Volkswagen Lupo

The Lupo is a city car manufactured by German automaker Volkswagen from 1998 to 2005.

Model history

The Lupo was introduced in 1998 to fill a gap at the bottom of the VW model range caused by the increasing size and weight of the VW Polo. Rivals included the Ford Ka, the Opel/Vauxhall Agila and the Fiat Seicento. The 1998 VW Lupo was a badge-engineered version of the stablemate 1997 SEAT Arosa.The car was available with a variety of engine sizes and trim levels, from budget models through to the hot hatch GTI variant.

Production of the Lupo ceased in 2005, replaced by the Fox. A new Lupo model based on the Volkswagen Group New Small Family platform is anticipated in 2011.^[1]

The Lupo name is Italian, meaning wolf, and is named after its home town of Wolfsburg.^[2]

Specifications

• Length 3,530 mm (139.0 in)
• Width 1,803 mm (71.0 in) (with mirrors)
• Height 1,447 mm (57.0 in)
• Luggage capacity (rear seats up) 130 litres, (rear seats down) 833 litres

Engine choices

Lupo versions

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). To achieve this the 3L was significantly changed from the standard Lupo to include:

• 1.2 litre 3-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
• Battery location moved to rear for better weight distribution
• Changed aerodynamics, so a CW value of 0,29 was achieved

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 it's 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.

A popular colour of the Lupo was the wisteria coloured one, a purple hue commonly mistaken for baby blue. The official name for this colour is Planetsilver.

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. The GTI can be identified by its fully body-coloured bumpers and twin central exhausts. In 2002 a 6-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.^[3] The GTI features much more standard equipment which was not available on any other in the Lupo range, including bi-xenon headlights, 15" Bathurst alloy wheels and an off black interior.

With a DOHC 16-valve 4-cylinder engine producing 125 PS (92 kW; 123 hp), the GTI had a top speed of 127 mph (204 km/h) and could accelerate 0-60 mph in 7.8 seconds.

Awards

• 2001 Fleet News Award - Best Micro Car
• 1999 Auto Express New Car Honours - Best Small Car
• 1999 International Engine of the Year Award - Best Fuel Economy

References

1. ^ Kable, Greg (16 July 2010). "VW to revive Lupo name". Autocar. http://www.autocar.co.uk/News/NewsArticle/AllCars/251309/. Retrieved 20 July 2010. 
2. ^ "Auto Express February 2003". Autoexpress.co.uk. 2003-02-04. http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/carreviews/usedcartests/33781/volkswagen_lupo.html#ixzz1DxSfIPZY. Retrieved 2011-09-05. 
3. ^ "Evo March 2002". Evo.co.uk. 2002-03-07. http://www.evo.co.uk/carreviews/evocarreviews/19731/volkswagen_lupo_gti_6spd.html. Retrieved 2011-09-05. 

External links

• VW Lupo's manufacturers home page
• The most economical car on earth?