Rare Rides: This Extremely Rare 2015 Volkswagen XL1 Gets 260 Miles Per Gallon
Today’s Rare Ride is a nearly-new example of the very limited production Volkswagen XL1. Equal parts efficiency and rarity, this is the first Volkswagen product featured in our Rare Rides series, and probably the most efficient vehicle we’ll ever see here.
Come check out what 260 miles per gallon looks like.
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.
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.
[Images via seller]
Interested in lots of cars and their various historical contexts. Started writing articles for TTAC in late 2016, when my first posts were QOTDs. From there I started a few new series like Rare Rides, Buy/Drive/Burn, Abandoned History, and most recently Rare Rides Icons. Operating from a home base in Cincinnati, Ohio, a relative auto journalist dead zone. Many of my articles are prompted by something I'll see on social media that sparks my interest and causes me to research. Finding articles and information from the early days of the internet and beyond that covers the little details lost to time: trim packages, color and wheel choices, interior fabrics. Beyond those, I'm fascinated by automotive industry experiments, both failures and successes. Lately I've taken an interest in AI, and generating "what if" type images for car models long dead. Reincarnating a modern Toyota Paseo, Lincoln Mark IX, or Isuzu Trooper through a text prompt is fun. Fun to post them on Twitter too, and watch people overreact. To that end, the social media I use most is Twitter, @CoreyLewis86. I also contribute pieces for Forbes Wheels and Forbes Home.
More by Corey Lewis
Comments
Join the conversation
So we can spend a fortune to save money... Aptera is dead, this is like that, Aptera had better aero. They need to build cars with better aero like these, most of the saving is in aero and weight. It's pretty ridiculous we can't buy tiny diesel hybrid powered commuter cars, the all electric stuff can't go far enough yet, needs at least on board generating.
This looks like the cab that Biff took in BttF2.