What's the news?

Have you looked lustfully at the Volkswagen XL1's hyper-miling abilities only to be put off by the out of this world price tag? Fear not, as Volkswagen has taken the drivetrain from its 313mpg hybrid and installed it in the up! city car. The result is the Twin up!, a four-seat car that can achieve XL1-like economy.

Exterior

Visually there is little to pick between the Twin up! and the regular car unless you happen to have them both to hand. Then you may notice the extra 30mm front overhang needed to accommodate the advanced drivetrain, but other than that it is the same as Volkswagen's successful city car.

Ok so the concept does wear some of the design cues from the all-electric e-up!, such as the signature 'Sparkling White' paintwork and a pair of blue stripes above the sills, but one would be hard pushed to separate it from the conventionally powered model.

Interior

Not that the Twin up!'s powerplant is truly unconventional; it packs a 46hp 800cc two-cylinder turbodiesel engine that is mated to a 35kW electric motor and a seven-speed dual-clutch DSG automatic transmission. Combined, the two power sources create 74hp, enough to scoot the Twin up! from 0-62mph in 15.7 seconds.

Ok so it will not win any drag races, but in all-electric mode (achieved via a decoupling clutch that allows the electric motors to operate independently) can hit 37mph in under nine seconds and can operate at speeds up to 78mph, though the electric range of 30 miles will greatly diminish at that.

Mechanicals

The Twin up!'s lithium-ion batteries are mounted between the rear seats and the boot where they have to squish over to accommodate the 33-litre fuel tank and also the 12v battery that would ordinarily reside under the snub-nosed bonnet.

The instrument panel is unique to the car with the images displayed changing according to the vehicle's driving mode (hybrid or all-electric). In hybrid mode the accents are white, while in pure electric mode they are blue.

Anything else?

The central infotainment screen of the Twin up! can be customised according to driver preference and for the first time the climate control functions are accessed via a touchscreen complete with Active Matrix Organic LED (AMOLED) displays - much like your smartphone.