Posted on 01/02/2018 5:36:41 AM PST by dennisw
The Lupo was introduced in October 1998, to fill a gap at the bottom of the Volkswagen model range caused by the increasing size and weight of the Polo. The 1998 Lupo was a badge-engineered version of the stablemate 1997 SEAT Arosa. Both use the A00 platform which is a shortened version of the Polo/Ibiza A0 platform.
Initially only available in two trim variants, the budget E trim and the upgraded S trim; the range later expanded to include a Sport and GTI variant. Petrol engines ranged from 1.0 to 1.4 (1.6 for the GTI) with diesels from 1.2 to 1.7. The differences between the E and S trim included painted door mirrors, door handles and strip, central locking, electric windows, double folding seats and opening rear windows.
Production of the Lupo was discontinued in June 2005,[2] and was replaced by the Fox.
The Lupo name is Latin, meaning wolf, and is named after its home town of Wolfsburg.[3] _____________________________
Versions Lupo 3L Volkswagen Lupo 3L
The Lupo 3L was a special edition made with the intent of being the world's first car in series production consuming as little as 3 litres of fuel per 100 kilometres (78 miles per US gallon or 94 miles per Imperial gallon)[citation needed]. To achieve this, the 3L was significantly changed from the standard Lupo to include:
1.2 litre three cylinder diesel engine with turbocharger and direct injection (61 hp, 140 Nm) Use of light-weight aluminum and magnesium alloys for doors, bonnet (hood), rear hatch, seat frames, engine block, wheels, suspension system etc. to achieve a weight of only 830 kg (1,830 lb) Tiptronic gearbox Engine start/stop automatic to avoid long idling periods Low rolling resistance tires Automated gearbox and clutch, to optimise fuel consumption, with a Tiptronic mode for the gearbox Changed aerodynamics, so a c w {\displaystyle {\mathbf {c}}_{\mathrm {w} }\,} {\mathbf c}_{{\mathrm w}}\, value of 0.29 was achieved
The 3L, along with the GTI and FSI, had a completely different steel body to other Lupos, using thinner but stronger steel sheet. The car had an automated electro hydraulic manual transmission with a Tiptronic mode on the selector and an automated electro hydraulic clutch. The car also had an ECO mode. When engaged it limited the power to 41 bhp (31 kW; 42 PS) (excluding kick down) and programmed the transmission to change up at the most economical point. ECO mode also activated the start/stop function, a feature that was new to European cars at the time.
To restart, the driver simply takes his foot off the brake and presses the accelerator. In ECO mode, the clutch was disengaged when the accelerator pedal was released for maximum economy, so the car freewheels as much as possible, with the clutch re-engaging as soon as the accelerator pedal or brake pedal is touched. The 3L also has only four wheel bolts and alloy brake drums at the rear, along with many aluminium suspension components.
Initially, there were very few options on the 3L, as options added weight which affected fuel consumption. Those available initially were electrically heated and electrically controlled mirrors, fog lights and different paint colours. In order to increase sales, other options were offered including all electric steering, electric windows and air conditioning.
These options however, increased fuel consumption slightly. In 2001, a Japanese economy driver, Dr Miyano, used it to set a new world record for the most frugal circumnavigation of Britain in a standard diesel production car, with an average fuel economy figure of 119.48 mpg or 2.36 l/100 km.
In November 2003, Gerhard Plattner covered a distance of 2,910 miles through 20 European countries in a standard Lupo 3L TDI. He achieved his aim of completing this journey, which started in Oslo, Norway and finished in The Hague in The Netherlands - with just 100 euros worth of fuel. In fact, all he required was 90.94 euros, which corresponds to an average consumption of 2.78 litres per 100 km (101.6 mpg).[4]
According to the Lupo 3L instruction manual, the 3L engine also runs on Rapeseed Methyl Ester (RME) without any changes to the engine. During the period of series production of the Lupo 3L, Volkswagen also presented the 1L Concept, a prototype made with the objective of proving the capability of producing a roadworthy vehicle consuming only 1 litre of fuel per 100 kilometres (235 miles per US gallon). The Lupo 3L shared its engine and special gearbox with the Audi A2 1.2 TDI 3L. As a result of this and other changes, this Audi A2 is also capable of reaching the same results as the Lupo 3L. Lupo FSi
The Lupo FSi was the first direct injection petrol powered production vehicle Volkswagen produced. A 5L/100 km 1.4 16v petrol version of the Lupo 3L with an average consumption of 4.9L/100 km. This direct injection engine next to a conventional engine with similar power uses around 30% less fuel. It had a similar automated gearbox to the 3L but with different gear ratios.
Outwardly, it was almost identical to a 3L but with a different front grill, slightly wider wheels with a different design and lacked the magnesium steering wheel and rear bumper of the 3L. The early 3L's and FSi's had aluminium tailgates which were lighter and more aerodynamic than their standard lupo counterparts, the early had FSi has a unique spoiler and the later ones without the aluminium tailgates were fitted with the same spoiler as the Lupo GTI. The FSi was only sold in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Lupo GTI Volkswagen Lupo GTI
The 1.6 L Lupo GTI has been labelled a true successor to the Volkswagen Golf Mk1, one of the first true hot hatches.[citation needed] The GTI can be identified by its fully body coloured bumpers and twin central exhausts. In 2002, a six speed gearbox was added, together with improved throttle response, and was suggested as a competitor to the Mini Cooper or the larger Volkswagen Polo GTI.[5]
The GTI features much more standard equipment which was not available on any other in the Lupo range, including bi xenon headlights, 15 inch Bathurst alloy wheels and an off black interior. With a DOHC sixteen valve four cylinder engine producing 125 PS (123 hp), the GTI had a top speed of 127 mph (204 km/h) and could accelerate 0 to 60 mph in 7.8 seconds.
It looks like there’s plenty of room to improve the aerodynamic coefficient and further improve its mileage.
If you could find the 1.4 Liter diesel engine type....it’d actually get up to around 100 mph. But it was last made a dozen years ago, and was basically a death-trap.
I could put the Smart Fortwo into the same category (I owned one for three years).
There’s a place for the tee-tiny vehicles of the world. When I was stationed in Italy, mid-70s, gas was more than double the price in America. Many Italians drove the little Fiat 500. I had an old Fiat 600. The 500s and 600s were great cars, and a load of fun to drive.
Oh course, you didn’t want to get run over by the big Mercedes flying around.
61 horsepower? I doubt it goes fast enough to generate much wind resistance.
The 1970s models of the old VW Beetle were rated at 46 horses.
These “subcompacts”, or “city cars” as they call them in Eurospeak, don’t quite reach 100 mph, of course. Fuel economy and all that.
The future ?
Naaah !
Or a bicycle, or a pedestrian...
We almost bought a GTI Autobahn edition last year. Put that baby in Sport mode and it’s a lot of fun.
Have a ‘cheating’ diesel, 2015 TDI. Still gets good mileage after the fix. Best transmission every with 6 speed paddle shifters.
You are right there is a place for smaller cars.
One would think that higher fuel economy would be a priority but reducing pollution at the expensive of greater mileage was become more important.
Even through burning less fuel great reduces pollution.
The anti’s are set on killing fossil fuels and controlling human behavior.
They hate freedom and cheap easy transportation allows a lot of freedom.
Had a 1960 with a 36 hp motor. It took forever to get up to 55 mph, but on the open road, I got around 50 mpg! It was also the only car I ever bought that I sold for a profit.
Looks somewhat like my old diesel hatchback from the 70s.
So, what did you do the $50.00?
I had a couple of those old diesel VWs. One had air conditioning. Turning on the a/c was like hitting the brakes.
I debunk thee, demonic raisins!
What, exactly, needs debunking? It’s not news that tiny, lightweight diesel cars can get pretty impressive mileage. The trade-off is safety and structural strength; most of those little cars are at least nominally four-seaters, which means there’s not much room for crumple zones or heavy structural members to protect the passenger cabin. The FourTwo is probably the only microcar around that manages to provide real protection, though its low weight works against it.
The absence of these cars on US highways can be summed up in single-word retorts e.g. “Suburban”, “Excursion”, “Sierra”, “Silverado” etc etc. No car manufacturer that sells in the US wants to be known for a vehicle that can’t at least pretend to survive an accident with full-sized American vehicles.
An ancillary reason can be easily demonstrated by looking at a map of Texas, particularly the stretch of interstate connecting Fort Worth and El Paso. No one wants to spend ten hours in a rollerskate in a Texas summer, and driving from Ft Worth to El Paso isn’t exactly an uncommon occurrence. For additional examples, observe the highway connecting Amarillo and Fort Collins, any road going into California over a mountain range, and so on.
“The only thing missing are suicide doors”
Suicide doors?
It’s a Suicide Car!
“The 1970s models of the old VW Beetle were rated at 46 horses.”
I owned a ‘67 & ‘73 Bug. Also had a ‘71 van. Motor had been rebuilt in the van and it ran like a scalded puppy. Just great vehicles.
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