, “efficiency in our standard equipment, the test train of Norway to Italy but also demonstrated” how great the influence of the driver in real life conditions.

Apart from professional car testers, the organizers had invited a large number of customers who face the competition. Who controls what kind of car where, certain lots. With five petrol and five diesel models were two teams at the start. Opponents was not only the onboard computer, as a warning for the current fuel einspielte always obvious to the display, but also the occupants of the identical vehicle, with great ambition who wanted to undercut not only the consumption figures from the sales brochures.

Recalled driving up and down the place and down the country again and again finds that they do not reach the calculated fuel consumption to EU standard of their vehicle in practice. Not so in the Efficiency Challenge. For the new A3 1.6 TDI, the riders and drivers scored as the average of the daily best values a consumption of 3.3 liters per 100 kilometers. According to EU standard, it should be 3.8 liters. The A5 2.0 TFSI, the Euro-travelers to 5.3 liters (6.5 to EU standard came from). Type TT RS coupe – at least a four-wheel drive racer with 340 hp – concluded the tour with an average of 7.4 liters from (EU standard 9.2) and Zweitonner like the Q7 3.0 TDI came to smooth eight liters instead of 8, 9, according to standard test.

The insights gained from the tour to motorists in the opinion of Wolfgang Hatz, engine development at Audi, or use for a while. “In the next decade, the combustion engine will play a leading role,” he insists. This keeps his company but not on it, will soon offer suggestions. The end of next year is the model with a hybrid-drive Q5 coming on the market. Axel F. Busse / mid