Skip to main content

Find of the Day: This VW XL1 Gets 260 Miles Per Gallon but Has Only Driven 10

[See image gallery at www.vwvortex.com]

 

The lead-up to the production XL1 started with two separate prototype generations. In 2002 Volkswagen debuted a concept called the VW 1-Litre. While not intended for production, this prototype served as the basis for a second generation that was more production-ready. The second model, known as the L1, debuted in 2009 at the Frankfurt Motor Show. But consumers’ hopes for production of the L1 were short-lived, as the XL1 we see here was announced in 2011.

After a couple of years of decision making, XL1 production began in 2013. Volkswagen stated it would build just 250 total cars — the company would retain 50 examples and sell the remaining 200 units to eager, efficient customers.

Unlike prior versions featuring tandem seating, the XL1 adopted a more traditional and consumer-friendly side-by-side seating position. Butterfly doors allow access to an interior which looks surprisingly normal for a vehicle of this type.

media4

A diesel plug-in hybrid, the XL1 uses a two-cylinder, 0.8-liter turbodiesel engine working in connection with a hybrid battery. The fueled engine produces 47 horsepower, with the electric motor providing an additional 27 horses.

Despite the slight power figures and engine size, the XL1 is not all that slow. 0-62 mph arrives in 11.9 seconds, with a top speed of 98 miles per hour. Considering the efficiency achieved here, this performance seems quite an achievement. Credit these figures to the low drag coefficient of 0.189, and a weight figure of 1,753 pounds. For reference, that weight is quite close to a VW Beetle from the 1950s.

The XL1 is rear-drive, and the seven-speed DSG transmission is not the CVT your author expected.

For scale, the XL1 is roughly the size of a VW Polo, but with a much lower roof. Even children are taller than the XL1, which is just 46.6 inches in height.

This particular example just popped up at a dealer in England with just 10 miles on the odometer. That means it has the same fuel in the tank as it did in the factory, assuming Volkswagen put four ounces of diesel in it. Original asking price in 2013 was $146,000. The dealer is asking $131,646, which is quite a bit of depreciation after 10 miles of use.

A version of this article first appeared on thetruthaboutcars.com

The post Find of the Day: This VW XL1 Gets 260 Miles Per Gallon but Has Only Driven 10 appeared first on VWVortex.



from VWVortex http://ift.tt/2ylpeC9
via IFTTT

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Watch: The Stig Drives (nearly) Seven Generations of Golf GTI

With Volkswagen announcing “major” updates to the Golf, it seems an appropriate time to look back on what we’ve had so far. And who better to guide us through the rich history of the most popular European car ever made than Ben Collins, the former Stig? Some say he’s never met a GTI he doesn’t love, and that he can’t grow any of his own facial hair. All we know is … Ben Collins is actually a pretty solid presenter. Working his way through seven generations of the GTI (skipping over the Mk6) Collins tells us a little bit about each one and matches each mark to its corresponding facial hair craze. The Mk1 GTI for instance, is light and quick, but can lose traction under hard acceleration (in heavy rain). Despite that, Collins calls the Mk1 a “pure gem.” The Mk4, meanwhile, is a powerful return to form after the perhaps too sensible Mk3. Collins ends in the only way he could, with the Mk7, which accelerates faster than a Lamborghini Countach and is all kinds of wonderful. Watch, ...

Watch: The Story of the Ads that Made VW Big in America

The ads for the original Beetle are almost as famous and well-loved as the Beetle itself. Looking back now it’s easy to forget, though, just how easily things could have wrong. A new short from Dial M Films tracks the history of those early Volkswagen ads that sold America on the people’s car. The story, of course, begins with the visionary agency that made the ads: Doyle Dane Bernach (DDB). As a popular agency for Jewish products, no agency was more aware of the implications of Volkswagen, and no one, it seems, was more skeptical of the brand than DDB. “Remember Those Great Volkswagen Ads?” from Dial M Films on Vimeo . William Bernbach, though, was adament that the firm take the client, probably as a way of attracting other lucrative automotive clients. Saddled with a client that he didn’t want, art director Helmut Krone says in the film that he originally came up with ads that were all wrong. Krone tried to do what other manufacturers did and was intent on selling the Beetle ...

Watch: The Zerouno Cruis’n USA

ItalDesign is drumming up excitement for its new supercar based around the same 5.2-liter Audi V10 that powers the R8. Naturally, it hit the road for a cruise around California last week to celebrate Monterey Car Week. There isn’t much in the way of V10 noise—which is a real shame given the sound it makes—but you do at least get a good look at the car inside and out in this video. With a body made entirely of carbon fiber and designed to be as aerodynamic and light as possible, ItalDesign figures that it will be good for a 0-60 time of just 3.2 seconds. “We put it our best skills into the production of the first car,” said Massimo Bovi, head of pre-series production, when the Zerouno was first unveiled in Geneva earlier this year. “Using some of the finest productions methods and engaging our high-skilled workers.” The car features clever aero tricks gleaned from single-seat racing, like a y-duct up front to improve downforce and turn-in. Available in a number of trim levels, the...