Would you believe a Volkswagen Beetle can get 1000 miles per gallon? Would you believe 313 miles per gallon? According to Yahoo! Auto, VW has announced the XL1 which it vows will travel 313 mpg on a gallon of diesel. While the production version is now a reality, the world and East Texas may not be ready for this Bug.
It has a two-cylinder 0.8 liter engine which is half the size of the current diesel standard. There is a 7 speed transmission and a 5.5 kWh battery and electric motor. And, it weighs 1,752 pounds. That’s about half of a typical American midsize sedan. I think my riding lawn mower had better specs.
Now, here’s the rub. It travels about 38 miles on a full charge, then you go to diesel. It takes 12.7 seconds to get up to 62 mph. Top speed is 99 mph. That’s not fast enough for city driving - even in East Texas. There is only limited storage in the front - the engine is in the rear. It seats only two people. And, nobody know what it will cost when it hits the market.
I love the old Beetles. They were tough - they survived me. It was a fun car to drive, got pretty good mileage and was affordable. Then they fixed it. Now they want to fix it again.
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
PMO
©2013
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