Audi gives the crossover treatment to its supermini to create the A1 CityCarver.

If you’re looking for a small car that’s got a tough image that’s ready for combat on urban terrain, then Audi may have the thing for you. It’s called the Audi A1 Citycarver, and as the name might suggest, this car is ready to take on whatever you throw at it. Or so the marketing people would like you to think anyway. In reality, unless you find yourself living in a wildly overgrown city like Will Smith in I Am Legend, the Citycarver is most likely going to be stuck in the same traffic as everything else. 

Nonetheless, the Citycarver does get some distinctive styling upgrades that help to distance it a bit more from the regular Audi A1 it is based upon. It appears to follow a similar formula to the one it applies to its allroad models. In contrast, those are engineered for more rugged environments and get Audi’s quattro all-wheel-drive transmissions, the A1 Citycarver doesn’t, hence the different name. It’s easy to take a cynical view of such a car, but this isn’t the first time a carmaker has tried something like this. Remember the Rover Streetwise? And more recently there has been the Vauxhall Adam Rocks (which drove better than you’d think), the Volkswagen Cross Polo and currently the Ford Fiesta Active. 

Audi jacks up the Citycarver by 35mm, and it’s noticeable, leaving a decent ground clearance of 40mm in comparison to the standard A1. Adding to the beefier look is a contrasting roof colour (a £425 option), black plastic cladding along the wheel arches and side sills. These bespoke bumpers add 10mm to the overall length, but it remains small enough to squeeze into a tight parking space easily. Other standard items include 17-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights and a large black octagonal grille that makes it look like a Stormtrooper. 

Even for its smallest cars Audi does not disappoint when it comes to kitting out the interior. There’s the same 10.25-inch digital instrument display found in its larger cars that can offer a variety of views. To the left of that, and angled slightly towards the driver, is an 8.8-inch touchscreen display for the infotainment system. It’s easy and intuitive to use as well as being positioned nice and high up, so you don’t have to take your eyes far from the road to do anything with it. Spend an additional £1,695 if you want to upgrade to the Technology Pack. This grouping of options adds a larger 10.1-inch touchscreen display, 3D navigation for the instrument display, a 36-month subscription to Audi Connect online services and a wireless charging pad. 

The rest of the main dashboard facia is taken up with air vents for the air conditioning that is controllable by a bank of physical dials below the infotainment screen. High-quality materials cover the rest of the dash resulting in a distinctly upmarket and clutter-free cabin design. Optional dash inserts in slate grey or black glass add to the interior look. 

There is a reasonable amount of space in the rear of the A1 Citycarver, but despite the provision of three seatbelts back there it is better suited at accommodating two adults. That middle seat is fine if you’re in a bind, but it’s narrow and firm, neither of which is conducive to comfort over lengthier journeys. Boot space at 335 litres isn’t that bad considering the larger Audi A3 Sportback gets only 380 litres. 

You can choose between two petrol engines in the A1 Citycarver with either offering the choice of a six-speed manual or seven-speed automatic front-wheel-drive transmission. The 30 TFSI is a 1.0-litre three-cylinder engine that produces an output of 114bhp and is the car I’m driving here. A more potent 148bhp version with a 1.5-litre four-cylinder engine is also available. That 35 TFSI does give it more shove and is useful if you undertake more motorway journeys, but if you’re mostly sticking to town and city driving the 30 TFSI engine should suffice. It has a characterful rorty engine note, and it likes to rev, though you won’t get the best fuel economy by driving it in such a fashion. If you can afford the upgrade to the seven-speed automatic it is nicer to have, especially if you’re spending a lot of time in traffic, though there’s nothing wrong with the six-speed manual. 

By raising the suspension on the A1 Citycarver, it not only adds to its crossover image but it results in an improvement in ride comfort. The 17-inch alloys aren’t shod in low profile tyres either meaning there’s a fair bit of cushioning to help smooth out the speed bumps and potholes along the way. This comfort aspect is where the Audi stands out although having that longer suspension travel means that it does lean more if you’re cornering with some fervour. With 114bhp it is no hot hatch, but the buzzy three-cylinder suits the ride quality of the Citycarver making it a far more enjoyable thing to drive than a regular A1 running the firmer S line suspension. There is plenty of grip from the front end and the steering has a decent feel to it. 

The A1 Citycarver is a more leftfield choice that also carries a premium over the regular A1. In fact, by the time you add a few options onto it, you could squeeze into an entry-model of the larger Q2 SUV, which is more of a proper crossover. That aside, the A1 Citycarver is a surprisingly pleasant and fun car to drive that ticks the premium box and is perfect for the urban commute. 

Model: Audi A1 Citycarver 30 TFSI 

Price: £24,060 

Engine: 1.0-litre three-cylinder petrol

Power: 114bhp

Torque: 200Nm

0-62mph: 9.5 seconds

Max speed: 123mph

WLTP fuel consumption: 46.3mpg

WLTP CO2: 139g/km 

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