There’s not many cars that will get 38 miles per gallon on the highway and do 0-60 in five and a half seconds.  Meet the 2014 A6 and A7 TDI clean diesel sedans and Q5 utility. All three holster 240 horsepower and get this…428 pound-feet of torque. Our task for this drive was to maximize efficiency, but this was one challenge I’d enjoy losing. 

Our cruise started in an A6, Audi’s middle-weight cruiser, where I immediately fell in love with this world-class interior and wasted no time opening up the 3 liter V6 turbo with an 8-speed gearbox from ZF. Smooth and comfortable performance is what you can expect.There’s a bit of lag once you mash the gas from a dig but then you feel what’s coming and get a funny feeling inside. With a good mix of spirited driving and cruising I recorded a 35.5 miles per gallon run after 100 miles.

Next was the A7. A gorgeous hatchback that’s slightly heavier and more expensive than the A6. Same platform, different feel, and after more hot-footing, I recorded 33.6 mpg after 91 miles.

Last was the cheapest, but still very fun Q5. My taller co-driver didn’t seem to fit too well, but he was still having a blast. We recorded 32.7 mpg after 109 miles. The second generation Audi 3- liter V6 diesel is quieter, lighter, faster and gets awesome fuel economy. It looks like this performance secret is out of the bag and Audi’s holding it.