152mph Audi A1 Quattro arrives in 2012
Wednesday 21 December 2011
• Baby Audi to get four-wheel drive
• 0-62mph in 5.7 seconds
• 252bhp 2-litre turbo
It looks like Christmas has come early for hot hatch fans. This is the Audi A1 Quattro, the fastest ever version of Audi’s baby supermini, that’s just been confirmed for production.
With an epic 252bhp and four-wheel drive it’s 5.7 second 0-62mph time and 152mph top speed will make it the fastest urban run-around ever to be sold with numberplates and a warranty.
It will be on a different performance playing field to the MINI John Cooper Works and forthcoming Fiesta ST which it would normally compete with.
Even hot hatches from the class above won’t be safe – it accelerates harder than the Renaultsport Megane 250 and Volkswagen Golf GTI.
The engine is the 2.0-litre turbo petrol taken from the Audi S3, which not only boasts big power, but also low fuel consumption.
Just 333 will be built to celebrate Audi’s rallying heritage, featuring 18-inch white wheels reminiscent of its Quattro competition cars. Every car is finished in Glacier White with a high gloss black roof, grille and bootlid. There are red exterior details and Quattro badges as well as a huge rear spoiler.
It’s not stripped out inside though – there’s Nappa leather upholstery with red seams, bucket seats and a gloss black centre console. The instrument panel gets white needles and a red rev gauge, there’s a flat-bottomed steering wheel and an aluminium gear knob.
Standard equipment will even include xenon headlights, cruise control, rear parking sensors, air-con, sat-nav, DAB radio, CD changer, Bluetooth and a 14-speaker Bose stereo.
The Audi A1 Quattro will be on sale in the second half of 2012, but it’s not yet clear how many will be sold in the UK and if it will be available with right-hand drive.
Its rarity and unique levels of performance will ensure it’s not only the world’s fastest supermini, but the most expensive one too. No pricing has been announced yet, but we doubt you’ll see much change from £30k. Not that interested customers are likely to be put off…
By Andy Goodwin, senior web journalist