I wish we had an ‘At Last’ category, because we’d definitely put this on top of the list. The Daily Telegraph in the UK recently snagged a real life, honest to goodness, test drive of the forthcoming Volkswagen XL1 Hybrid car and came out very impressed. Which is unusual for a motoring correspondent. Not a brodering in sight.
Admittedly this is not your average family saloon, especially not at an anticipated starting price of £30,000 to £40,000 on the road, but hey, it’s a start right? We first reported on the VW initiative to deliver 100+ mpg waaaay back in April 2002 which just shows how long it takes to get something off the drawing board and onto the road. Of course we’re not sure they were trying that hard anyway, judging by the rest of the car industry.
Anyway, here it is, and in the words of Andrew English, the reviewer himself:
“It’s the most exciting car I’ve driven in an age, but unfortunately now I must gently break the news to my old, 15mpg Aston Martin that its supercar heyday might be coming to an end”
We’ll wait to see how long it takes to bring the cost down to a level where ordinary mortals can own one, or whether, like the Chevy Volt and Tesla S, eco travel is destined to remain an upper echelon mode of transportation.