It's good to know even green efforts are recognized by the Guinness World Records. In this case, it's the record for lowest fuel consumption across the 48 contiguous United States and it's John and Helen Taylor who have broken in by averaging 58.82 miles to the gallon.

The Taylors' vehicle of choice was a brand-new clean diesel Volkswagen Jetta TDI that used Shell Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel and is compliant in all 50 states. However the green fuel and most recent developments in efficient engines aren't the only reason for the title and the accolades -  the Taylors used everday fuel-saving tips to help them.

The previous record for low fuel consumption was 51.58 miles per gallon. The Taylors drove 9,419 miles over 20 days and at some points even achieved more than 60 miles per gallon. On average, the trip cost 6.9 cents per mile (Sure beats $4 per gallon!).

"The terrain was very diverse, the weather less than ideal, and the traffic heavy at rush hour and the VW Jetta TDI handled it all beautifully, showing its fuel efficiency and its fun-to-drive dynamic capability, just two of this vehicle's many attributes," said John Taylor. "The car efficiently helped us to drive to a fuel economy world record."

Hear more of what John and Helen have to say about their adventure in the video below!

» The Auto Channel