Can An Old Car Achieve Over 800 Miles On One Tank?

This is a complete and total departure from our normal focus, but I cannot deny that I found this video incredibly entertaining. Alex from Car Throttle’s YouTube channel decided to take a little day trip to see what kind of mileage he could get from his diesel-powered Octavia. And what better trip to take to test a car’s fuel mileage extreme than to the Nurburgring, where everybody on the property is vigilant about their fuel consumption.

Alex loads up the car with diesel then unloads the car itself, removing as much dead weight as possible from the car to make it easier to move, then off he goes on the 400+ mile trip – each way – from London to Nurburg, Germany, the home of the expansive race course. The trip begins well with Alex averaging around 90 miles to the gallon, a number that we here in the states can hardly even wrap our heads around.

When he arrives at the Channel Tunnel, Alex uses that time to tape up the car’s edges and provide a little more aerodynamic assistance for the rest of the trip. As the drive progresses into terrain with greater elevation changes, Alex watches as his average efficiency falls, with him arriving at the track just below the halfway mark, putting the goal of making it back to London to the same gas station he departed from in jeopardy.

Alex takes his lap around the course with Misha, an experienced Nurburgring driver who helps him find the most efficient line, turning in a lap of just under 14 minutes while drinking as little diesel as possible. With the lap knocked out, Alex heads for home, bringing his buddies into the sweltering Octavia with him – the AC doesn’t work, but even if it did it would have a negative impact on fuel economy so he would drive without it – to chat briefly with him.

Does Alex return to the filling station on one tank? You’re going to have to watch and see for yourself, but I promise you the video is enjoyable enough to watch all the way through to find out!