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Auto Express Car Reviews
Audi Metro
Audi Metro Project quattro
Audi enters the supermini class with small car that’s set to make big impression on Brit baby – and it’s called the Metro
By Sam Hardy
24th October 2007
The Metro is back... but is it finally ready to lay the MINI to rest? Audi’s sensational new supermini rival is set to take a bow at the Tokyo Motor Show – and Auto Express has all the pictures and official details.
Called the ‘metroproject quattro’, the car paves the way for an all-new model, likely to be badged A1.
It also reveals the company’s plan to build an all-new family of hybrid engines, and showcases a clever new hand-held device that incorporates sat-nav, a phone and an MP3 player – which even starts the car, too! BearÂing a close resemblance to the artist’s impression we published back in Issue 981, the Audi is a real head-turner and takes the fight to premium compact models such as BMW’s 1-Series and, of course, chief rival the MINI.
At the front, there’s a huge slatted grille and angled headlamps with daytime LED running lights. A strong crease in the bonnet emphasises the shape of the stylish yet aggressive nose.
In profile, the design is marked out by aluminium arches – these run from the base of the A-pillars all the way to the tail. At the rear, LED lights, a neat roof spoiler and sporty twin exhausts round off the attractive look.
The baby Audi is longer than the MINI, and inside, there are four individual seats. The interior develops themes debuted on the latest TT, with four circular air vents, a flat-bottomed steering wheel and a dashÂboard angled towards the driver.
Aluminium trim is used throughout, including on the centre console, into which owners can plug the new ‘mobile device’. Similar to the Apple iPhone, the touchscreen set-up plays digital music, runs navigation software and can be used as a phone.
Its menus operate in the same way as Audi’s MMI cabin control system, and the technology even allows drivers to set the cabin temperature from outside the car – so they can warm up the interior from inside their home. The hand-held unit has to be connected before you can hit the starter button and fire the engine – which is a 150bhp version of Audi’s 1.4-litre turbocharged FSI petrol unit. It propels the front wheels through a six-speed S tronic Direct Shift gearbox complete with steering wheel-mounted paddles.
However, there is also a 41bhp electric motor, which drives the rear wheels. This can be viewed through a glass panel in the boot.
The concept is capable of running on electric or petrol power alone, or a combination of the two – with the electric unit boosting the engine. And when the Audi is using both, it has full four-wheel drive. The hybrid technology helps slash fuel economy and emissions – the newcomer promises to return 57.7mpg combined and puts out 112g/km of CO2. However, this improved efficiency hasn’t come at the expense of performance. The benchmark 0-62mph sprint takes an impressive 7.8 seconds, while the top speed is around 125mph.
Audi says the model is engineered to deliver a fun and agile driving expÂerience, and the multi-link suspension incorporates magnetic dampers, similar to the set-up seen on the R8 supercar. This comprises two modes: one providing a comfortable ride, the other being more sporty. The production version is due to make its world debut at the Paris Motor Show next September, with sales starting early in 2009.
Called the ‘metroproject quattro’, the car paves the way for an all-new model, likely to be badged A1.
It also reveals the company’s plan to build an all-new family of hybrid engines, and showcases a clever new hand-held device that incorporates sat-nav, a phone and an MP3 player – which even starts the car, too! BearÂing a close resemblance to the artist’s impression we published back in Issue 981, the Audi is a real head-turner and takes the fight to premium compact models such as BMW’s 1-Series and, of course, chief rival the MINI.
At the front, there’s a huge slatted grille and angled headlamps with daytime LED running lights. A strong crease in the bonnet emphasises the shape of the stylish yet aggressive nose.
In profile, the design is marked out by aluminium arches – these run from the base of the A-pillars all the way to the tail. At the rear, LED lights, a neat roof spoiler and sporty twin exhausts round off the attractive look.
The baby Audi is longer than the MINI, and inside, there are four individual seats. The interior develops themes debuted on the latest TT, with four circular air vents, a flat-bottomed steering wheel and a dashÂboard angled towards the driver.
Aluminium trim is used throughout, including on the centre console, into which owners can plug the new ‘mobile device’. Similar to the Apple iPhone, the touchscreen set-up plays digital music, runs navigation software and can be used as a phone.
Its menus operate in the same way as Audi’s MMI cabin control system, and the technology even allows drivers to set the cabin temperature from outside the car – so they can warm up the interior from inside their home. The hand-held unit has to be connected before you can hit the starter button and fire the engine – which is a 150bhp version of Audi’s 1.4-litre turbocharged FSI petrol unit. It propels the front wheels through a six-speed S tronic Direct Shift gearbox complete with steering wheel-mounted paddles.
However, there is also a 41bhp electric motor, which drives the rear wheels. This can be viewed through a glass panel in the boot.
The concept is capable of running on electric or petrol power alone, or a combination of the two – with the electric unit boosting the engine. And when the Audi is using both, it has full four-wheel drive. The hybrid technology helps slash fuel economy and emissions – the newcomer promises to return 57.7mpg combined and puts out 112g/km of CO2. However, this improved efficiency hasn’t come at the expense of performance. The benchmark 0-62mph sprint takes an impressive 7.8 seconds, while the top speed is around 125mph.
Audi says the model is engineered to deliver a fun and agile driving expÂerience, and the multi-link suspension incorporates magnetic dampers, similar to the set-up seen on the R8 supercar. This comprises two modes: one providing a comfortable ride, the other being more sporty. The production version is due to make its world debut at the Paris Motor Show next September, with sales starting early in 2009.
Pictures
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