This 22-Year-Old Audi A2 Is Still Able To Get 100 MPG

These days, it takes a hybrid to beat 50 miles per gallon. The most efficient new car today is the Toyota Prius at 57 MPG combined (though the Hyundai Elantra Hybrid Blue beats it in highway mileage at 58 MPG). Neither of these hold a candle to Matt Prior's 22-year-old Audi A2, which Autocar managed to get 100 MPG out of in real world conditions. It's not even a hybrid, and it cost Prior less than $700 to buy (this is his personal vehicle, not some fancy press car). How did he do it?

Part of the answer comes down to the car. The A2 was never sold in the U.S. so it doesn't have EPA fuel economy ratings, but Retro Motor reports the A2 could get 65.7 MPG. This particular A2 has a 1.4-liter inline-4 TDI engine. That means diesel power. For comparison, a 22-year-old VW Golf TDI got 36 MPG combined with a bigger 1.9-liter inline-4.

Besides the powertrain, the A2 featured advanced aluminum construction for its time (and a strange way to access the engine), keeping the weight down to just over 2,000 pounds. It also had excellent aerodynamics, with a drag coefficient of just 0.28. The combination of a small torquey engine, a five-speed manual transmission, light weight, and low drag resulted in the A2's impressive 65.7 MPG.

As good as this figure is, 65.7 MPG is a far cry from 100 MPG. That's where the driver enters the equation. Matt Prior was already getting a consistent 75 MPG from his A2 in regular driving. When he put only a little effort into it, he managed 94 MPG by driving conservatively, drafting the occasional van, and probably applying some hypermiling techniques. That's when he decided to give it his best effort to see if his 22-year-old $700 car could achieve 100 MPG.

Prior found a route that was precisely 100 miles from a gas station near his house to the south coast of England. He filled up, then tried to make the trip on less than a gallon of diesel. His route combined highways and back roads. He found that speeds between 40 and 50 MPH were the sweet spot for fuel economy, though he sometimes had to go faster on the highway to not become a moving roadblock. He drafted big trucks at a safe distance when he could, gaining a significant MPG increase while it lasted.

For once, roadwork actually helped instead of hindered, dropping the speed limit to the Audi's optimal zone for significant distances. The situation improved once he'd left the highway entirely, able to stay in that sweet spot without being pressured to go faster. In the end, the A2 parked with a trip mileage of 100.9 MPG. They sure don't make 'em like they used to.