A new premium crossover hatchback has joined the popular party. The Audi A1 citycarver that was shown earlier this year will see the light of production.
The Audi A1 citycarver is the latest compact offering from the Ingolstadt premium car makers. Based on the A1 Sportback premium compact four-door hatchback, the new A1 citycarver is the urban crossover with SUV-genes that seems to be the rave these days globally with the segment growing almost like an epidemic, considering how the focus is turning to reducing fuel consumption. With their tall, straight, even boxy stances, SUVs and fuel efficiency rarely make sense in the same sentence. But, alas, so works the world.
The Audi A1 citycarver has a compact footprint, measuring 4,046 millimetres long and running a 2,566-mm wheelbase. It’s 1,756 mm wide and 1,459 mm high, with a ground clearance of 144 mm between the axles. It will be similarly equipped as the new A1 Sportback, with kit including Audi pre sense safety and even optional park assist, adaptive cruise control, and a Bang & Olufsen premium audio system.
The Audi A1 citycarver is being offered with a choice of three engines. Two of which use the 1.0-litre 12-valve, three-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine. With 999 cc of displacement, the compact design leads to a low weight of just 88 kg. It packs forged connecting rods and aluminium pistons that are finely balanced so that the engine runs quietly and smoothly even without a balancer shaft. The Audi A1 citycarver 25 TFSI is the entry model with the 1.0-litre TFSI petrol engine making 95 hp and 175 Nm. It will be offered only with a five-speed manual transmission driving the front wheels. The 25 TFSI will hit 0-100 km/h in 11.2 seconds and a top speed of 187 km/h. The more powerful 30 TFSI also uses the 1.0 TFSI three and gets 116 hp and 200 Nm. It will be available paired to either a six-speed manual or Audi’s S tronic seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, either of which drive the front wheels only. The 30 TFSI can sprint from 0-100 km/h in 9.9 seconds and get up to 198 km/h.
The third and most powerful option is the Audi A1 citycarver 35 TFSI. This gets the 1.5-litre four-cylinder common-rail, turbocharged, direct-injection petrol engine running the Miller cycle for optimum efficiency with cylinder-on-demand able to shut down two cylinder under low or partial load to reduce fuel consumption. It runs an injection pressure of 350 bar and peaks at 150 hp and 250 Nm. The A1 citycarver 35 TFSI will hit 100 km/h from zero in 7.7 seconds and get up to 222 km/h.
Together with the Audi drive select dynamic handling system, the dual-clutch transmission in the new Audi A1 citycarver provides a freewheeling function in “efficiency” mode that further reduces fuel consumption. As an option, the driver can use steering-wheel mounted paddles to change gears. The three-cylinder models get 16-inch wheels as standard, with 17-inches standard on the 35 TFSI. Wheel sizes up to 18-inch are available, as is a “dynamic” pack for sportier exterior styling. All models are equipped with gasoline particulate filter (GPF) to meet the new Euro 6d-Temp emission norms and comply with the new WLTP and RDE 2 standards for real-world emissions.
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