Review Audi A2 1.6 FSI petrol Manual 2003
Review
1 useful vote
Submitted by chelseaboy
Key strengths: Great all rounder
Areas for improvement: Needs premium fuel
Car has the S-Line Plus package, this means 1/2 leather sports seats, uprated suspension, 17 inch alloys, body-kit, all black interior, etc.
The FSI has a larger boot spoiler than the other A2s, and slightly wider arches (not that you can tell).
This is a great little warm hatch, at home in the city and good on the Motorway.
The interior is surprisingly spacious despite the size of the car. The front passenger area is noticeably roomier than an A3 (I am 6'4" and a tight fit in an S3). The quality of the fit and finish is also of the high standard one expects in an Audi.
The interior is like that of a premium car, rather than the budget feel found in most cars of this size (especially the Mini which we considered until we sat in it - nice design, but cheap plastic finish).
The load carrying has some neat tricks too. The rear backrest can be put into a totally upright position, giving a square boot (more useful than it first sounds) at the expense of some comfort. The rear seats can also be folded or removed. A Meriva it isn't, but still very flexible.
The sports seats are excellent; Firm, comfortable and supportive. I have yet to experience any discomfort and have made several long (3+) hour trips. We test drove a standard FSI and found the seats a bit flat (but comfortable).
Heated seats and climate control work well and are very useful down here in Munich.
Car looks good in dark metallic blue (Audi Cobalt blue), with the S-line kit and big alloys.
Looks like a baby Audi should, cute, but tough!
Suspension is very firm, and although well damped the ride can be a bit bumpy. The trade off being that the car corners brilliantly (like a go-kart to use the cliche). Typical sports suspension in other words. The wide tyres (P-Zero Neros) and the light weight mean that it can tramline a bit in the wet, but the ultimate grip is high.
Traction and stability control work well if you push it too far.
The standard FSI has much more forgiving suspension, but naturally loses the chuckable edge.
The FSI engine takes a bit of getting used to as its power delivery is non-linear with a step at around 3000 rpm (when the FSI switches back to 'normal' mode). Pootle around town at around 2000 rpm and it is fine, and very economical (FSI mode). Put your foot down at this engine speed and the engine will baulk and then fire the car forward like a rocket (similar to an older turbo diesel at low revs). This is very uncomfortable and disconcerting for driver and passengers - not to mention dangerous. However, I don't believe this is a fault (per se), but a result of the FSI system.
The engine management switches between FSI and normal modes as it sees fit, but with a fixed step at 3000 rpm (if I have read the paperwork correctly). If you want to use the power then you need to get the engine spinning first, this normally means dropping 2 gears or feeding in more revs than you would expect at launch.
Driven hard (like we used to do when hot hatches only had 1.3 or 1.6 litre engines) the A2 FSI is a usefully quick little car and great fun (it has a lovely rorty exhaust note). The downside is that it is a bit on or off. If you want smooth, usable (but lukewarm), performance (and even better fuel economy) buy the 1.4TDI.
I often find myself blasting out of a corner (or away from the lights) and then short shifting from 2nd to 5th to cruise along at the speed limit in town (or 3rd to 5th from a motorway slip-road). The FSI needs you to rethink your driving style to get the best out of it (unless you are the sort who thrashes cars anyway!).
A minor annoyance is that he needs feeding 98roz fuel (i.e. Premium Unleaded or Super Plus) and this pushes up the running cost slightly. You can get away with 95roz (Super Unleaded) but the economy and performance suffer. Normal unleaded is for dire emergencies only! Even driven quite hard I still get almost 35-40 mpg, much more if driven conservatively.
I would recommen The running costs for Audi A2 1.6 FSI petrol Manual are normal
Areas for improvement: Needs premium fuel
Car has the S-Line Plus package, this means 1/2 leather sports seats, uprated suspension, 17 inch alloys, body-kit, all black interior, etc.
The FSI has a larger boot spoiler than the other A2s, and slightly wider arches (not that you can tell).
This is a great little warm hatch, at home in the city and good on the Motorway.
The interior is surprisingly spacious despite the size of the car. The front passenger area is noticeably roomier than an A3 (I am 6'4" and a tight fit in an S3). The quality of the fit and finish is also of the high standard one expects in an Audi.
The interior is like that of a premium car, rather than the budget feel found in most cars of this size (especially the Mini which we considered until we sat in it - nice design, but cheap plastic finish).
The load carrying has some neat tricks too. The rear backrest can be put into a totally upright position, giving a square boot (more useful than it first sounds) at the expense of some comfort. The rear seats can also be folded or removed. A Meriva it isn't, but still very flexible.
The sports seats are excellent; Firm, comfortable and supportive. I have yet to experience any discomfort and have made several long (3+) hour trips. We test drove a standard FSI and found the seats a bit flat (but comfortable).
Heated seats and climate control work well and are very useful down here in Munich.
Car looks good in dark metallic blue (Audi Cobalt blue), with the S-line kit and big alloys.
Looks like a baby Audi should, cute, but tough!
Suspension is very firm, and although well damped the ride can be a bit bumpy. The trade off being that the car corners brilliantly (like a go-kart to use the cliche). Typical sports suspension in other words. The wide tyres (P-Zero Neros) and the light weight mean that it can tramline a bit in the wet, but the ultimate grip is high.
Traction and stability control work well if you push it too far.
The standard FSI has much more forgiving suspension, but naturally loses the chuckable edge.
The FSI engine takes a bit of getting used to as its power delivery is non-linear with a step at around 3000 rpm (when the FSI switches back to 'normal' mode). Pootle around town at around 2000 rpm and it is fine, and very economical (FSI mode). Put your foot down at this engine speed and the engine will baulk and then fire the car forward like a rocket (similar to an older turbo diesel at low revs). This is very uncomfortable and disconcerting for driver and passengers - not to mention dangerous. However, I don't believe this is a fault (per se), but a result of the FSI system.
The engine management switches between FSI and normal modes as it sees fit, but with a fixed step at 3000 rpm (if I have read the paperwork correctly). If you want to use the power then you need to get the engine spinning first, this normally means dropping 2 gears or feeding in more revs than you would expect at launch.
Driven hard (like we used to do when hot hatches only had 1.3 or 1.6 litre engines) the A2 FSI is a usefully quick little car and great fun (it has a lovely rorty exhaust note). The downside is that it is a bit on or off. If you want smooth, usable (but lukewarm), performance (and even better fuel economy) buy the 1.4TDI.
I often find myself blasting out of a corner (or away from the lights) and then short shifting from 2nd to 5th to cruise along at the speed limit in town (or 3rd to 5th from a motorway slip-road). The FSI needs you to rethink your driving style to get the best out of it (unless you are the sort who thrashes cars anyway!).
A minor annoyance is that he needs feeding 98roz fuel (i.e. Premium Unleaded or Super Plus) and this pushes up the running cost slightly. You can get away with 95roz (Super Unleaded) but the economy and performance suffer. Normal unleaded is for dire emergencies only! Even driven quite hard I still get almost 35-40 mpg, much more if driven conservatively.
I would recommen The running costs for Audi A2 1.6 FSI petrol Manual are normal
Safety: 80
Equipment: 81
Reliability: 77
Driving: 80
Comfort: 75
Design: 83
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This is a subjective opinion from a ebuga.co.uk user and not from ebuga.co.uk.
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