Whoa, hold on…don’t worry, you’re still at the right site. Yes this is a car, and yes this is a site dedicated to motorcycles, but it will all make sense in a minute…or however long it takes you to read the headline of this story. Don’t worry…scroll up…we’ll wait.
Anyways, one of the perks for Audi AG’s acquisition of Ducati is that parent company Volkswagen can play around with interesting concepts that involve the compact, yet powerful, engines that come out of Borgo Panigale. One of those flights of fancy has manifested itself into a real-life concept, the Volkswagen XL Sport.
The Volkswagen XL Sport is based off the Volkswagen XL1, which is a diesel/electric hybrid that lays claim to being the most fuel-efficient production car of all time. Taking that hybrid drivetrain out of the XL1, Volkswagen has gone for a sportier model, which happens to use the 1,198cc v-twin engine that is found in the Ducati 1199 Superleggera.
In its four-wheel state of tune, the Superquadro motor makes 197hp, which is good for propelling the XL Sport to 168 mph. Helping achieve this feat is the fact that the Volkswagen XL Sport has an aerodynamic coefficient of drag (Cd) of just 0.258. To put that number in perspective, the Cd of the Pagani Huayra, the fastest car ever to lap the Top Gear test track, is a portly 0.310.
To mate the Superleggera’s motor to the XL Sport’s chassis, Volkswagen had to come up with a step-down transmission, with a gear reduction of 1.86. For kicks, Volkswagen also added a dual-clutch automatic transmission to the drivetrain, helping give the XL Sport a 0-100km/h time of 5.7 seconds.
The Volkswagen XL Sport is no motorbike, but we think you’ll forgive us for sharing it with you nonetheless.
Source: Volkswagen
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