THE A1 Is the only model in Audi’s range omitted from the quattro club, a problem lngolstadt wishes to remedy with the introduction of an all-wheel-drive, ‘high performance variant’ that will appear in a couple of years’ time. So this prototype — launched on an ice-track and housing the latest version of the company’s trademark 4WD system — has a lot riding on its cutesy Teutonic shoulders. Our test car uses the 1.4 TFSI ‘twincharged’ petrol that uses a now-familiar combination of super- and turbocharging to produce a healthy 180bhp and 184lb ft of torque.
Audi didn’t provide any stats for our quattro model, but the regular front-drive A1 1.4 TFSi S-line accelerates from O—62mph in
6.9secs and tops out at 141mph. Despite the ice, the 4WD version certainly felt brisk enough for those figures. The quattro system — the same as the TT coupe and A3 hatch — consists of an electronically controlled, hydraulically actuated multi-plate clutch that rests just ahead of the rear axle to help weight distribution. In extreme conditions when the front axle loses grip, the clutch engages, sending the power to the back.
To some up all the boring details, ” the A1 Quattro is a front-wheel-drive model during normal running, but when aggrieved, sends power to the rear wheels and thus saves you from ploughing disgracefully into a snowman.
Without a decent hike in power, the Al Quattro might just be overkill. Audi is the purveyor of capable, crushing and effortlessly quick machines with stupendous grip and minimal driver involvement.
Whether the A1 Quattro can deliver added thrills to the supermini- recipe is still up for debate.
