Audi A1 Citycarver
MODEL TESTED: Audi A1 Citycarver 30 TFSI PRICE: £22,040 ENGINE: 1.0-litre 3cyl, 114bhp Citycarver blends supermini sensibility with SUV styling. We see if it has the measure of the Fiesta Active
WE’RE testing the Audi A1 Citycarver 30 TFSI. The ‘30’ in the name refers to the engine’s power output, and because the Citycarver is in effect a trim level of the A1 range, this manual model is the only version with this powertrain. It costs £22,040.
Design & engineering
APART from a few key changes, the Citycarver is identical to the normal
Audi A1 Sportback supermini. The ride height has been raised by around 4cm and there are different styling details on the outside, plus some underbody protection, but fundamentally this is an A1. It’s the same story with the Fiesta Active, too, so this is not particularly surprising.
The latest A1 uses the Volkswagen Group’s MQB A0 chassis, so it shares parts with the VW Polo, including its engine. The 1.0-litre three-cylinder unit produces 114bhp, 10bhp less than the Ford, and is linked to a six-speed manual gearbox driving the front wheels. There aren’t any off-road driving modes, but you can switch between the normal setting, an eco mode and a sportier configuration, but these barely change the driving experience.
Inside, the Citycarver is the same as a normal A1, which means it’s more upmarket than the Ford, even though there are still some cost-saving hard plastics in the Audi, such as on the doors. It’s pitched as a premium product, unlike the more mainstream Fiesta Active, so we would expect a higher standard of materials in the cabin, but this is only the case in certain areas. The seats and steering wheel feel more premium than the Ford’s, so the key touchpoints are good, but elsewhere inside, the Ford is able to keep up with its rival in this respect.
You get a 10. 25-inch digital instrument cluster as standard in the Audi, though, which is key in making it feel more hi-tech than the Fiesta. It can display all sorts of useful information, including full sat-nav mapping. Audi’s Virtual Cockpit was one of the first displays of this type and it’s still among the best around for functionality and customisation, and a great feature at this level of the market.
Other standard kit includes AEB, lane-keep assist, LED lights, air-con, cruise control and connectivity that features Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
Driving
IT ’S likely not a shock to learn that the A1 Citycarver drives almost identically to the normal A1. However, it’s not exactly the same; with more suspension travel to absorb bumps, thanks to the raised height, the ride is slightly softer, which means the Citycarver is actually slightly better to drive. But it’s not by much, because it still fidgets around town and doesn’t settle down until you get up to speed.
The Fiesta Active is also softer than the normal supermini version, and in both forms it rides more smoothly than the Audi, but also feels more fun.
The A1 has precise steering, decent grip and a solid gearchange, but the Fiesta’s entertaining chassis and quick steering give it the advantage here.
While the Audi’s engine has less power, the A1’s low kerbweight of 1,140kg means performance is good enough, and the engine is reasonably fun to
use, because it’s punchy, smooth and refined. This was shown in our in-gear tests, where the Audi kept up with its more powerful rival. It took 4. 2 seconds to go from 30-50mph in third gear, 0.1 seconds ahead of the Fiesta, but it fell 0.5 seconds behind the Ford’s time of 6.0 seconds in fourth.
The gap widened in the higher gears, where the newcomer needed 9.2 and 12.7 seconds to go from 50-70mph in fifth and sixth gears respectively, while the Fiesta Active managed 8.4 and 10.8 seconds.
Yet neither car feels underpowered, because their turbocharged engines mean they pick up speed easily providing you’re in the right gear. As in the Fiesta, once the A1’s turbo is working, performance is easy, so combined with the settled high-speed ride, this torque and refinement make it a good cruiser.
Practicality
THE A1 has a light and airy cabin, which gives the feeling of space, and there’s more shoulder room in the front seats than in the Ford, too.
Yet the Audi’s real advantage is its rear seats, which are more comfortable to sit in and have more leg and headroom than in the Fiesta Active. With a tall driver, legroom is still tight in the back, but this is true in both models.
The Audi has more boot space, too; the A1 Citycarver has 335 litres of space, and a lower loading lip than its rival; the Ford has 311 litres. It also has an adjustable boot floor, which helps to keep the floor flatter in two-seat mode with the rear seats folded.
Ownership
THE A1 Citycarver comes with lane-keep assist and AEB as standard, plus LED headlights and rear parking sensors. There’s no reversing camera, though, which is standard on the Ford. This is a shame because rearward visibility could be better on the Citycarver.
Audi finished 16th in our Driver Power 2019 survey, ahead of Ford’s 23rd place out of 30 brands.
Running costs
ON test the Audi returned 42.3mpg, which was only slightly behind the
Ford’s 43.4mpg. These figures result in an annual fuel spend of £1,651 in the A1 and £1,609 in the Fiesta.
Depreciation works in the Audi’s favour, though. Our experts predict it’ll keep 49.8 per cent of its list price, losing £11,064 in three years or 36,000 miles, while the Ford loses £12,756 in that time due to a lower residual value of 41.0 per cent.
Testers’ notes
“The Citycarver costs £1,400 more than a normal A1 in mid-spec Sport trim, which gets a similar level of standard kit. It rides slightly better, but not by enough to justify that extra cash.”