1,700km to Hat Yai and back in an Audi

What is necessary for a fuel efficiency challenge besides a heavy foot and a steely mind?

Well, after participating in Audi's Fuel Efficiency Challenge, all I can say is a strong bladder and a banging music playlist is what you need.

The goal was to get from Singapore to Hat Yai and back, with the best fuel efficiency possible.

The Fuel Efficiency Challenge was Audi's way of showcasing that it actually was possible to drive efficiently and comfortably over long distances with a single tank of fuel.

And boy were they right by using a total of eight journalists (myself included), to put that theory to the test.

Singapore to Hat Yai

My co-pilot Clifford from TopGear Singapore and Khai, my trusty video production crew wanted to sneak in a little more petrol in our Q3 SUV. Unfortunately, though, Audi sealed off our filler caps at Shell Jalan Ibrahim, our starting point, so we had to make do.

Lucky for me, Clifford packed along masking tape to give our ride a little edge when it came to aerodynamics.

Apart from our Audi Q3 1.5 ride for the trip up North, the other six journalists were driving up in the Audi Q3 Sportback, A3 Sedan and A3 Sportback.

One thing to note: When setting off on a cross-country drive, always travel light, pump the tyres to the right pressure, and it doesn't hurt to say a little prayer that the roads aren't jammed. 

Time check: 4.45am – tyres pumped, GPS set, 900km of driving to do. What could possibly go wrong?

It's worth pointing out that the Audi Q3 1.5 does handle the roads well, not because it's an SUV, but because it uses the VW Group's MQB platform.

Conserving fuel was our main goal and the Q3 did exactly that. The 150hp petrol deactivates two cylinders to save fuel when you're not trying too hard.

More importantly, we were on a tight schedule as the Thai customs doesn't remain open 24/7 unlike the ones at Johor Bahru, and instead, closes at midnight. 

Audi rates the Q3 with a fuel efficiency of 5.8L/100km (combined), which is pretty darn good.

It's worth pointing out that the Audi Q3 has 150hp and 250Nm of torque. This means if you have a heavy foot, that can send it to 100km/h in just 9.4 seconds, something we clearly did not want when it came to fuel efficiency challenges.

But did that stop me from behaving? No… sorry, Clifford.

That spelt the end of my stint behind the wheel as Clifford continued the second half of our journey to a Shell petrol station in Hat Yai, our endpoint for the drive up where Audi recorded our fuel efficiency readings before heading to Monkham Village Hotel where we could get some rest.

However, I did muster much more discipline on the drive back from Hat Yai.

Hat Yai to Singapore

I used to think Hell Freezes Over only belonged to an Eagles album till I realised we were setting off at four in the morning back to Singapore.

This time, we loaded up in the Audi A3 1.0 Sportback – a car that Derryn reviewed and labelled as "super fuel efficient."

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8numSR0d4w[/embed]

The A3 1.0 Sportback offers 110hp, 200Nm of torque and a quoted fuel efficiency of 4.4L/100km.

Inside, I've learnt how the sporty bucket seats would turn out to be more supportive than my last relationship.

Not to mention that the convenience of wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, made up for the lack of onboard navigation.

Apart from providing good music throughout, I decided to make up for my terrible fuel economy in a car that is known to deliver great numbers.

You see, the A3 1.0 Sportback has a very efficient engine that is coupled with a mild hybrid system that is able to shut off the engine smoothly.

Meanwhile it slips into neutral automatically to let the car sail with the engine switched off for short periods – exactly what we need.

After clearing Thai customs, I took the wheel up to Tapah, which was about a five-hour drive.

Right before arrival, Audi's driver-rest-recommended signal came on, which is a technology that assesses the driver's driving style and prompts a warning if it detects a decline in attentiveness on the road.

Thanks for the reminder, Audi. Time for a driver switch and then shooting back to the Tuas checkpoint. 

It is worth mentioning that the car's 45-litre tank gets you more than 800km of range, and having put that to the test, we made it back home with 230km to spare in the tank.

In total, we covered 1,715.6km and used 87.45 litres of fuel. That gave us a fuel efficiency of 18.76km/L.

Unfortunately, given the extra penalty of 91km added to our mileage for crossing back to Singapore late, we could only settle for the consolation prize.

It was no easy feat competing in a fuel efficiency challenge when we already had a disadvantage of three people when other teams comprised two.

However, despite carrying extra weight throughout the drive, both the Q3 and A3 Sportback have proved that it was far possible to drive efficiently over such long distances with only a single tank of fuel.

All in all, should you consider heading on a long-distance drive crossing borders and care about the fuel consumption, getting behind the wheel of cars like Audi's Q3 and A3 Sportback would give you exactly that.

More importantly, driving technique does play a part. After all, a frugal car that doesn't drink much is just as important as travelling with the right company that is as determined as you to get to your destination in the safest, yet most entertaining way possible.

ALSO READ: 4,000km, 1 EV, zero arguments: From Thailand to Singapore and back

This article was first published in CarBuyer.