Manufacturer Audi A1 quattro in the driving report
01/17/2013
Small powerhouse with a large power plant
“Three, three, three - at Issus brawl.” Generations of students have found the date of the battle between Alexander the Great and Darius III noted in Syria in 333 BC. At quattro GmbH, based in Neckarsulm, the three-digit number of schnapps has been used since the publication of the A udi R8 GT Spyder , however, has a different meaning: Since then it has been regarded as a value that the The size of the special series issued by the Audi Sportdependance is fixed and does not stop at the smaller and consequently more affordable representatives of the all-wheel drive group. So 333 - also with the Audi A1 quattro.
Anyone who looks at the power dwarf (3.99 meters long, 1.74 meters wide) with the power plant (256 hp, 350 Newton meters of torque) under the hood may regret it at first. From the excellently contoured sports seats to the rev counter with a red background and the leather-covered three-spoke sports steering wheel to the two-tone wing at the end of the, in this special case, always black roof, every detail of the strongest A1 is premium quality. This is by no means a matter of course in this car class and explains the considerable starting price, which is always the final price.
Audi A1 quattro offers integrated WLAN
If you want the Audi A1 quattro, you only get it in glacier white, metallic, crowned by a glossy black roof dome, and with full equipment. This includes bi-xenon headlights, high-beam assistant, adaptive brake lights, an LED interior light package, light and rain sensors, an automatically dimming interior mirror, rear parking aid, automatic air conditioning, cruise control, numerous shelves, a CD changer, a digital radio tuner, the Audi Music Interface and the manufacturer's MMI Navigation Plus system. An integrated WLAN hotspot is also on board and guarantees mobile internet access. Everyone has to decide for themselves whether this kind of engine sound is really in focus, given the full-bodied engine sound from the two forearm-thick tailpipes mounted on the right and left.
On the perfectly groomed test track of a frozen central Swedish lake not far from Åre, other things were in the foreground.How does the four-cylinder direct injection engine with an adjustable intake camshaft and two balance shafts hang on the gas? How well does the manual six-speed gearbox harmonize with the performance characteristics of the turbo engine? And last but not least - is the all-wheel drive with an electronically controlled and hydraulically operated multi-disc clutch running in an oil bath only safe and propulsion-promoting or also entertaining? The extroverted look of the little white and black and the pleasantly short wheelbase of 2,469 millimeters mean that we can expect a lot with regard to the latter. The braking system with powerful 312 millimeter discs at the front also suggests that the Audi A1 quattro is seriously committed to sport.
Precise gearbox and sporty, tight setup
In fact, the little strong man does magic during the ice dance remarkable performance on the frosty glittering white. Safe - the little four-wheel drive is not as playfully easy to steer with the gas as its big, also newly launched RS5 brother. On board the Audi A1 quattro, the rear swing must be provoked by commuting beforehand. And the loud operation of the XDS electronic differential lock, which is responsible for the optimal distribution of power between the front wheels, could have been more subtle. But the powerhouse, which is absolutely uncritical at the limit, is always in a good mood with low friction values. The 256 HP motor, which is greedily attached to the gas even at low speeds, harmonises perfectly with the gearbox that can be shifted precisely and the sporty, tight setup. In this respect, the Audi A1 quattro is all about the promised Vmax of an impressive 245 km /h: The race for one of the special models limited to 333 pieces is in full swing.
Here is the Test of the Audi A1 Quattro on the racetrack .
