Lupo TDI wins frugality run

16 October 2001: A Volkswagen Lupo 3L TDI has won outright this year’s RAC/Fleet World MPG Marathon in the UK with an overall consumption of 91.46 miles per gallon, way ahead of the vehicle in second place which returned 74.6 mpg.

Volkswagen also won outright the commercial vehicle section, with its Caddy TDI van returning 56.64 mpg, comfortably ahead of the nearest competitor which achieved 51.8 mpg. A Volkswagen Transporter TDI Van won its class with a consumption of 39.22 mpg.

Key to the success of the Lupo is its unit injector technology which is also used on all TDI Lupo, Polo, Golf, Bora, Passat and Sharan models. Called "PD" for Pumpe-Düse, which means unit injector in German, the system generates its extremely high maximum fuel injection pressures of up to 2050 bars or 30,000 pounds per square inch only in the injector itself. This enables this technology to generate pressure around 50 per cent higher than in common rail systems. It provides better atomisation of the fuel for high torque and power with low emissions and high fuel efficiency.

The event took place over two days and almost 500 miles and was observed by the RAC. Devised by economy driving expert and motoring journalist Stuart Bladon, the course was probably the most demanding in the history of economy driving. It incorporated steep gradients and tortuous roads and was certainly not the kind of drive that a car company would have chosen to demonstrate the economy potential of its products.

In July a Lupo 3L TDI, driven round the coast of Britain, returned 114 miles per gallon. A round the world journey last year produced 118 mpg.