Grafton, Ma to Marathon, FL (Keys)

[mrmmacd77]

Just put in the paperwork for vacation for the end of February! Cheaper to drive then to fly surprisingly for 2 people.. well not really when you have a TDI....
Looks like the TDI will finally get its legs stretched for good.

1570 miles straight through 22~24 hours... (I'll be south of DC before daybreak)
3140 round trip.

Looks like I'll be well above 20k in one year of ownership..

 

[Locnar]

Nice. I'm thinking about making a trip to FL from NH next year using the Jetta. Let us know how it goes.

 

[mrmmacd77]

Will do.. as you know the grunt of the trip is our first 5 hours or so... then it's smooth sailing! I'm expecting 48~51mpg... will post numbers after the trip.

 

[Abacus]

We are headed to Panama City in early March, driving my B4 sedan of course.

 

[jimi179]

The hour around washington dc can be a major bummer.as well as nyc and the end of the nj tpke I'm going down, ny to vero beach,fl mid feb. I've made the trip many times but this is the first in my tdi...around town 33 mpg and winter mixed driving 35 mpg. going in for my 20k service next week. planing on a 500 mi first tank driving at 75 mph should bring me down to the virginia,nc line

 

[jimi179]

oh,and on the fl tpke south of ft lauderdale to miami they have a new "toll by plate" system,no booths..they mail you the toll if not registered,plus a $2.50 surcharge

 

[Honeydew]

You can stop at a plaza or Publix and pick up a sun pass. Last time I got one they were $5 with a $5 credit on the pass.

 

[knighthawk]

Our road trip starts next Friday! Heading from NH to FL for vacation with our 4 week old 2013 Passat TDI SE. We are taking the inland route as we should be able to maintain a better MPG by not being in so much traffic. Heading down to to Hartford on 91, then west on 84 at Hartford, south on 81 at Scranton, south on 77 out of Virginia and finally connecting with 95 south of Columbia GA.
I know it's a longer route, but with traffic on 95 I think it will take about the same amount of time.

 

[IndigoBlueWagon]

Did a large part of this drive last weekend: Boston's South Shore to Brevard NC on 90/84/81/26, then to Chapin SC to DanG144's GTG, then home on 95. Trucks are annoying on 81 and make it hard to keep the cruise on, and it's a challenge to get through DC without hitting traffic (found it was OK at 7 AM on Sunday), but the drive's not bad. We had ice in the NC mountains last Friday, but fortunately I wasn't traveling that day. Would have been unpleasant.

Enjoy the trip! We vacationed on Hawks Cay years ago and we really enjoyed it.

 

[Biz]

The TDI is great on a long trip. Took my 2012 Jetta from MA to NM a year ago. 6 day round trip, about 4000 miles as I recall. Kind of nuts. Max mileage for a day was 800+. MPG about 46, might have been better if it wasn't for the higher speeds out west, cruising at 75-80 for a lot of the time. Plus the nasty 30-40mph headwind for a half tank of fuel in the midwest! 40K on the car now.

 

[chefalan86]

Also Headed South

I too am driving from LI, NY to East Coast Florida. Ive done the trip on 95 all the way with my old F350. Now Im in my Jetta TDI with almost 6000 miles new, cant wait! Looking for alternative route, 95 is just so tedious and boring. Any Help?

 

[spheniscus]

CT to FL Keys

Have done this trip three times, with a fourth to come in a few weeks, on an '06 Jetta TDI sedan and an '11 Sportwagen TDI.... the cars are made for this. The Sportwagen averaged about 36-38 mpg on the last two jaunts, loaded with camping and kayaking gear and with two 18 foot kayaks on the roof. I expect to do better this year, perhaps 40 mpg loaded, as mileage has improved now the car is broken in (over 40k miles).
If you're looking to meander, follow the coast, taking any or all of the roads which lead to the ferry across the Delaware, or to the Chesapeake Bay BT, and on through coastal Virginia and North Carolina. You might even get better mileage moving at speeds unlikely to attract local law enforcement!
Sooner or later you end up on 95 again.

 

[chefalan86]

I was looking to stay west and hammer down. Would love to be in West Palm asap. Did the trip on 95 a few times and also did Asategue Island this past summer. Definately love the coast but a chunk of the blue ridge pkwy would be awesome. Leaning toward 81s.
Any travelers use the 81/77 routes?

 

[IndigoBlueWagon]

81 is decent, but can be frustrating because of the number of trucks. Also it's more likely you'll get snow/ice/fog in the winter. And the few times I've used part of the Blue Ridge Parkway I found it an exercise in frustration: very low speed limits and always someone in front of you observing them.

Having driven down that way on 81 and back on 95 last week, I think it's a tossup. 95 seems to move faster, but you've got more cities and traffic to deal with.

 

[chefalan86]

Thank you for the feedback. I think I will hit 95 and go! I don't want to deal with slow stuff. I have a CB and will keep an ear out for truck info. It is also a hoot to listen to all the people on channel 19. Thanks again

 

[mrmmacd77]

I've done the trip from Philly, my original home town 3 times now... I'm just a hammer down kind of guy... Driven the route so many times in a rig I always feel like I'm home or close to it.
Trick is I'm leaving around 8~9pm at night up here... that puts me through the Crossbronx at the best possible time 11:30ish... (I used to run the CBE around 3 to 4 times a day driving truck.. this is the best time usually.. or anything after 1am.. midnight is bad because they close down the GWB for oversized for about a 1/2 hour at times.. Beyond that I'll be around DC and Baltimore well before rush hour. I'll be hitting the south side of the NJTP by 2am..
I can't wait to get going here.

 

[Tappan1776]

I have taken that route a number of times! Yes it is longer but I would do anything to avoid the Baltimore/Washington beltways! Besides the western route it's much nicer driving through the mountains! Safe trip!

 

[gutts]

Hello
Yet another TDI is going to Fl. sometime soon. Going down for some sun. When i get back it will be SPRING!! (i hope)

 

[chefalan86]

OK, made the run down. Hit the road on Monday at 8:45 pm and drove over 1000 miles with only fuel stops. 22 hours, one driver... very comfortable. Averaged 42.3 mpg! The Jetta is a CHAMP! Friggin love it!

 

[knighthawk]

Just returned yesterday from our roadtrip to Orlando from NH in our Passat TDI SE that we picked up just a month ago... Our average MPG with 4 adults and luggage for a week was right around 44. Diesel prices took a jump just before we left and the highest we paid was in Mass on the way back at $4.20 per gallon. Estimate that the round trip fuel cost was around $260.

Our route was 91, 84, 81, 77, 26 and finally 95 for a total of about 1,470 miles each way.

Everyone enjoyed the route as we had done the I-95 trip last year. Much more pleasant scenery this time and we figured it took about the same amount of time as 95 too. Only slow spots were in CT, everything else flowed pretty well, but sometimes you do get stuck behind some trucks on 81.

 

[burpod]

lol, i too actually just got back from a trip to FL for work, in my rabbit tdi of course - i don't fly in planes fun drive, just took 95 the whole way. the key is to leave in the evening so you go through NYC at night, makes for a much easier drive! i too, drove straight thru (on the way down, at least). left foxboro, ma around 7pm and was in the daytona area around 3pm the next day zoom zoom

i miss the nice florida weather and palm trees *sigh*

 

[raydi07]

my wife and i made the trip from above nashville tn to marathon fl between christmas and new year in our 2012 passat tdi sel. Total of 46 gallons fuel used on the trip. Not to bad at all averaging 68mph the entire trip.

 

[mrmmacd77]

Just got back on Saturday. The trip down I averaged 48mpg 70~75 above the Florida state line... I fueled at the top end of Florida and reset the MPG and averaged 52mpg throughout Florida... actually closer to 56mpg in the actual keys but thats primarily 45~55 the whole way.. Trip was great on the way down... The way back was just rain, rain, rain, snow and some more rain... Back to work... I need to get my head back in the game!


It was a noticeable difference with the Florida fuel... I don't think they switch over to winterized diesel... but this is just a gut guess. NJ had the cheapest while all the other states were close to the same price. Northern NC was the priciest @4.30 so I suggest fueling up in southern VA as it was 20c cheaper a gallon. Wasn't aware that VA raised their speed limit to 70mph... That was a nice little surprise.. /cruise!

 

[jimi179]

I too drove back north in the rain, ga. and sc were the worst.. the dsg mileage only about 38? 10 mph over the limit seemed ok

 

[kjclow]

For those making these type of trips again, cheapest fuel is usually in Rock Hill, SC off I-77. It's the fist town after you cross the NC/SC state line. Taxes are cheaper in SC and with the Charlotte draw, the gas and fuel prices are usually 20 cents lower.

 

[gutts]

OK now that I am back in sunny central Ct. From sunny central Fl. SPRING can begin NOW !!