SUVs are not generally known for being especially fuel-efficient. But Danish adventurer Hans Tholstrup drove a diesel-powered Hyundai Santa Fe SUV (sorry, not available in the 'States...yet.) a total of more than 1,100 miles from the Australian city of Adelaide to Sydney on one tank of gas.

In fact, he still had a quarter-tank left by the time he got to Australia's famed East-Coast destination, so he decided to go more than 200 miles further before the tank finally went dry.

Although Hyundai is not a name synonymous with diesel performance or technology in the U.S., don't expect that to be the case for long. The only major hurdle keeping these models from our shores is emissions compliance, and with VW, DaimlerChrysler and Honda all publicly pledging to bring diesel models to the U.S. by the end of the decade, don't expect the ambitious Korean automaker to be far behind.