Volkswagen XL1: Spotted

Could you pay as much for an XL1 as a BMW i8?

Well now this is a turn up. Following a semi-confirmation of price in 2013, the Volkswagen XL1 has rather fallen off the eco radars of many. No doubt the rarity will have contributed to that, but we must also cite a certain 'i' brand and VW's - how to be diplomatic - tricky relationship with diesel in the past year as contributing factors also.

Exotic diesel hybrid? Yes, really!

But there is a VW XL1 for sale on PH, in the UK and at a VW main dealer. In Crewe of all places. Imagine popping in for a service on your Polo GTI and seeing this there. Must be like finding Kobe beef at the deli counter; sort of like what you're getting, but so much more exotic. And rarer. And more expensive.

You'll think that's just a poor simile in a failed humour attempt, but the XL1 really is that special. To dismiss it on performance terms (yes, that 0-62mph time is correct) would be like criticising the Bugatti Veyron for not handling like an Elise - it's entirely missing the point.

That Veyron reference is deliberate too, because it and the XL1 are of course creations of the same man, Ferdinand Piech. Like the Bugatti, the little XL1 was born from a vision of Piech's (to create a car that returned 1l/100km, or 282mpg) that took many years, many prototypes and many millions to bring to production. The result is very expensive, very rare and bursting with technical intrigue.

You can read the full XL1 lowdown from 2013 here, but consider these little nuggets first off: it's a diesel hybrid with two seats and luggage space that weighs 795kg, it has magnesium wheels (like another of Piech's greatest hits, the Porsche 917), it has carbon ceramic brakes and its design was inspired by sharks. Sharks carve the water well, the XL1 carves the air with similar efficiency: its drag co-efficient is 0.189Cd. This is cool eco motoring, not the worthy and miserable kind.

Rear visibility not the best...

To drive, the XL1 is fascinating. That light weight bestows upon it real agility and a sense of speed, the unassisted steering is a joy and the powertrain calibration was - on a short test at least - damn near perfect. As a quirky commuter car with the legs for longer journeys it was hard to think of anything better.

But times have changed since 2013. The BMW i3 does electric city car with usable range extremely well for £30K, and then the i8 occupies the eco-supercar role that the VW did (at least in terms of looks and presence) three years ago. And, when the XL1 is for sale at £105,995, that game changing BMW has to be a consideration. Someone will probably mention the original Honda Insight here too.

Yet somehow the Volkswagen holds greater appeal than all of them. Perhaps it's the fact that it represents one man's bloody mindedness to see an idea through, rather than being a logical business plan. Perhaps it's the incongruity of the final product having a VW badge on it. Dare potential classic status even be brought into the argument? Whatever the reason, buying a six-figure car from Crewe that isn't a Bentley has never, ever looked so tempting.

VW XL1
Engine: 800cc two-cylinder turbodiesel plus electric motor
Transmission: Seven-speed dual-clutch automatic, rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): c. 67@5,700-6,700rpm (diesel engine - 47hp, electric - 27hp)
Torque (lb ft): 103@ 1,750-5,500rpm
MPG: 313 (NEDC combined)
CO2: 21g/km
First registered: 2015
Recorded mileage: 70
Price new: ~£90,000
Yours for: £105,995