Anyone seen the new VW `UP` in Auto express? (16/4/08 issue)
In the showrooms in 2010 and with rear mounted 600cc twin cylinder (petrol and Diesel) engines.
CO2 being targeted is less than 100/gkm and 94 MPG on the urban cycle.
That seems outstanding to me, I hope they see fit to use a non belted engine with hydraulic tappets...
Lots of dynamics around that engine configuration and layout though, it seems to me the most exciting city car for years.
What do you think ?
Regards
( Mods, Sorry about not being able to fit this into the appropriate model list)
Edited by Pugugly on 17/04/2008 at 08:13
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Haven't VW been promising this so-called 3-litre car (i.e. 3l/100km=94 mpg) for the past 10 years?
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Looks promising, heres a link with a photo
www.sundaymirror.co.uk/news/motoring/2007/09/16/vw.../
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There's more to motoring than buying a car with the smallest engine and lowest performance that you can find.
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Depends on what you want the car for.
Commuting - I want it cheap and not bothered about performance.
Weekend drive in the country - something flash :)
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Fiat have a 2 cylinder 90HP engine due in the 500 and other small cars from next year.
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For £10,000 - I don't think so, it looks no better than a £1,200 Tata, £8,800 can buy an awful lot of extra fuel and fois gras.
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>>Commuting, not bothered about the car
Really? For commuting I want luxury. An auto; good sound insulation; an excellent stereo; comfortable seats.
For batting around the country on a Saturday it doesn't matter. I still think that a MK ii Polo is the most fun car I've driven. More like a go cart than a car. It's also great for whizzing around town.
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Probably a poor choice of words on my part.
not bothered = just so long as it has a comfy seat, radio, heat in winter and cool in summer.
I see your point though, commuting is when you spend the most time in a car so comfort is important.
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£10,000? Where's that from? £4000 in low spec, £7500 in tycoon spec. Guesstimates, but the Fox sells for £6500.
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www.autoexpress.co.uk/news/autoexpressnews/203783/...l
The Fiat one....
{link made non clickable}
Edited by Dynamic Dave on 17/04/2008 at 13:49
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1.2 base Fiat 500 sells at £7900. Assuming a smaller engined version will sell for less.....
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It is exciting to me as it is a car that beats to a great extent, the system of taxation on the motorist and while it does mean spending more money than I usually would on such a car, its not going to Our Great Leader's pension fund, but to VW's instead, which I find far sweeter.
Many of you may at the moment be able to afford whatever car you like in terms of running costs, hence cars that do 94 mpg dont matter to you and you would rather have a superior motor and fair enough, but there may come a time when motoring becomes very much more expensive and cars like this will suddenly become perhaps the only way regular folk can afford to stay on the roads.
If petrol prices go up another 1/3, I couldnt justify keeping our Subaru on the road, no matter how nice it drives. As it is we are using my van more than the Forester as it does another 10 mpg.
Worth noting however that the Citroen C1 diesel can get fairly close to those figures and as a used buy, would be a great alternative on a cost basis.
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And I see reports that Lotus are developing a "low CO2" two-stroke.
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I saw the VW "Up" promoted some time ago, and it looked promising. I think 2-and 3-cylinder engine options were discussed. I also thought it was intended to be a cheap car.
It seems that manufacturers are shedding cylinders - lots of cars now have 3-cylinder base models, while in America manufacturers are working on 4-cylinder designs to replace V8's and V6's to meet Bush's strategy of USA becoming less dependent on imported oil.
Edited by Sofa Spud on 17/04/2008 at 13:52
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I thought I heard the 2 cylinder model was only going to be available in "developing" countrys, with the UK getting the same 1.2 litre 3 cylinder as is currently in the FOX?
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Haven't VW been promising this so-called 3-litre car (i.e. 3l/100km=94 mpg) for the past 10 years?
Thought they'd already done it - the Lupo 1.4TDi was sold as the 3L car, but not in the UK?
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I am not an engineer but it seems to me that there must be a finite amount of energy in a litre of petrol ( or diesel). Given a modest vehicle weight and a demand for a reasonable rate of acceleration just how small can an engine be ( even allowing for 4 valves, turbos, vvti and the rest) to achieve that design brief?
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sorry to say but the 3l car is all a bit passé now isn't it? what I find much more interesting is MDI Air Car (the one Tata bought)
"The cost f the car is expected to be around £4,000 and would have a range of around 300km between refueling, said a report. It would have a top speed of around 60kmh using air alone and 200kmh using an air and fuel combination engine, it added."
"Most importantly, it is incredibly cost-efficient to run ? according to the designers, it costs less than one Euro per 100Km (about a tenth that of a petrol car). Its mileage is about double that of the most advanced electric car (200 to 300 km or 10 hours of driving), a factor which makes a perfect choice in cities where the 80% of motorists drive at less than 60Km. The car has a top speed of 68 mph.
Refilling the car will, once the market develops, take place at adapted petrol stations to administer compressed air. In two or three minutes, and at a cost of approximately 1.5 Euros, the car will be ready to go another 200-300 kilometres.
As a viable alternative, the car carries a small compressor which can be connected to the mains (220V or 380V) and refill the tank in 3-4 hours.
Due to the absence of combustion and, consequently, of residues, changing the oil (1 litre of vegetable oil) is necessary only every 50,000 Km."
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