[1993civicVX]

Volkswagen got wind of Basjoos' Aerocivic and tried to best him, but, alas, could not quite match the slipperiness or quietude of the Basjoos Mobile.

With a frontal area of 16.15 square feet and a drag coefficient of 0.186, the XL1 is one of the slipperiest cars in the world. It's a shame that the tandem seats have gone, though, as they helped make the XL1's antecedents so special and slightly bonkers, harking back to Buckminster Fuller's 1933 Dymaxion car or Fritz Fend's 1958 Messerschmitt Tiger.

The XL1's top speed is limited to 99 mph, and it can accelerate to 62 mph in 11.9 seconds. Fuel economy is tricky to determine since fuel use is supplemented by electrons, but on the NEDC (Europe's version of the EPA) Combined cycle, the XL1 returned 261.4, which should provide a 340-mile range from the paltry 1.8-gallon fuel tank.

On electrical power, the 1795-pound VW feels zesty but hardly quick. Push the throttle harder and the parallel-twin diesel fires up with a thump from the driveline and a mechanical whir from the back. Refinement is only nascent, and that needs work before production. The ride is reasonably good on the special narrow Michelin tires, but over potholes or low expansion joints, you feel the unbending stiffness of the body shell. With all guns blazing and both propulsion units providing the urge, the XL1 is pleasingly brisk, and the fat slug of electrical torque wafts it forward between 40 and 60 mph. Road noise is quite audible, though, and when combined with the whirring motor and engine, the interior cacophony is borderline unacceptable. You can also hear the cooling fans mounted in the dorsal fin over the engine bay.

The XL1 is a new breed of supercar, one that is every bit as extravagant, technical, beautiful and exotic as a Lamborghini or a Ferrari, but that points to a new kind of world where we understand that natural resources are finite and precious, and maybe a new style of driving where we try to conserve them.

Read more: Volkswagen XL1 Test Drive - MPGs in the One Liter Car - Popular Mechanics (I don't have enough posts to post the link :[)