The Audi Mileage Marathon: Day One

As I mentioned in yesterday’s blog, Monday the 6th was the kickoff of the Audi Mileage Marathon. We all convened bright and early at Tavern On The Green in New York City’s Central Park, and it was quite a sight. Along with the 23 TDI diesels (seven Q7s, seven A4s, seven Q5s and two A3s) running the marathon, there was a whole battalion of support and escort staff vehicles—each sporting the Audi Mileage Marathon decals. So after a briefing from some Audi officials, and some words of encouragement—and official flag-waving—from actress Molly Sims, we were off and running.

I was paired with auto industry analyst Mike Omotoso, and I gave him first dibs behind the wheel as we made our way out of Central Park in our Q7 3.0 TDI. Since this event is supposed to be as much about fuel efficiency as it is clean diesel technology (it is called a mileage marathon after all), I asked Mike if he was interested in trying to win (or at least do well) in the fuel economy challenge in which each driving team competes against all the others for top efficiency honors of the day. Yea said he. But we both laughed when he had a hard time controlling his urge to stab the throttle when scooting away from traffic signals. Can’t say I can blame him knowing the Q7’s numbers (horsepower: 225 torque: 405 lb/-ft). To be fair though, when my turn to drive came around, I struggled for self-control as well.

So at the end of the day when we pulled up to our hotel in Washington D.C., these were our unofficial fuel economy results: Mike 30.1 mpg. Scott 30.9 mpg. Yeah, that felt good, especially when the EPA ratings are a meager 17/24/20 city/highway/combined. We’ll relay Audi’s official figures (for team Gable/Omotoso) when they’re announced. In the mean time, stay tuned for all the exploits to come of Audi Mileage Marathon Day Number Two. --Scott

Scott and the Q7 TDI © Michael Omotoso