Volkswagen XL1 review, test drive

The VW XL1’s sole reason to be is to go as far as possible on a litre of diesel. Hormazd Sorabjee drives this extraordinary car.

Published on May 31, 2015 04:35:00 PM

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Fully charged and ready to go, the XL1 starts off silently on pure electric power. You can drive this way for around 40km, after which the diesel engine kicks in. If there is anything low-tech about the XL1 apart from the mechanical window winders, it’s the way the two-cylinder engine sounds. It’s got a very rudimentary thrum, something like a cross between a tractor and an autorickshaw. In fact, there’s a fair bit of mechanical noise seeping into the cabin. Clearly, there isn’t much sound-deadening material, not because it’s too expensive, but too heavy for a car where every gram counts. The brake pads gripping the ceramic discs give off a scraping sound, the suspension sounds clunky, there’s a fair bit of tyre noise and the odd thud from the transmission can be heard as the clutch engages and releases.

There’s a practical side too – space for a few soft bags.

For a car with unconventional proportions and a titch of a powerplant, the XL1 is surprisingly fun to drive. On just electric power, performance is modest and just about enough to keep up with the fairly fast-moving traffic on the rural roads outside Wolfsburg. Use the diesel and electric motor in tandem, and you can get up to some serious speeds. There’s a nice shove in the back, especially between 50- and 100kph and it’s surprisingly capable on the autobahn too. The fact that you’re just inches away from the ground makes you feel like you’re going faster than you really are. The seven-speed DSG gearbox works seamlessly too and makes the most of both power units. It’s slowing the car down that is a bit unnerving because of the lack of a brake booster. Rearward visibility is also an issue and you have to rely on tiny screens in the door panels, which act as side mirrors.

You find yourself sitting mere inches above the tarmac.

The XL1 is a surprisingly nifty handler and actually fun to drive. Low slung and with a 5kWh battery pack placed at floor level, it has a centre of gravity that makes a conventional hatch feel like a double-decker bus. There’s very little roll and grip is good too, despite the weedy tyres and narrow track.

The XL1’s steering isn’t power-assisted (again, this is to save weight), but with very little weight
over the front wheels, it’s not too heavy and is accurate as well.

A lot of the tech in the XL1 is expected to find its way into mainstream Volkswagen cars. Now don’t expect your next Polo to drip with carbonfibre or come with enclosed wheels, of course, but it will be more fuel-efficient for sure. Now you know where VW’s inspiration to make cars that drink less comes from.