Autocar - First for car news and reviews

Volkswagen has unveiled this mid-engined two-seat roadster concept at this week’s Detroit show. It’s the latest step in the firm’s long-running flirtation with a Lotus Elise rival.

Powered by a transversely mounted 2.0-litre, four-cylinder diesel engine, the VW Concept BlueSport is a sports car designed with current emissions and budget-sensitive times firmly in mind.

With a kerb weight of less than 1200kg, the roadster has been conceived to appeal to keen drivers. It’s capable of...Read the full article

I take it as the engine is transversely mounted, this car will be FWD?

Hmmm... A front wheel drive, diesel roadster? I dont think the Elise or MX-5 will have much to worry about. The main selling point of this type of car is ultimate handling capabilites, not 'miles per tank'. Besides, who would want to do 700 miles non-stop in a car like this?

Unless they switch to RWD (which will probably be too expensive) or 4WD (which will be too heavy) then I think VW have missed the boat here. This will only compete with the Audi/Seat/Skoda in-house rivals.

Lotus and Mazda can sleep easy.

Being mid-engined it could just as easily be RWD with a transverse layout as FWD. Infact, RWD would make more sense. I think it looks quite good, though the petrol engine seems aimed between the mx-5 and elise - the diesel would bring something different to the mix. I quite like the idea of a nippy roadster that'll still do 50mpg in the real world.

Quattro369:

I take it as the engine is transversely mounted, this car will be FWD?

The Elise and MR2 are both transversly mounted and are rear wheel drive.

It's the Lotus Elan which looked likes a mid engine car yet is front engined and front wheel drive which is really strange.   Was having a look at one today trying to figure out how the engineers managed it!

Quattro369:

I take it as the engine is transversely mounted, this car will be FWD?

- no, it's rear wheel drive.

Quattro369:

I take it as the engine is transversely mounted, this car will be FWD?

No, as previously stated, it is RWD. Or, more precisely, it is mid-engined, rear wheel drive. I agree the article isn't clear on this but it does make reference to boot in the front.

My question is - with Porsche rumoured to be working on a 4 cylinder version of the next generation Boxster, will they (as the majority VW shareholder) allow VW to build this car?

 

evanstim:

My question is - with Porsche rumoured to be working on a 4 cylinder version of the next generation Boxster, will they (as the majority VW shareholder) allow VW to build this car?

One could say, from a financial point of view Porsche can't lose regardless. If this VW roadster gets the go ahead, is a runaway success and cannibalises sales of lower-end Boxsters Porsche SE, the holding company, still ultimately sees the profits.

From a less sterile point of view, according to some early comments in German auto mags, Ferdinand Piëch is behind this move by VW and the general design awareness by the VW marque of late, under Walter de Silva.

 why is autocar comparing it to a lotus elise? the elise is a light weight car, anything much over 1000kgs is not lightweight, 1200kgs is the same weight as an early ford mondeo.

"With a kerb weight of less than 1200kg, the roadster has been conceived to appeal to keen drivers." you what? 400kgs appeals to keen drivers, Ariel atom etc.
and the drivers cars such as mx-5 and mr2 are about 1000kgs.

diesel engines do not make keen drivers cars.

Also the VW has a high torque engine of 258lbft, the Elise has a totally different character with only 121lbft, less than half the torque. i cant think how any car buyer will ever come down to their shortlist between either an Elise or a heavy diesel vw roadster. they exist in different worlds of competance.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Very, very Boxsteresque in proportion.

I really don't see a clash with the Boxster though, it is clearly aimed at a different market - more of a modern day MR2 / MRS, with decent efficiency.  The simpleness of the cabin and lack of toys in comparison to the Porsche will set it apart.

No, the diesel engine doesn't do much for me either, but us as car enthusiasts should embrace the concept because after the 4 x 4 sports car bashing will be next.  I get the feeling though a much better unit would be the 1.4 twin charger lump.

Also, if other VW group brands are to get the hardware, lets hope we see the resurrection of the SEAT Salsa from a couple of years ago.

It's a car that could appeal to me - if I were in the market for a sports car (which i'm not). I'd like to be looking for something interesting to commute in - reliable, comfortable, economical, small and fun. The 1200kg weight is too much, as that's similar to the estate car I already drive. Offer a 900kg car with 1.4 to 1.6 petrol / diesel (perhaps plus a 2.0 range topper) and it makes more sense to me. To me a sports car is more about the handling than outright power, and with an eye on running costs, such cars could become sucessful.

Guys, just to clear up any lingering doubt about the Concept BlueSport, yes it's rear-wheel drive (how many mid-engined, FWD road cars do you know?) and yes, at 1200kg, it is heavy relative to a Lotus Elise. It's still 150kg lighter than a Porsche Boxster though (which can also be rightly described as an enthusiast's car, I'd say). And we understand that the petrol-engined version could be lighter still, at around 1100kg. You might remember that VW made a concept car called the EcoRacer in 2005. That was its attempt at matching the Elise kilogram-for-kilogram. Trouble was that, with so much carbonfibre and aluminium in its construction, VW couldn't make the business case for selling it at an Elise-like price tag. Shame. The road-going BlueSport will have a steel monocoque (Elise's is aluminium), it'll probably have considerably more equipment (which all adds weight). And don't forget that diesel engines are much heavier too (with all their forced induction and exhaust treatment gubbins). If this car proves anything, it's that not everyone can build cars like Lotus. That was probably the reason that VW came to close to buying a controlling stake in Lotus' parent company Proton two years ago. So perhaps it is a bit regrettable that VW can't figure out a way to make a sub-£25k, 800kg, mid-engined two-seater. But I'd say that this is a promising driver's car all the same, and all the more so because it's a realistic proposition.

Car looks great but mid engined cars are always compromised - like this one if the pics of the front boot are to be believed - by the complete lack of luggage space for more than one small, soft bag. What this leaves you with is a roadster that you can't easily tour, which always seems to me like a two legged tripod. What good a sports car that you can't wind the roof down and head to the coast or the hills for the weekend?