VW XL-1: we drive the future
Tom Ford drives the 313mpg hypercar right across Britain. For about 20 pence of diesel
Posted: 03 Feb 2014
In fact, the XL-1 is a potent expression of what happens when engineers get unhealthily fixated. The specifications read like a wish list for enthusiasts of automotive parsimony: a two-seat diesel-electric hybrid that claims 313mpg, with a plug-in hybrid drivetrain that coughs out just 21g/km CO2. The monocoque, all the exterior bits and even the anti-roll bars are made from carbon fibre reinforced polymer for strength and lightness, and the shape has been teardropped - the rear wheels are almost entirely faired, the mirrors have been replaced with rear-facing e-mirror cameras and the rear track is much narrower than the front - for a drag-defeating coefficient of 0.186. It's basically an eel with wheels. Even the paint is lightweight: the XL-1 is coated with a special fleece layer before the colour is applied, giving a 50 per cent reduction in paint weight, and the laminated windscreen is a barely there 3.2mm thick. The wheels are magnesium and feature tyres skinnier than a Hollywood starlet. The result is a car so focused, it could burn a hole in the floor.