By borrowing parts from the Audi TTS and fitting them to the compact body of the A1, Audi has created a real driver’s edition. The new Audi A1 quattro is produced only as a limited-edition with just 333 cars available worldwide. We got a change to drive one of the three cars destined to Finland.
All the 333 A1 quattros have about the same looks. 3-door model, left hand drive and the only available exterior colour is the Glacier White metallic with high-gloss black painted roof. The 18-inch alloy wheels feature an exclusive turbine design and have also Glacier White finish. To differentiate from the standard A1, the front bumper is much more muscular. The frame and grate of the single-frame grille have a high-gloss black finish and the curved bars in the headlights are red. At the rear there is a big rear spoiler and sportier rear bumper with diffuser. The polished dual tailpipes each have a diameter of 100 millimetres. The rear windows and the LED rear lights are tinted. The quattro badges can be found on the grille, at the roof arch and in the rear hatch. The length of the car is 3,987 millimetres, so the A1 quattro is a bit longer than the standard model.
The sporty additions continue inside the car. The instrument cluster features red tachometer and white needles. The multifunction sport steering wheel is flattened at the bottom and wrapped in leather with contrasting red stitching. The seats are covered in Silk Nappa leather with contrasting red seams. The footrest and the pedal caps are made of brushed stainless steel, while red seams frame the floor mats. In its standard form the A1 might not be the sportiest Audi model, but with its new additions the A1 starts to look a bit like a rally car. However, car’s technical improvements are even more interesting than its appearance.
The 2.0 TFSI engine in the A1 quattro is borrowed from the Audi TTS. The 1984cc, four-cylinder petrol engine features direct injection and turbocharging. Engine’s output is 265 horsepower and the top torque is 350 Newton metres. So the A1 quattro has the performance to match its looks. The sprint from zero to 100 km/h takes just 5,7 seconds and the top speed is 245 km/h. There isn’t really a lack of power at any revs, but below 2000rpm the car doesn’t feel as brisk as you would expect. But after rev needle passes the 2000 mark, the car starts to move very differently. The maximum torque is available between 2500 and 4500rpm, while the peak power is developed at 6000rpm.
What makes it even more fun to drive is the fact that the car comes with a six-speed manual gearbox. Precisely shifting manual transmission together with the short cluch pedal travel makes it a real joy. In normal driving conditions, most of the engine’s power is delivered to the front wheels. But when more traction is needed, the quattro four-wheel drive system sends power to the rear wheels in just milliseconds.
In addition to the engine, also the real axle is taken from the Audi TTS. While the front-wheel drive Audi A1 has a torsion beam rear suspension, this A1 quattro features a four-link independent suspension at the rear. In all, the A1 quattro has more than 600 completely new or modified components compared to the front-wheel drive A1 models. The installation of the new rear axle, the new engine and all the components of the all-wheel drive system in the compact body of the A1 has required a lot of development work. For example, the space requirements of the longitudinal cardan shaft in the centre of the vehicle meant that the standard fuel tank had to be replaced. Due to this, the A1 quattro uses a proprietary 45 litre fuel tank with a flat bottom and a notch in the top centre section.
Specification
Engine
- Petrol
- 4-cylinder
- 1984cc
- Turbo
Power
- 188 kW (256 hp) / 6000rpm
Torque
- 350 Nm / 2500-4500rpm
Transmission
- 6-speed manual
- AWD
0-100km/h / 0-62mph
- 5.7 seconds
Top speed
- 245 km/h
Fuel consumption
- 8.6 l/100km
CO2 emissions
- 199 g/km
