But the other participants in the Audi Efficiency Challenge are – and with the 5.0 litres for the Audi TT TDI, the 4.4 litres for the Audi A4 2.0 TDI e and even the 3.3 litres for the Audi A3 1.6 TDI. All of these are figures well below those of the published nominal fuel consumption for these models. The Efficiency Challenge has proven that Audi’s stated consumption figures are close to reality, and that even these figures can be undercut with an efficiency-conscious driving style.
The last day, the final leg – and, once again, Mother Nature pulls out all the stops. She beguiles with the charm of warm sunshine glancing across sparkling white mountain tops. The ninth leg of the Audi Efficiency Challenge is a day in the High Alps. After leaving Kitzbuehel, it heads past Wörgl on the E60/E45 and up the River Inn to Innsbruck. Passing by Telfs and Imst, the motorway continues on to Laneck, where it leaves the Inn. Shortly afterwards, it dips into a series of tunnels, the longest of which is the 14 kilometre long Arlberg road tunnel. To the south are the Verwall Alps, rising to over 3,000 metres. Near Bludenz, the landscape opens up and the road turns northwards toward Lake Constance.
Close to the south east edge of the lake, the route enters Switzerland – lunch is served in Rorschach. The well-kept little town on the lake boasts three railway stations and a dock for passenger ships. A monthly newspaper was printed in Rorschach in 1597 – presumed to be the world’s first periodical, and an historical monument for journalists of this world.
The Restaurant Aqua, fine dining in Rorschach, is located directly on the lake, with a glazed terrace overhanging the water. The restaurant has its own marina with 35 moorings. Lake Constance, with its 536 square kilometre surface area is a paradise for hobby sailors, with around 60,000 private boats currently registered there. The water quality is once more very good – 4.5 million people in Switzerland and Germany are supplied with drinking water from Lake Constance.
The E43, the Rhine Valley motorway, takes the Efficiency Challenge southwards, passing the principality of Liechtenstein and onwards to Graubünden. On the other side of the regional capital of Chur, it plunges into extremely mountainous terrain. In the country’s largest canton, which encompasses all of eastern Switzerland, there are no less than 462 peaks over 3,000 metres and one over 4,000, the Piz Bernina (4,049 metres). It also boasts 615 lakes. Graubünden is sparsely populated and is a microcosm of Switzerland. Alongside German, the languages spoken here also include Italian and Rhaeto-Romanic, a language closely related to Latin. Naturally, this is a very lengthy uphill stretch, which isn’t exactly good for efficiency. But, on the “other” side, it is pretty much non-stop relaxed downhill driving – even here, after we pass the Alpenhauptkamm and the San Bernadino Tunnel. After Bellizona in Tessin, it branches off the motorway to the western bank of Lago Maggiore. It skirts Locarno, which boasts the warmest climate in Switzerland, and crosses the border into Italy, where it follows the lake for several more scenic kilometres. Right before Verbania, it takes a turn to the right – to Bée, the ultimate destination of the Efficiency Challenge.
Alessandro Borella, the Mayor of the Commune di Bée, waves the chequered flag and welcomes the participants personally. There is a carnival atmosphere in the small village as the participants drive the last few metres of their long journey. Signore Serafini, the Carabinieri Marshall, and his squad ensure that order is maintained – that’s Italian order, of course, with kids all over the place, dogs barking and grandmothers chattering. A little festival to round off the Efficiency Challenge – it couldn’t have been better.
