Bragging to America about a diesel-- engined minicar designed to do 78.5 mpg is like trying to sell air conditioning in Lapland. The U.S. doesn't really need the Volkswagen Lupo 3L TDL But VW Group fuhrer, Ferdinand Piech, says you do and will, whoever you are.
To guarantee high mileage, the Lupo's press launch was held in heavily speed-- limited, ecology-crazed, flat Sweden But that doesn't mean plenty of solid engineering didn't go into the car In fact, it uses an impressive all-aluminum 1.03L, 3-cylinder turbodiesel, designed to shut off three seconds after coming to a stop. The transmission is actually a manual, cobbled into an automatic. It's designed to short-shift for economy The Lupo also freewheels on coastdown, with the engine off. Additionally, the car uses lots of aluminum and magnesium, boasts a 0.29 Cd and rides on low-rolling-resistance tires It's largely hand-built, at 50 units per day.
Unfortunately, VW's automatic-clutch manual doesn't shift smoothly And low resistance to rolling friction is German for low resistance to slipping. As a result, we jerked and understeered excessively over 65 miles of quiet, clinical Swedish countryside as fast as we dared The laptop bolted to the trunk floor said we averaged 40 mph at 70.8 mpg. Maximum restraint after lunch kept fuel consumption for 34 mph at a calculated 97.3 mpg!
The quietness and smoothness of the Lupo's baby diesel and the reliable stop start we can live with. If you want handling, save your 26,900 DM ($14,627) as down payment on that Porsche.
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