Berlin / Bee (Italy), 2 Go October 2009 – “From A to B,” they say, if you move around in daily life between any two locations. So, if you go for example in the work or the supermarket. At Audi, we had the idea to define the route from A to B exactly once, surveying, and then abzufahren with minimal fuel. We now know that A and B are exactly 4182 kilometers apart, and eight countries. Namely, the place “Å” in the Norwegian Lofoten Islands and the village of Bee near the beautiful Lake Maggiore in Italy. 120 drivers in 20 cars will be nine days between 22 and 30 September 2009 be on the road. Each two teams competed against each other in identical cars. A point system for low fuel consumption and keep within the set Durchschnittsgewindigkeit determined the winner between the teams. The cars in the Challenge were all equipped with special instrumentation, also the tanks were sealed after each refill. So no cheating went on.

105 to 500 hp
“Efficiency Challenge” called the Ingolstadt their tour from A to B. It should not only show that Audi is offering classes in all efficient cars, but that the driver can take effect on the consumption value. So not only the fuel-saving models were sent to the slopes, but also really hot iron, which is said very thirsty. The range of the Challenge cars ranged from the 105 horsepower savings Audi A3 1.6 TDI, on the A4 2.0 TDI e with 136 hp, 265 hp with the S3, the extent of equal strength A5 Sportback 3.2 FSI quattro to 340 HP Audi TT RS . The role of the PS-Monsters took the Q7 6.0 TDI quattro, which brings 500 hp twelve-cylinder.

Journalists and customers as a driver
At the steering wheels: automotive journalists from around the world, and Audi customers who had applied through the Internet. The route was driven in three waves: from Å to Trondheim and from there to Berlin and then in wave 3 by Bee. We were on the eve of general elections, on 27 September in the capital latched into the action and are gone with the route to your destination in northern Italy.

A3 1.6 TDI: 3.2 liters on a stage
Journalists, colleagues and customers are well presented: With only 3.2 liter average fuel consumption created a team with the A3 Sportback 1.6 TDI, the 414 kilometers long stretch between Harstad and Mo i Rana, Norway. Audi itself is this car coming onto the market in 2010 indicated that a total consumption of 3.8 liters. The S3 Sportback gulped on the same route, incidentally, 7.2 liters, which is 1.3 liters less than the combined manufacturer.

Average rate determined
Anyone who listens to such values, ask yourself first whether the Norwegian traffic messages were full of reports about German Audi driver, with 30 km / h langzuckeln the highways and slowing tractors. To prevent this, the organizers have simply set a new speed average, which had to be reached.

From Berlin to Prague
We are the first in our day from Berlin to Prague 81 km / h. As we stand in the morning through the thick city traffic of the capital, we do not yet know how to make the cut. After a few kilometers seems a poor value of 14 km / hr at the display of the onboard computer. We drove an A5 Sportback with 3.2-liter V6. The datasheet of the 265-horsepower car shows an average consumption of 9.3 liters. We will try to stay under it.

Weight distributed correctly
The evening before, efficiency Coach Kai-Uwe Jochims has the tour participants were given a crash course in terms of fuel savings. On the right tire pressure in the tires and it is important to a balanced load. If the car because of the weight DC10 looked like a taking off, the burden would be incorrect distributed. And of course we should dismantle roof boxes after the holiday again, and clearing out the car as a whole. Early upshifts, late downshifting and engine-off at longer stops the fuel needle drop to a lower rate.

Ventilation may remain switched on
Anyone who attends even little things can save in the sum of up to 30 percent. So we remember to keep the windows closed, which reduces air resistance. The climate we leave off, finally, the engine burns gasoline, when he drives the air conditioning compressor. Until we stop at Pillnitz turn the air conditioner only when the windows fog up. There we Developer Martin Audi Weisbrodt the tip, at least start the ventilation, which would beat with any significant excess consumption to the office.

Special Measurement
Over time, we gain the right to enjoy the savings Tour. We travel behavior, proactive and try to pat the gas pedal with his foot only. On the outskirts of Dresden, we read an average consumption of 8.1 liters and an average speed of 83 km / h on-board computer display off. But the city slows us down from normal. Along roads it continues and your destination Prague. Nevertheless: The 347 kilometers long route, we needed 8.2 liters and are on average 76 km / h.. We collect Plus points, because our opponents are worse.

4.1 liters with the Audi A3 1.6 TDI
The next day, telling us the fate of the aforementioned Mr. Clean A3 1.6 TDI Sportback with five-speed manual gearbox. Tires, fuel-gear transmission, a start-stop system and a recuperation will make compact cars for the piggy bank. The trip goes from Prague to Kitzbuhel, a journey of 608 kilometers through the city, on highways and country roads. Whether we do with a full tank? The question is purely rhetorical. After an hour of on-board computer displays a theoretical residual range of 1500 kilometers. Again, we try to save a healthy mix of diesel and normal driving practice, even at the daily speed of 77 km / h.. In the end it will be 4.1 liters, which we needed at each of 100 kilometers. In order to be fast, we were a few km / h too slow.

S4 with 333 hp
On the last day, we are quite a bit sadly, by drawing lots, we get an S4 sedan, a four-door sports car whose dynamic qualities we could learn a few months ago on the track. We expect 333 hp manually shifted from a three-liter V6 – and 556 kilometers from the finish after Bee. Before us lie switchbacks, mountain slopes and beautiful country roads that would normally be created for a razor-racing cars like the S4. But we can not, as we want. 9.7 liters says the factory specification, which we absolutely want to beat. We try by all means. At the crossroads we turn off the engine, let’s roll downhill in gear, rather than to sashay through the bends, turn off the radio and air conditioning and the ride as reluctant as we would not normally move a S4 over such a long distance. However, we are not an impediment to traffic, the speed requirement for the day are at least 81 km / h.

Beé: jubilation at the entrance
It has helped: As we joyfully welcome the residents of Bee and flags waving, we read from the average 8.0 liters and 81-km / h on cruise control. In the meantime, we also had 7.8 liters, but a traffic jam on Lake Maggiore has pushed up the value back. For the victory has not arrived yet: Our competitive team will win on the same route with the S4 6.9 liters. Nevertheless, the Audi Efficiency Challenge was a competition with first and second winners. The tour was to show that with a production car with deliberate driving style may well also achieve a consumption that is lower than or close to the factory specification. We have succeeded, although in everyday life is likely to be retracted slightly higher rates – only a few, for example, turn off the air conditioning in summer and keep the windows closed. Nevertheless, Who heed a few rules of the fuel savings, can itself actively lower the consumption.

The values in the table
Overall, the vehicles have reached on the approximately 4200 kilometers long tour following averages per 100 kilometers (brace Value: Plant stated):

- A3 Sportback 1.6 TDI: 3.3 liters (3.8 liters)
- S3 Sportback: 7.2 liters (8.5 liters)
- E A4 2.0 TDI: 4.4 liters (4.6 liters)
- S4: 7.9 liters (9.7 liters)
- A5 Sportback 2.0 TFSI: 5.3 liters (6.5 liters)
- A5 Sportback 3.2 FSI quattro: 7.8 liters (9.3 liters)
- Clean diesel Q7 3.0 TDI quattro: 8.0 liters (8.9 liters)
- Q7 V12 TDI: 9.5 liters (11.3 liters)
- TT 2.0 TDI: 5.0 liters (5.3 liters)
- TT RS: 7.4 liters (9.2 liters)