New Audi A2 – more efficient than a Tesla Model 3, but will it sell?
The original Audi A2 was a masterclass in small car packaging and efficiency, but a commercial flop. Now it’s being revived as an electric car
The Audi A2 is returning after 21 years, now in EV form. It follows in the original’s tyre tracks as a standard-bearer for outside-the-box thinking and efficiency, so says Audi. With its distinctive sloping silhouette, short bonnet and short overhangs, it certainly looks like the original A2 reborn, complete with Audi’s next-generation design language first seen on the Nuvolari supercar. But is it as ambitious and innovative as the original? Let’s dive in on the A2 e-tron.
Audi A2 – powertrain and range
Audi says that its ‘new generation of premium electric mobility is defined by technical intelligence, not by larger batteries or more power’. So the headline-grabbing 397 miles of range and Tesla Model 3-beating 4.85mi/kWh efficiency figure offered by the most long-legged version, achieves as much with a 79kWh (net) battery. That’s with the second-tier 227bhp motor, but 168bhp and 187bhp versions are available, albeit with smaller 59kWh and 58kWh batteries, for respective 261 and 310-mile range figures.
All A2s are rear-wheel drive bar the flagship 323bhp model, which also gets the full-size 79kWh battery, for a 386-mile range. This battery differs from the other lithium units with its nickel-manganese-cobalt chemistry.
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If some of these battery size and power output figures sound familiar, that’s because they are, from Cupra’s recently updated Born electric hatchback and the VW ID.3 Neo. The Audi however, uses a number of solutions to eke out the extra 24 miles of range it has over the leggiest version of the Cupra. That sloping roofline certainly helps it achieve its 0.24 drag coefficient, as do its new aero wheels, gap-reducing arch liners, active air intake and enclosed underbody. The most powerful 323bhp A2 e-tron manages 0-62mph in 5.7sec, just 0.1sec slower than the equivalent Cupra Born VZ. The other A2s manage the sprint in 7sec.
Audi’s drive modes carry into the A2, with Comfort, Balanced, Efficiency and Dynamic available. They affect steering weight, throttle response, damping and braking sensitivity. There are also three levels of regenerative braking above the ‘off’ setting.
Audi A2 interior
Graze a finger across the A2’s touch-sensitive ‘wing’ door handle, step inside and it’s immediately familiar Audi, in so much as the now ubiquitous Audi MMI Panoramic Display twin screen set-up is present and correct. But it’s mounted within a much more angular, minimalist cabin architecture than we’ve seen from Audi in a while. This is in part the influence of Audi’s new design direction and in part, a facet of its inherited Volkswagen MEB underpinnings.
As you’d expect, there’s plenty of eco-friendly recycled and recyclable material used on the A2, outside and in. More than 300 components are recycled metals and plastics. On the inside, optional softwrap materials and the optional sports seats are made from recycled polyester.
As this is an Audi and not a Volkswagen ID.3, you get an Audi steering wheel and controls – praise be! The new Audi switch module – read, slab atop the steering column with all the controls you’d usually expect to find on stalks – is per our experience in other models that feature it, nicely tactile and intuitive. Not so much can be said for Audi’s touch-control-heavy steering wheel that also features. At least the ‘wireless charging station’ for your phone that appears to float below the infotainment screen should be useful.
Audi also calls the A2’s cabin a ‘mobile office’, with integration of Microsoft Outlook and Teams usable through voice controls and the AI assistant. Just beware, the ‘Audi Connected Work’ feature is an optional extra. As are the upgraded eight-speaker Audi and 14-speaker Sonos sound systems, over the standard seven-speaker set-up.
Audi A2 price and availability
You’ll be able to order an Audi A2 e-tron from October with orders set to begin early next year. The cheapest, 168bhp model with the 50kWh battery will be priced from £32,200. For context, the ID.3 starts from £30,860 and the Cupra Born from £35,995.
