Why the VW XL1 was a 300mpg Bugatti Veyron. Hypermiling Hybrid Hypercar review.
Why the Volkswagen XL1 was the Veyron of eco cars.
Hypermiling Hybrid Hypercar review.
Hypermiling Hybrid Hypercar review – Volkswagen XL1 is 10yrs old.
The world’s most fuel efficient car is 10 years old. Jonny Smith finally gets to drive the extra quirky diesel turbo PHEV aerodynamic teardrop that is the Volkswagen XL1. But is it still impressive? And is Jonny’s gen 1 Honda Insight significantly worse for less than a 10th of the price?
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Jonny Smith
Creative content maker, car presenter & car pervert for hire since ’98
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CHAPTERS
0:00 Intro
0:55 XL1 is 10 years old
2:34 Carvertical check
3:02 RWD, mid engined
3:32 Hypercar construction
3:51 The engine
4:42 Charging unit
4:59 Diesel MPG
5:36 Honda Insight comparison
6:22 Driving
6:35 Plastic windows
7:04 Engine noise
7:55 Carbon ceramic brakes
8:31 Gullwing doors
8:54 Camera mirrors
9:11 Dimensions
10:01 Magnesium wheels
10:27 Thinnest tyres!
11:10 Loss leader
11:33 The cabin
13:27 Windy windows!
14:00 Gameboy dash graphics
15:00 Driving contd
16:52 Motorway driving
#bestphevcar #quirkycar #hypermiling #thelatebrakeshow #4k
50 Comments
I wish more cars were designed around this ethos. Imagine going back 10 years and setting the course for having these as most peoples daily drivers rather than SUV's and crossovers
You need to get a look at the Aptera. Iv'e had my pre-booking on one for 3yrs
Nobody wants us to have efficient vehicles, thats why this bucket costs 100k.
Too bad volvo took that headlight design and ran with it because it suits the VW family
This kind of diesel or the new Mazda rotary with an electric hybrid is the future.
I wonder how the MPG would be now, if they had made the next iteration with the same effort in these days. I would expect at least 20% better efficiency.
This car is just a staggering masterpiece of engineering. And what a beautiful VW-era this was as you said.
I wish we could have a car like this
In an age of mediocrity and low risk, I’d like to see more experimental cars like these. Thank you Jonny.
I'm just wondering why VW doesn't release such a – limited – BEV (perhaps with a 35kWh battery) – this would be a showroom of excellence!
This is what the vw beetle should be made into
Just imagine putting a today EV drive tech in a body shaped like this. You would get 500km range from half the battery they use in SUVs for 400km range.
at around 21:10 you said the window reminded you of a nissan sera, nissan never made the sera toyota did. anyways thanks for the cool video!
I know Brits want to be like Americans and not use metric like the rest of the world but when was diesel sold in gallons in the UK?
Talking about MPG when trying to portray the future sounds ridiculous!
My guess is that the EV people think by using MPG that it sounds better than l/100Km 🤷🏼♂️
1991 Chevy Sprint – four seats – 735 kg. If you really want a light car, start with a velomobile.
Man… My favorite car like this is one you can't even review. It's the long dead 1997 Dodge Intrepid III. Chrysler was one of the few companies to take on then-President Clinton's challenge for higher economy cars. What they ended up with was a 3rd gen Intrepid body, shaped a lot like a fennel seed, a 3-cylinder diesel engine-generator setup that passed through a 5-speed manual transmission that was automatically clutched and shifted by servo motors, terminating at 75hp motors at each wheel. All-wheel drive, locomotive style power delivery system, automated manual transmission, and >60mpg. And it was still largely normal in size.
It's intentionally bad. The og study, 1l/100km at 70kmh, was lighter, more aero and still had AC n airbags. The vw xl 1 is heavy. I know. But think about it. A 80hp caterham is lighter, without carbon fibre. The vw xl1 exists to say: eco cars dont make sense theyd be too expensive. When the reality is that it would just need dedicated legislation and manufacturers to make cheap efficient 2_3 seaters below 650kg, with 130kmh topspeed from steel and plastic. With 2_3 l per 100 km. Tandem seating. Comfy for 1_2. Not comfy for anyone if you squeeze in 3 but will do for 30-60 min from and to a club or for a couple and their 8 year old. The people on YouTube building go karts or f1 like cars if so tasked could beat the XL 1 without using electric.same basic ingredients as those projects but narrower. The aero fairing would be the hardest part to make.
Brilliant car.
Brilliant episode…
Just goes to prove, that people or car companies can produce energy efficient cars .
I have always be saying that we have the technology…but our governments introduce laws, that push us in 'money in our pockets' direction…
That they take ours…
A false direction…
Great video…glad you showed it ..
Just such a beautiful car. I wish there was more focus on efficiency in car design these days.
If we didn't move to electric, I'd 100% still have my Insight. The only complaint I ever had with it was that I got the CVT instead of the manual, but even then over about 9 years with it I averaged just over 60 mpg with a best tank mpg of 75. It's also just a surprisingly rare car. So many kids and adults alike had never seen them, so it always got reactions driving around!
I think you should visit also the Honda CR-Z, in case you missed it
Hmm… I got 261 mpg based on 0.9 L/100 km.
11:16 at that angle, you can kind of see some Audi R8. Haha!
How can people not see that this was the direction to go rather than obsess over carrying a tonne of batteries?? What a mess we're in now.
I bet you're still have to pay ULEZ on it! 🙄
100,000lbs getting 300mpg?
yeah…and I have a horse cock
Way less GHG overall than electrics, IMO.
Considering when it was released and the importance of it, I wouldn't be surprised if this was part of the "dieselgate" fiasco. You're probably only getting 100MPG if that 😂
Lets hope the aptera doesnt go the same way of being almost forgotten
That was the most exciting car review I've watched in quite some time.
So what was the actual fuel consumption during the driving for this video?
That XL1 is like a lovely big Sinclair C5
Check out the Loremo
W12 phaeton all day. But this is cool too
Far too sensible, it never stood a chance.
This kind of efficiency would make hydrogen cars a viable option from fueling perspective for longer range vehicles without emissions
props to the mk1 honda insight modders in the USA – they the bees knees. the longer the tail the better the mpg
Very interesting how much that thing looks like a fusion of the 1967 Citroën DS, the 1975 Citroën CX and the 1970 Citroën GS, isn't it?
Also interesting: They had an XL one, and nonetheless today sell atrocities like a T-Cross, a Tiguan, a Tuareg, and, summit of all car imbecilities, an Amaroc.
Oh look… It a copy of the 2000 Honda insight!!! 🙄🙄
Aptera FTW 👍
Butterfly doors, not gull wing doors.
Kinda reminds me of a sirocco
never heard of this incredible thing before. I don't care about emissions, but they are trying to get them down. hybrid is the way. #VW brin this back more affordaple.
Great video, amazing looking thing
Turn on the aircon and lose 250mpg of that economy?
Why doesn’t someone build an EV like this rather than big, fat and heavy SUVs or something more like a Vauxhall Calibra. We just seem to be going backwards nowadays!
I would rather have the Insight than the XL1, but for practicality I would rather have my 2017 Prius Prime. Also an amazing vehicle.
The sera is heavy and slow. Kind of a terrible thing
To all the complainers, why manufacturers choose not to focus on hypermilers: but who could fit into this after their daily pound of beef? And is there room for six cups and a gun holder? — both fat, ugly people and guys with holographic sticker on their baseball hat and a little wiener, need big, ugly cars designed by infantile single-childs that played too much with Hot Wheels.
I presume you're not required by law to put "AD" on the video when you're doing an ad, but you really should do that anyway.