Audi A2 first drive: the efficient electric return

Ah, the Audi A2: the efficiency champion that nobody bought.

In essence, that is the story. Motoring journalists have long admired the original Audi A2 for its unusual silhouette, advanced aluminium structure, kerb weight of under 900kg and the genuinely remarkable 3.0L/100km delivered by its 1.2 diesel. And this was before hybrids existed in any meaningful form. It makes modern plug-in models seem rather fraudulent.

Yet economy was not the A2’s only talent: it was stylish, ingenious, wonderfully over-engineered, spacious and enjoyable to drive. Naturally, it proved a commercial disaster. During its seven-year run from 1999 to 2006, Audi sold only 176,000 examples and reportedly lost roughly 1.33 billion euros on the project. Oh sheiße!

The issue was that the A2 provided A3-grade roominess… so buyers simply chose the A3 instead. Radical engineering aside, why spend saloon money on a supermini?

Doomed from day one. Why has Audi revived it?

This time, the development costs are vastly, vastly lower. VW Group’s universal MEB platform gives Audi a ready-made foundation, avoiding the eye-watering investment needed to start from scratch, while compact electric crossovers already have a proven audience. And that is exactly what this is. The business case already appears capable of surviving more than five seconds on Dragon’s Den.

Audi has also realised it can draw on its history without appearing completely shameless. This is not a Ford Capri reborn as an SUV; it is a modest family car returning as a modest family car. The only real change is the powertrain.

So, is it the most efficient electric car ever made?

I would not take it quite that far. However, Audi is presenting the new A2 as an economy meister and says it has introduced several developments that honour the ethos of the original.

Audi is billing the new A2 as an economy meister

Let us count them. Silicon-carbide semiconductors are 10 per cent more efficient than conventional silicon alternatives. The permanently excited synchronous motor uses thinner laminations - 2mm rather than three - to cut energy losses. A new oil reduces transmission friction and is claimed to add 12km in cold conditions.

Then there is the extensive drag-reduction work, which Audi - equipped with pie charts and a formula worthy of a PhD - says accounts for over half the energy consumption above 100km/h. Its rounded nose, sweeping roof and flat tail allow air to move cleanly over the body; an active intake behind the grille remains shut when cooling is unnecessary; front-end design features form air curtains that reduce turbulence down the sides; and inlets ahead of the front wheels, known as gap reducers, calm airflow within the wheelarches.

A front splitter sends undisturbed air beneath the car, where a fully enclosed floor incorporates its own spoilers to direct airflow away from the exposed rear-axle components and into a diffuser that completes the process. Phew.

The relatively substantial Bridgestone 235/45R19 tyres have also been selected to handle the rear axle’s weight, minimising sidewall deformation and therefore reducing drag.

And yes, every detail was refined in a wind tunnel.

But the best bit is still to come. Even the lettering on the tyre sidewalls has attended aero boot camp. That alone saves 0.001Cd. Brilliantly ridiculous - and gloriously nerdy. It may be worth only a few metres across the car’s lifetime, but Audi did it regardless.

The result is a drag coefficient of 0.24Cd: one hundredth lower than that of the original A2, though marginally behind the current A6 e-tron.

You have not mentioned the battery. Is it Audi’s most energy-dense option?

Er, no. Audi has chosen LFP, or lithium iron phosphate, cells. They do not offer the same energy density as NMC chemistry, but they avoid rare-earth metals and their charging capability should deteriorate less over time. They are cheaper, too. Perhaps that is a lesson learned from the Mk1.

It does, at least, use a cell-to-pack layout, enabling the engineers to fit as much energy as possible into the space available.

What does that amount to on the road?

The new A2 should make both your electrons - and the money spent on them - go further. During a very gentle drive in this near-finished, Bauhaus-aspiring prototype over the Øresund Bridge from Denmark and along Sweden’s southern edge, I achieved 8.78km/kWh over two-and-a-half hours, at an average of 53km/h and in temperatures in the mid-to-high teens. That was slow, steady work, and no better than the first-generation Kia e-Niro managed seven years ago, but anything beyond 8.0km/kWh remains hugely impressive.

Pair that figure with the car’s 58kWh battery and the range approaches 483km. A larger 79kWh pack is likely to arrive when the car reaches showrooms, and matching that efficiency would take it beyond 644km. This version’s peak DC charging rate has been confirmed at 105kW, while Audi claims a 10–80 per cent recharge in 26 minutes.

Those battery capacities sound rather familiar…

Ah, yes. There is a reason for that. The new A2 is effectively a facelifted ID.3 beneath a more aerodynamic body. It has the same windscreen and frontal area, and you can wager your house that its motors and performance figures will be identical too. Put a fiver on 189bhp and 0–100km/h in roughly eight seconds.

The new A2 is essentially the facelifted ID.3 in a more slippery skin... and you can bet your house that the motors and performance will be the same as well

Not that you will want to negate all that work by flooring the accelerator. In Efficiency mode, response is exceptionally gentle, and lifting off makes the car feel as though it could coast forever. Even in Dynamic mode, the A2 builds speed rather than surging ahead in a way that might upset its painstakingly tuned algorithm.

The brake pedal has plenty of movement and permits accurate modulation, although regeneration handles most deceleration, making the steering-wheel paddles little more than an alternative way to serve the same dish. Audi’s steering is predictably precise without being weighty, but I cannot yet report on handling. Apparently, Sweden’s southern tip has no corners.

That is clearly untrue. Carry on.

This car’s ride was somewhat firm and rather restless at low speeds, although it wore sports suspension that transmitted a noticeable amount of noise into the cabin. Tyre noise was more apparent than wind noise at motorway speeds, and Audi has fitted acoustic glass in the side windows to limit sound entering the interior.

Rearward vision will not be the A2’s strength, since the narrow rear screen compromises the mirror view, while the A-pillars obstruct sightlines at junctions. The seats are respectable and offer ample manual adjustment, although you need to sit fairly low to rest your elbows comfortably on the armrests.

The indicators are odd, too. They use a block rather than a stalk, making them easy to confuse with the cruise control. Presumably, familiarity will solve that problem.

When will the camouflage come off? And could I use one for my pop-up wine bar?

The answer to the first question is: soon. Audi will unveil the A2 in full during the autumn, before sales begin at the end of the year. Pricing remains TBC, though somewhere between £30k and £40k feels plausible.

Put another way, it is likely to occupy the same price territory as the A3 saloon. The irony.