All posts by Macfivenews

Motoring and travel journalist, opinionated gob on a stick
Audi, Crossover, Supermini

Carving out a special niche

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Audi A1 Citycarver

By Bill McCarthy

Even superminis are getting the steroids treatment these days as the appetite for SUVs/crossovers seems insatiable.

So I suppose it should be no surprise that Audi, who produce some pretty mean SUVs already, has given its smallest car the muscle treatment.

The A1 Citycarver is a striking looking car with a striking name. What is the idea behind it? Does it carve its way through city traffic? Who knows. But it’s sure to be popular with Audi enthusiasts offering the rugged look with Audi quality and a price that will not actually blow your socks off. Those looking for all-wheel drive will be disappointed however, so despite its looks there is no Quattro version available yet.

 There’s a choice of two petrol engines, the lively 1.5 litre, 148bhp petrol on this model and a smaller, three pot one litre,113bhp power unit.

The design is based on the A1 Sportback, but the more muscular look includes wheel arch cladding, underbody protection, a stainless steel finish and raised suspension giving around four centimetres of additional ground clearance for easier entry and better visibility. The striking black grille has the knobbly honeycomb finish seen across the range while two slots above the grille differentiate it from the Sportback.

It also features a large bumper to the rear, full LED headlights, 17-inch alloy wheels and roof edge spoiler. The colour palette is extensive and features include a two-tone option like the unmissable yellow and black combo on the model driven here, enhancing, or diminishing the muscular look, depending on your point of view.

While the exterior looks different, the interior pretty much mirrors the A1 with the centrepiece the familiar eight-inch MMI touchscreen that controls major functions like navigation, infotainment and smartphone connectivity mirroring Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

It sits in the middle of a sweeping, ergonomically designed dashboard, which also houses a version of the Audi digital ‘cockpit’ which can be configured in various ways to show a different combination of dials and information readouts.

Fixtures and fittings are sturdy and typically Audi with soft touch finish for the most part, but some cheaper plastics thrown in which you won’t find on some its bigger (and more expensive) stablemates.

The power unit is excellent, mated to the seven-speed DSG auto transmission, it has plenty of urge and even when pushed hard retains a sweet note.

Acceleration is brisk, the car hitting 60mph in just under eight seconds, ideal for smart getaways around town, and can confirm it is a pretty refined motorway cruiser, have completed around 300 miles on the country’s main highways. There’s plenty of power in reserve for overtaking, while road and engine noise is barely noticeable. Economy is pretty impressive to with official figures of 44mpg.

Sitting higher off the ground than the A1, handling is only slightly compromised and it feels assured when cornering, with lots of grip, while the steering is direct and nicely weighted.

Seats are comfortable with decent space in the front, even for taller occupants, but is cramped in the rear, which you would expect with this type of car.

Small it may be but it scores well with practicality with a decent sized, sensibly shaped boot. Stowage space is also good with  335 litres, increasing to 1,090 litres with the rear seats folded.

Standard spec includes  full-LED headlights with dynamic rear turn signals, air conditioning, the Audi drive select dynamic handling system and assistance technologies such as cruise control, and for safety a full complement of airbags, plus Audi Pre-sense Front with pedestrian and cyclist recognition, lane departure warning and hill-hold assist.

As ever with Audi options abound and this model included the Technology pack at £1,695 and Comfort & sound pack at £1,150. The Technology Pack incorporating the Audi virtual cockpit with an increased range of views and functions, MMI navigation plus with larger 10.1-inch high resolution screen, Audi connect with its wide variety of online services and the Audi Phone Box facilitating wireless smartphone charging.

Comfort and Sound Pack adds Parking System Plus with acoustic and visual assistance and additional front protection to complement the standard rear sensors, front seat heating and the Bang & Olufsen 3D sound system with 560 watts of music power.

Factfile

Audi A1 Citycarver 35 TFSI S tronic

Price: £25,435

Mechanical: 150PS, 1,498cc, 4cyl petrol engine driving front wheels via 7-speed DSG auto gearbox

Max speed: 136mph

0-60mph: 8 seconds

Combined mpg: 44.1

Insurance group: 24E

CO2 emissions: 145g/km

BiK rating: 33%

Warranty: 3yrs/60,000 miles

Motoring news

60 years of motoring history celebrated

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Some of the reference library publications and the opening of the library 60 year ago

Special occasion for National Motor Museum Trust Reference Library

The National Motor Museum Trust will be celebrating 60 years of its Reference Library with an online commemoration from 28th April, giving motoring enthusiasts a fascinating insight into one of Europe’s largest publicly accessible motor heritage libraries.

Marking six decades since the library was opened in 1961, a selection of films will be available to watch on the National Motor Museum Trust YouTube channel, taking viewers behind the scenes of the library, which contains over 300,000 items, and revealing its remarkable history. This vast collection spans from the beginning of the automobile era in the 1880s right up to the present day.

The Reference Library curators, Carina Taylor and Lindsay Whitaker-Guest, are looking forward to commemorating this invaluable resource.  Lindsay said: “The 60th anniversary is definitely a proud moment for us as it shows how far the collection has come over the years”.  Carina said: “Thanks to the expert knowledge of all its librarians, staff and volunteers, past and present, the service has become the place for information and advice whether you are a vehicle restorer, academic researcher or finding more about your family history”.

The Reference Library, or National Road Transport Library as it was originally called, was officially opened on 28th April 1961 by the late Edward, 3rd Baron Montagu of Beaulieu, who recognised the importance of providing a motoring library and archive service for historians, researchers and members of the public.

From its unlikely location in the kitchens of Palace House, the Montagu family home, the library expanded quickly, relocating to larger premises at Beaulieu’s John Montagu Building in 1972, then to its current location in the National Motor Museum Trust’s Collection Centre in 1989. Today, it occupies five rooms over two floors.

The Reference Library tells the story of motoring in Britain and abroad.  The service provides access to a wealth of research material including rare and out of print publications on everything from cars and motorcycles to commercial vehicles. The collection of 300,000 items includes 14,000 books, 7,000 bound volumes of periodicals, 100,000 loose periodicals, 70,000 sales literature items, around 25,000 handbooks, 7,000 workshop manuals and over 9,000 event programmes and show guides. The collection continues to grow with over 2,000 historical and contemporary items added each year.

Highlights include early motor journals The Car Illustrated and Coach Builders Art Journal, early French motor journals, a rich collection of vehicles sales literature and brochures dating back to the 1880s, technical material and almost complete runs of The Autocar and The Motor.  

Normally the library’s collections can be accessed by making an appointment in advance through the Motoring Research Service.  Each appointment and visit is led by Patrick Collins, the Research and Enquiries Officer, who brings extensive knowledge and expertise of the collection and motoring history.  Like many places the library has had to close its doors due to the national lockdown restrictions.  

Despite this, the service still receives many enquiries from researchers keen to continue their work. Once Government guidelines allow and it is safe to do so, the library hopes to reopen with new Covid-secure procedures and welcome back visitors again.  This will become another great moment in the library’s long and wonderful history.

The National Motor Museum Trust YouTube channel can be found at www.youtube.com/user/MotorMuseum.

For more information about the Reference Library, the Motoring Research Service and the National Motor Museum Trust collections, please visit www.nationalmotormuseum.org.uk.