Welcome to a lightly-crossovered Audi A1. Called the ‘citycarver’—yep, all lowercase—it’s basically a normal A1 with 4cm of extra ground clearance for “easier entry and better visibility.” So much for the cool, urban youth—sounds like this thing’s aimed squarely at the elderly and infirm.
Besides the extra ride height, you get black plastic wheel-arch extensions, new front and rear fascias (with two slots above the radiator grille, to the normal A1’s three), and different sills. Inside, however, it’s standard A1—meaning you can have Audi’s Virtual Cockpit paired with a 10.25-inch MMI display. Specs and prices haven’t been confirmed, but it looks as though the citycarver will come with bags of kit as standard.
The two available engines—in the UK, at least—will be the 114hp 1.0-liter three-cylinder, or the 148hp 1.5-liter four-cylinder. These are both gasolines, and will be badged 30 and 35 TFSI, respectively.
History doesn’t remember cars like the A1 citycarver particularly kindly (Rover Streetwise, anyone?). But there’s a chance this thing could be a decent A1—the extra ride height could soften the firm ride, and give another point of differentiation over what is little more than a VW Group small city car in a posh frock.
Read the Top Gear review of the regular Audi A1 by clicking here.
NOTE: This article first appeared on TopGear.com. Minor edits have been made.
