So, how do you prove that your car saves a lot of fuel in real-life conditions? You drive it around and you publish the results. We've seen a few of these tests lately, like one driving a Skoda around Germany and Austria, or a Peugeot 308 around Australia or the 50-liter test in Canada. Now, Audi has decided to show off the new base powertrain for the Audi A4 TDI, the 2.0 liter, 120 HP, 6-speed manual.

Eleven A4s started a trip yesterday that will see them go for 1,650 kilometers (1,025.26 miles) around Germany, Switzerland and Austria to prove that the official consumption figures of 4.1 liters per 100 km (57.37 U.S. mpg) for the extra-urban cycle, 6.7 liters (35.11 U.S. mpg) for the urban cycle and 5.1 liters (46.12 U.S. mpg) combined are accurate. The A4s are fitted with a fuel consumption gauge to help the drivers will know when they're light on the foot and can maybe stretch a few more miles from the tank. Find the complete details after the jump.

[Source: Audi]

Click the A4 TDI for a high-res gallery

This week Audi invited invited a group of auto scribes to come over to their home turf and drive the newest edition of the A4 sedan. We spent a day driving a couple of hundred miles around Bavaria in the A4 TDI 3.0 Quattro and came away very impressed by both the performance and the fuel efficiency. The current generation A4 debuted last September at the Frankfurt Motor Show as a sedan with the new Avant wagon body style coming along last month in Geneva.

For its recent U.S. launch, the A4 arrived with a choice of two gasoline engines, a 2.0L TFSI four cylinder and a naturally aspirated 3.2L V-6. In Europe, buyers also get the option of a 1.8L gas engine and a trio of diesels including a 2.0L four and 2.7L and 3.0L V-6s. We learned the other day that plans for a hybrid version of the A4 have been put on hold because it doesn't make business sense for Audi right now due to the poor exchange rates between the Euro and the dollar. Audi is, however, strongly considering bringing in the 3.0L TDI instead since that engine is already going into the Q7 and the VW Touareg next year. Read on to find out how the A4 TDI felt on the road in Southern Germany.


Photos Copyright ©2008 Sam Abuelsamid / Weblogs, Inc.

It was recently learned that Audi has killed plans to bring the Q7 hybrid model to the U.S. market in 2009 because of the plummeting value of the dollar. It looks like the new A4 hybrid will get the same fate.

Audi USA communications director Jeff Kuhlman explained that the cost of homologating the hybrid system on both vehicles would likely not be offset by anticipated sales of the hybrids. As a result of low volumes and the unfavorable exchange rate, the prices would be too high to make business sense. Instead Audi is planning to offer the A4 with the same 3.0l diesel V6 that is to be used in the Q7 and VW Touareg. That engine is already being certified and has economies of scale so that it makes business sense. At the same time it will provide a significant boost in fuel efficiency compared to the gas V6 that is also available.

[Source: Audi]

Click above for high-res gallery

Following the official introduction of the Audi A4 Avant in Geneva, Audi is ready with the station wagon version. In the European markets, two gasoline engines and three diesels are available, offering between 143 and 265 HP. All engines have direct injection technology (FSI for gasoline, TDI for diesel). The three four-cylinder have also turbochargers. Audi claims that the new compact station wagon is 10 percent lighter than the previous model. All of these improvements give the A4 Avant wagon solid mileage numbers (all rating in this post are in U.S. gallons). The 1.8 TFSI produces 160 HP while consuming 7.2 l/100 km (33 mpg). The other gasoline version is a 3.2 V6 FSI that consumes 9.1 l/100 km (26 mpg).

The TDIs come in three different flavors, all featuring piezo-electric injectors: 2.0 liter 143 HP (an engine found in Seats, Skodas and Volkswagens) and 320 Nm (236.02 lb-ft) of torque, with an impressive consumption of 5.7 l/100 km (41 mpg). Then there's an more powerful 2.0 liter with 170 HP and 350 Nm (258.15 lb-ft) of torque that burns 5.8 l of diesel every 100 km (40.5 mpg). For motorists with higher needs, Audi installed the 3.0 TDI V6 good for 240 HP and 500 Nm (368.78 lb-ft) of torque, while still getting 7.1 l/100 km (33 mpg) to run.