Published On: Wed, Jul 2nd, 2014

Pricing For Volkswagen’s Eco-Friendly XL1 Car Announced

Arguably the world’s most energy-efficient production car, the Volkswagen XL1 is known for its futuristic styling and futuristic powertrain technology! The German car manufacturer has recently announced pricing for the Volkswagen XL1. Priced at USD $146,000, the Volkswagen XL1 also happens to be one of the company’s most-expensive production cars available for purchase. But is it worth paying six-figure money for what is essentially a diesel hybrid car?

Volkswagens Eco-Friendly XL1 Car

 

To be honest, I knew very little about this car apart from the fact that it reminds me of the Audi RSQ product placement car used in the 2004 sci-fi film I, Robot.

So, what’s the big deal about the Volkswagen XL1, and should you sell your house to buy one?

It turns out that there is plenty to rave about when it comes to the XL1. Although you might want to keep your house and maybe purchase something more within your budget from motorlinedirect.co.uk instead!

What exactly is the Volkswagen XL1?

The Volkswagen XL1 is known as Volkswagen’s one-litre car. You might be thinking that the car merely features a one-litre engine under the bonnet, but what Volkswagen is referring to is the fact that the car can travel 100 kilometres on just one litre of diesel fuel!

That translates to a figure of 280 mpg; a truly insane amount of fuel economy for an insanely expensive car! But if you are a wealthy eco-friendly motorist, you had better be quick because Volkswagen is only making 200 of these models.

280 mpg? How?

You might think that creating such an eco-friendly car would be impossible unless you had to propel the car manually as Fred Flintstone often did with his, but I can assure you that there are no holes where your feet would normally rest!

Volkswagen claim that they were able to achieve such a milestone in futuristic automotive technology by using lightweight materials such as a carbon fibre skin over a magnesium alloy subframe.

 

Aerodynamics

The design of the car is streamlined and extremely aerodynamic:

  • The two interior seats are bolted to the floor in tandem rather than side-by-side;
  • There are no external door mirrors. Instead, the car uses cameras and electronics to provide driver navigation aids;
  • The drag coefficient is 0.159, whereas for standard cars that figure is normally 0.40.

Powertrain

The Volkswagen XL1 is powered by a small 800cc twin-cylinder, common-rail turbo-diesel engine that produces 47 brake horsepower. Additionally, the car also contains a 27 brake horsepower electric motor with a 5.5 kWh lithium-ion battery.

It has a maximum range of 50 kilometres, or 31 miles, when running on electric power only. The power is delivered to the rear wheels, and the powertrain is connected to a modified seven-speed DSG (dual-shift gearbox).

The Volkswagen XL1 lottery

Because only 200 models are being produced, and more than 200 consumers want to buy an XL1, there is a lottery of sorts to decide who will be eligible for the purchase of the car.

The lucky “winners” will be required to pay a USD $27,000 deposit to secure their vehicle.

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