Are Green Cars Worth the Gas Savings?

Drivers wary of high gas prices are choosing smaller, fuel-efficient vehicles. Last May, sales of Honda’s gas-sipping Civic sky-rocketed snatching first place from the perennial favorite, the Ford F150 pick-up truck in terms of U.S. sales.

Source: rp

Are you in the market for a new, greener, fuel-efficient vehicle? What alternative energy vehicles achieve the best bang for the buck?

Read more here.

rp

Day 3: Dallas-bound

Arriving in Memphis at nearly 8:00 p.m., we soon realized we were the townspeople. So quiet, you could hear a pin drop. Downtown Memphis was reminiscent of a bad western movie.

Needless to say, there is not much else to expand upon about Memphis.

Following a night’s stay in The Madison, my partner and I soon found out that we had taken second place in our A4 3.0 TDI. Surprisingly, the vehicle obtained over 37 miles-per-gallon. Considering we were not trying the last half of the leg, we were happy with our results. I estimate if we had not been filming, the A4 could have easily topped over 40 MPG for the day.

Source: rp

Not bad for a 3700 pound pseudo-luxury sedan.

Following our announcements, we packed up our auto and headed directly for our next stop; Little Rock, Arkansas. The three hour jaunt was quite enjoyable. Even in top gear, the A4 can pull well for passing – no need to downshift. When we reached our destination, I had the opportunity to open the windows and give the A4 some gas in first gear. Wow, the sound is astonishing. The turbo makes a glorious whistle while resonating this powerful, truck noise.

Source: rp

After a brief lunch, we left the colorful city of Little Rock and motored on to Dallas. Much greater distance than anticipated. Thankfully, passersby managed to entertain us throughout.

One guy, just outside of Little Rock, happened to notice our camera crew. Trust me, it is not that hard when you have two individuals following in a Q7, hanging out of the sunroof and doors, videotaping and photographing. Our mystery man made sure to pose for our cameras and continued to make a total fool of himself. It was great.

Source: rp

It was these moments that I came to love on the marathon.

Onward bound. You would be surprised how many cows there are in Texas. Quite shocking, actually. I am convinced the entire United States receives a vast quantity of their beef from the Lone Star State.

After being harassed by inpatient drivers and truckers, we soon became within three miles of our stopoff for fueling. Unfortunately, it appeared that Dallas has quite a traffic problem, although, it is nothing compared to New York jams.

Source: rp

This gave us a chance to make friends in traffic. After all, everyone wants to be on television. So, we gave that chance to several people we spoke with while in the jam.

Eventually, we made it. The hotel where we stayed, The Joule, must be one of the finest hotels in the land. Even turning on my room’s lights was as magnificent as one of Beethoven or Mozart’s symphonies. Like the Audi, it too had a ridiculously amount of useless technology. You have to love it.

If you have the means, I highly suggest spending the night.

End of day three.

If you would like to see more pictures and videos from the journey, go to UnitedPictures and download the items.

Source: rp

rp

Day 1: Audi Mileage Marathon

You know you are at an Audi event when you hear those lovely, German accents. Let me tell you, these guys know how to treat the media.

Throughout the next several days, I will be participating in the Audi Mileage Marathon. Essentially, the gist of this event is to help introduce Audi’s latest diesel technology to the United States. I am in Wave 2, which means, I will be traveling from Chicago to Memphis, Dallas, Amarillo and Denver.

As journalists, we are the best force to get out Audi’s message. The new diesels are here and they are not like the old diesels Americans are used to.

Arriving in downtown Chicago, I was greeted by a team of individuals affiliated with Audi AG. After going through the paperwork process and making sure to outfit us with plenty of Audi gear, we were turned loose like a bunch of kiddies at a carnival. Forget about the cotton candy and the clowns, however.

After settling in, I made sure to take in my surroundings – I have never been to Chicago before. It was during this time the participants from Wave 1 arrived at the hotel and W. Adams Ave. was filled with silver, stickered-up Q5s and Q7s.

There I was, at the corner of an intersection, when a Q5 TDI pulled up. Once the light changed to green it made, what must be, one of the finest sounds I have heard from an auto in a long time.

The only way I can describe it is a small diesel truck motor with a significant turbo “whooOOsh.” It sounds majestic. I must make note, it is a very subtle, diesel sound. Not loud, not the clatter diesel’s typically make.

I hope I can get sleep tonight; I am eagerly awaiting the keys to my own A4 3.0 TDI. I have a good idea of which strategy I will try to employ to achieve the highest miles-per-gallon. Wish me luck.

It’s Christmas eve all over again.

rp