2015 Volkswagen XL1

VEHICLE DESCRIPTION

With only 250 having been built – and fewer than 30 delivered new to the UK – this Volkswagen XL1 is a highly exclusive technological showcase. 

Developed with maximum fuel efficiency in mind, it features a monocoque body made of carbon fibre reinforced plastic, which is 50 per cent lighter than its steel equivalent. Further weight savings come from the polycarbonate side windows, ceramic brakes, and the widespread use of aluminium, giving a total weight of only 795kg. 

Close attention was also paid to the aerodynamics. The driver and passenger seats are slightly offset in order to produce a more efficient shape, the underbody is fully fared-in, external cameras are used instead of wing mirrors, and the frontal area is about two-thirds that of a Volkswagen Polo. 

Power comes from an 800cc, twin-cylinder TDI engine with an integrated electric motor, driving through a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox. Although Volkswagen included cruise control, ABS, parking sensors, air-conditioning and multimedia functionality, its quest for weight-saving meant that there is no power assistance for the steering – not a problem thanks to the slim wheels and tyres. 

The XL1 being offered for sale was first registered on 16 November 2015, after its delivery inspection had taken place on 29 September at Volkswagen Group UK’s Technical Service Centre in Milton Keynes. It has returned there each year for annual servicing and has still covered less than 5000 miles.

Presented in immaculate condition, it attracts attention like few other cars with its striking shape, faired-in rear wheels and distinctive upwards-opening doors. This is a rare opportunity to acquire a technological tour de force that combines concept-car styling, limited-edition collectability and cutting-edge hybrid efficiency.

MODEL HISTORY  

The roots of the Volkswagen XL1 can be found in a concept car that first appeared in April 2002, and which was developed with the goal of travelling 100 kilometres on a single litre of fuel. 

Driven between Wolfsburg and Hamburg by chairman Ferdinand Piëch, it featured tandem seating and an aircraft-style canopy, features that were carried over to the L1. Unveiled at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show, this updated concept featured more refined styling and had been fitted with an 800cc, twin-cylinder turbo-diesel engine, plus an electric motor. The whole car weighed only 381kg and Volkswagen claimed that it could reach 98mph. 

The final evolutionary step before the production car was the 2011 XL1. The seating arrangement had been changed to a staggered side-by-side set-up and weight had risen to 795kg, but Volkswagen claimed that it could achieve more than 300mpg from its diesel-electric hybrid powertrain.

The production version of the XL1 was introduced at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show, and despite a price tag of more than €100,000, demand comfortably exceeded supply. Volkswagen announced that only 250 would be built and offered for sale only in left-hand drive. German deliveries started in June 2014 and the XL1 was a finalist in that year’s European Car of the Year award. 

When Car magazine tested an XL1 in Switzerland, it recorded 156mpg over a varied six-hour route and called the car ‘an object lesson in vehicle dynamics. The steering is honest and keen, the chassis is firm and stable … the skinny tyres have more grip than that small contact patch suggests, and the engine and motor are really something when they fuse power and torque.’

It concluded by saying that the Volkswagen XL1 ‘shows what can be done when brainpower and money are no object’.