{"id":62975,"date":"2013-07-18T13:15:10","date_gmt":"2013-07-18T17:15:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thedetroitbureau.com\/?p=62975"},"modified":"2013-07-18T13:25:19","modified_gmt":"2013-07-18T17:25:19","slug":"first-drive-261-mpg-volkswagen-xl1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/2013\/07\/first-drive-261-mpg-volkswagen-xl1\/","title":{"rendered":"First Drive: 261 MPG Volkswagen XL1"},"content":{"rendered":"
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At a rated 261 mpg, the VW XL1 could go from NYC to Boston on a gallon - not a tank - of fuel.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It takes a bit of effort to slip in under the gullwing doors and then wedge oneself into the low-slung seat of the Volkswagen XL1. And it\u2019s even more difficult for my co-pilot as the passenger seat is set slightly rearward, almost tandem-style.<\/p>\n

The simple reality is that the windswept two-seater isn\u2019t built for comfort. The Volkswagen XL1 was designed for maximum mileage. And we\u2019re not talking something like the mere 50 to 60 miles per gallon of today\u2019s best hybrids, nor the 100 mpg \u201cequivalent\u201d ratings of some of the latest battery-electric vehicles. No, this diesel plug-in hybrid recently received a mind-boggling rating from European authorities of 261 miles per gallon, far and away an all-time record.<\/p>\n

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Describing the XL1 as \u201cmy baby,\u201d program manager Steven Volckaert notes the project has been underway for more than a decade, with the original goal of squeezing out 100 kilometers from a single liter of fuel. For the metrically challenged, that works out to about 235 mpg.<\/p>\n

VW revealed its first attempt in 2009, a tandem-seating concept dubbed the L1. \u00a0With a somewhat more traditional interior layout \u2013 and even better mileage, the XL1 made its world debut at the Geneva Motor Show last February.<\/p>\n

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The XL1 with its gullwing doors open.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

But what came as a shock was news that VW would actually put the extreme machine into production, albeit in limited numbers, a year or so from now.\u00a0 Specific details have yet to be worked out, including the price. It\u2019s likely to rival that of some of the German maker\u2019s more luxurious models \u2013 but even then, the cost almost certainly won\u2019t come close to covering the actual cost of building the XL1, even if the mileage champ were to start rolling out of the factory in the same volume as more mainstream Volkswagen models like the Golf.<\/p>\n

(GM planning to export Spark EV battery-car. <\/em>Click Here<\/span><\/a>for the story.)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

No surprise considering what it takes to achieve 261 miles per gallon. There were three key elements to the project:<\/p>\n