Audi A2 1.4 SPECIAL EDITION RANGE
By and large, German cars have evolved away from the old trick of offering a premium badge with about as much standard equipment as a Bulgarian thrift store. It was a stunt that was pulled for many years, and what's more we kept falling for it. Not only would we pay over the odds for a badge, but wed then have to specify things like air conditioning, a CD stereo and electric windows from the options list. In todays more competitive market, this sort of cynicism just wont cut it and instead we get cars like Audis A2 Special Edition.
| Build |  |
| Comfort |  |
| Depreciation | |
| Economy |  |
| Equipment | |
| Handling | |
| Insurance | |
| Performance |  |
| Styling |  |
| Value | |
Its a rather poorly kept secret that the A2 is not long for this world, Audis top brass deeming it just too expensive and specialised to build at a meaningful profit. Expect it to be replaced with a car thats a whole lot simpler to construct and which will share a platform with other cars in the Volkswagen range. If you do want a car thats a unique, jewel-like thing, the A2 Special Edition could well represent your final opportunity to do so. Special Edition trim adds electronic climate control and a Concert radio with single CD player to the A2 standard equipment list, which includes 15-inch alloy wheels, remote control central locking, electric front windows and mirrors and a full complement of safety and security features.
All optional extras currently offered for outgoing standard models are available to A2 Special Edition customers.
"The Special Edition gives the A2 the equipment level its elite image always deserved"
Even more so than the TT, the Audi A2 is a car that divides opinion. Either you love its lines and appreciate the genius in its build or you find it unacceptably gimpy for a car that wears the four rings. Few would claim it to be any great beauty, but it packs in so many big car features that its unremittingly sophisticated in small car terms. As the world's first aluminium-bodied volume production car, its role is to make a technological statement on behalf of its maker. What will still matter to most is the A2s impeccable build quality. The A2 makes no secret of its exotic metallurgy, with lovely aluminium detail touches around the cabin on the gear lever stem, the glovebox catch and the instrument dial surrounds. The rest of the interior is filled with classy, soft-touch materials, complementing doors that shut with a quality 'thunk' and switchgear that feels hewn from stone. It is, quite simply, the classiest cabin of any small car yet made. The Mercedes A-Class doesnt get a look in. But it isn't the most versatile. Which, given that the A2 is only 12ft 6'' long, occupying less road space than any rival bar the rather cramped A-class, is hardly surprising. Still, the two individually sculpted rear seats are removable and split fold flat in the usual way to extend the load bay from just under 400 litres to over 1,085 litres of space. The seats themselves are very comfortable and, though there's not much legroom at the back, you don't really notice thanks to Audi's 'Space Floor Concept' - a fancy way of saying that the rear footwells are lower than those in the front. There's more innovation when it comes to the engines - though not in terms of the mechanicals themselves. The 75bhp 1.4-litre engine was borrowed from the Volkswagen Polo and though efficient, isnt outstanding in any particular way (though for a few hundred more, you can buy into a clever 1.6 FSI petrol model that is).
Finding evidence of any internal combustion at all in an A2 is an almost fruitless task. The bonnet does not hinge open in the normal way but is secured by two plastic knobs which would normally only be released for servicing. For routine top-up items, you unclip the small shiny black plastic grille panel at the front: this offers access to the dipstick, the oil filler and the windscreen washer reservoir. The 1.4-litre TDI diesel does superbly at the pumps, the 75bhp three-cylinder recording 50.4mpg around town and an impressive 80.
7mpg on the open road. It now goes further too, thanks to the addition of a larger fuel tank. The overall figures compare with 34.5mpg and 60.
1mpg respectively for the 1.4-litre petrol version. As for performance, sixty is 12.0s away en route to 107mph, virtually the same as the petrol model and slightly faster than VWs Polo 1.
4TDI (which uses exactly the same 75bhp three cylinder engine). Mindful of the handling criticism originally directed at Mercedes' A-class, Audi cut no corners with electronic driving aids. Traction control and ABS with Electronic Brake Force Distribution are backed up with ESP, an Electronic Stability Programme that automatically brakes individual wheels and throttles back should you enter a corner too quickly. If you can live with its sit up and beg styling, there are no objective reasons not to give Audis A2 anything other than big marks right across the board. The Special Edition versions make life with the A2 that much easier and although they still shoulder a hefty price tag, itll be a very long time until we see a car of this ilk again.
FACTS AT A GLANCE
CAR: Audi A2 1.4 Special Edition range
PRICES: £12,715-£13,695 on the road
INSURANCE GROUPS: 5-6
CO2 EMISSIONS: 116-144g/km
PERFORMANCE: [1.4 petrol] Max Speed 107mph / 0-60mph 12s
FUEL CONSUMPTION: : [1.4 petrol] (urban) 34.5mpg / (extra urban) 60.1mpg / (combined) 47.1mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin front airbags / ABS / ESP
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width/Heightmm 3826/1673/1553
