VW Delivers The First XL1

A handshake doesn't always means a nice deal.
Might not be the case, trading a value of 4 Nissan Leafs for one laboratory joke.
Wealthy people do bizarre things...

Or not, it means it a future time a classic flop, to be a valuable asset...

I would not bet in this limp horse, though...

 

Good on him. I can't see a problem here. If he's rich enough to afford it, likes the look of it and wants one, then why not get one?

There are many posts on here about friends mocking 'us' for buying a Prius and saying the extra cost of the car will never be returned in fuel savings, and our collective response is that we bought the car just because we wanted one. Well that's what this guy's doing with the XL1.

Good luck to him. A very distinctive looking car. Shame the don't do a RHD version as I'd love to see one driving about.

 

I wanted the new Cadillac ELR after seeing one in person several months ago. Common sense prevailed.

 

Not quite. I couldn't find a equal powered midsize car for the same money...so there is no "extra cost" involved in my decision (back in 2010).

 

For that amount of money, I'd rather purchase a fully loaded Tesla Model S.

 

And miss the oportunity of feeling a 2 cylinder diesel merge in once a while?

 

Part of the appeal is the uniqueness. I 5 years Teslas may be more popular than porsches, but there will only be a limited number of these xl1s. That also means for the environment the Tesla S is a game changer, and the xl1 is likely the end of the chase for the ultimate efficiency. now that they have done it, they can go for applying the tech in the less efficient but so much more practicle models.

 

And for that money the guy wanted the XL1. His money, his call.

Whether it's a good call is debatable, but it's his call.

 

Absolutely! That's the beauty of having money... you get to decide how you want to spend it.

At the end of the day, many of us might choose to spend that amount of money any number of ways.

 

You remind me of Jeremy Clarkson and other naysayers talking about the Prius and other naysayers. Personally I see nothing wrong with a car that gos 40 miles as a pure EV and then gets 130 miles/gallon when in pure engine mode. How is this a bad thing?!?!?

Anyway I'd buy one. Not for $150,000 but if they mass-produced it at $30,000 I would choose this car over a Volt.

 

Fortunately we have more options now: Ford Focus hatchback has the same interior space & with the 1.0 engine provides more horsepower and cost is only $18,000 out the door. The fuel economy is not as good (44 highway), but the initial purchase savings will give the Focus ~270,000 miles worth of gasoline.

 

Not easy to find similarities. Since when a 2 seat is a practical solution? And judging your words, you think this car worths a fifth of its MRSP.
Welcome aboard the naysayers.

 

Not true. You have written the same post in another thread, and have been debunked. Prius = more room+cargo, more hp, cvt gearbox, less maintenance and higher resale value.

 

Focus Hatch 1.0 and Prius Hatch have almost-the-same cargo room. Also how is 125 hp for the Focus "less" than the prius? Yeah okay it's 1% less, but the Focus also weighs a lot less, so it accelerates faster (only 23 pounds/hp versus the 29 pounds/hp for the Prius). And 7000 dollar cheaper to buy, so less taxes to the government, and lower interest payments on the loan. (And no the Prius maintenance is not less..... still have to flush the brake fluid every 3 year + you have extra hassle of flushing the hybrid system cooling fluid. It might actually be a ~100 dollars more expensive over three years time.)

I drive a 2 seater now, and it works just fine. And the MSRP is inflated, but that's true of any product with only ~250 units. If the car was mass-produced in the thousands (like Honda did with the original Insight), then the cost would drop to the same as any mass produced car.

Also saying "that car costs too much for my wallet" does not make me a naysayer. I say the exact-same thing about Teslas and Porsches and Ferraris..... doesn't mean I think either car is junk.

 

I wonder where a 125hp 1.0 3pot turbo manual gearbox makes only a 1% difference to a Prius. I strongly believe you do not really own one or have driven a 1.0 Focus yet.

 

Maintenance, well, you said it all (wrong, by the way!). Ford does have a clutch, a starter, an alternator, belts and a turbo - all things that do wear.
Please find some information regarding long term ownership of a Prius (some 200k or 300k threads here in PC) to stand yourself corrected.

 

No I testdrove the Fiesta 1.0 instead. It had spirited acceleration (and gave me 70mpg at 40miles/hour). Here are the critics' tested times:
9.9 seconds Focus 1.0
10.1 seconds Toyota Prius (so slower as I stated) (or if you prefer: no real difference)
10.6 Prius C
10.6 Honda Insight
12.1 Prius 2G

 

Nice value, but you have to be good at changing gears...
How many miles the Focus does only electric?