Thread: First drive review: Audi A1 quattro

Audi crowns the A1 range with the hardcore limited-run quattro. The Audi A1 supermini, skunkworked. The most powerful mass-built A1 is the 1. 4 TFSI Black Edition, good for 182bhp, but the A1 quattro, hand-built and limited to 333 left-hand-drive examples, adds nearly 40 per cent to that figure, and the same in torque. It uses the faithful EA113 engine seen in the TTS and VWs Scirocco R, in a similar state of tune. Its not a plug-and-play job, though - bodyshell aside, theres little in common between the quattro and common-or-garden A1s. Most significatly, theres permanent quattro drive (apportioned electronically and applied hydraulically by a rear-mounted multi-plate clutch), a revised six-speed manual gearbox, rear anti-roll bar and multi-link suspension also from the TTS, and beefier brakes. Steering is still the standard 14. 8:1-ratio, electrohydraulic set-up, though. Performance tooling like a carbonfibre propshaft doesnt come cheap, and the A1 quattro costs almost twice as much as the Black Edition, at just over 41k. The blow is softened by 11k-worth of options, though, including rear parking sensors, a xenon and LED lights pack and bags of media treats such as DAB radio, Bose stereo, nav and web services. All examples are white with a glossy black roof and boot spoiler combo, and striking white 18-inch alloys. Inside there are hard-backed leather sports seats and smaller touches like red stitching.