"You will love it for 50 years"

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"The Audi A2 is a sadly neglected masterpiece and is set to become a great classic," says Sean O'Grady

03 August 2004


Few new cars on the market can be regarded as instant classics. There are Caterhams, Morgans and the Land Rover Defender, but they are special cases, living fossils you might say. Of modern designs there's the McLaren Mercedes, the Koenigsegg, any of the delectable Noble sports cars. These are very expensive, and, thus, probably guaranteed a certain future status.

Among the more affordable machinery not much leaps out. What will still look good in half a century? Many would nominate the Audi TT, lauded by Stephen Bayley last week. But I can't help thinking of the TT as a VW Golf in drag. For a car that combines (relative) rarity, intriguing looks and superb design, I would pick a much less celebrated member of the Audi family: the Audi A2.

It is a masterpiece, neglected by public and maker alike. It has undersold its rival, the Mercedes-Benz A class; 150,000 to over a million. The three-pointed star, it seems, can transform anything into an object of desire.

Yet the A2's relative unpopularity may also have something to do with the way it is scarcely promoted. At the Geneva Show earlier this year, the Audi stand was packed with its latest gewgaw-faced saloons. "Where is the A2?" I wondered. I found it, shivering in a corner, unloved.

Last month, Volkswagen Audi Group chairman Bernd Pischetsrieder declared the company will not produce a successor for the A2. But Mercedes has just unveiled its next-generation A class, while Peugeot and Honda are soon to launch mini MPV designs. Ford's C Max even looks a little like an A2. And yet Audi has lost faith in its baby.

Too few people know that the A2 is the only small car in the world to be made entirely from aluminium, based on a "space frame". That snub-nosed face and tapering lines make for a low drag co-efficient of 0.28. It has a split-level floor to liberate space. The rear seats can be lifted out. The front grille is a "service flap" to allow user-friendly (clean) checking of oil and washer levels.

The A2 has a good ride, lively performance and remarkable fuel economy, all courtesy of a favourable power-to-weight ratio. It is built with the same care as the £50,000 A6. On every count it is the Mercedes A class's superior. The only criticism is of the direct fuel-injected 1.6-litre FSI engine, which sounds more like an old diesel. Still, it will do 126mph, take you to 60mph in under 10 seconds and return 48mpg.

The real snag? The A2 is relatively expensive (£16,000 for the FSI) and depreciates badly. The solution? Buy second-hand and acquire an instant classic. You'll still admire it in 50 years.

© The Independent 03.08.2004
 
I'll echo that Murdo, still can't understand that the A class was so pig ugly too imo!! Compared to the A2
Cheers jeff
 
Not sure how many will be left in 50 years though

The only ones to disappear will be the write-offs due to accidents, there is no reason to lose any others with the durability of the engine, chassis and body.

That is as long as people don't start stripping them for parts!!!

I would predict a very large percentage will still be around in 50 years and remember that we are a quarter of the way there already and the ones we see all seem in pretty good nick (although some are a bit grubby and scratched, but they are still a long way from the scrapyard)

These "rose coloured spectacles" are 2 for 1 at Specsavers!!! I ALWAYS wear them!!

Steve B
 
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Sobering thought a (lovely) inanimate object will see most of us out but that's life isn't it! Skipton used to say he wanted to be buried in his A2!

As time marches on we will have to keep an eye on the aluminum panels as it is possible for them to degrade. There was a post about it somewhere. The metal weakens and a white powdery residue appears. I'm sure that as long as it's protected the risk of that will be minimised.

If I'm lucky to make it to the A2 being 50 I'll be in my 81st year.

Think we'll have some air ride and hydrogen cell mods by then and better think about wilco184 taking over running the club from us old farts!

As the late Colin McRae said - ' we're here for a good time not for a long time'

Amen to that CM
 
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Unfortunately there is a successor to the A2 but by design only. Its called the Kia Venga and many have been sold. Why wouldn,t Audi build a mini MPV if there is a market out there - very odd !. :(
 
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Yes they are Steve, sorry - i think i meant more on the lines of an A2 update in style as opposed to the Q1 and 3 being more 4+4 ish ?.
Ta
Dave
:)
 
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Yes they are Steve, sorry - i think i meant more on the lines of an A2 update in style as opposed to the Q1 and 3 being more 4+4 ish ?.
Ta
Dave
:)
I see what you mean, but my main point when considering an A2 replacement is that there is no longer a gap for it to fit into.

The he gap between the A1 and A3 is not big enough to justify an A2.
Similarly with the Q1 and Q2. The A3 is only marginally larger that the A2 and the A1 is not really smaller than an A2.

So I think the A2 does not have a gap to fill and so I hope they do not try and produce a new A2 of any description. It would be a downward step in my view and people would have three similar sized cars to choose from. They would just be taking customers from the other Audis in the range rather than taking customers from other makes.

Steve B
 
Your right. I do believe that part of the problem in relation to selling the A2 originally was that it was a sort of similar size to the Golf which was cheaper.

Ta
Dave
:)
 
As time marches on we will have to keep an eye on the aluminum panels as it is possible for them to degrade. There was a post about it somewhere. The metal weakens and a white powdery residue appears.

I am pretty sure that I heard that the oxidisation on aluminium actually forms a coating that prevents further oxidisation (to some extent at least)?

This may be wrong, but I am pretty sure I heard it from a reliable source?

But as with anything, as you say, a little care and attention is essential.

Steve B
 
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Found this on Wikipedia when I was trying to find out if my memory was ok.

"Metallic aluminium is very reactive with atmospheric oxygen, and a thin passivation layer of aluminium oxide (4 nm thickness) forms on any exposed aluminium surface.[SUP][7][/SUP] This layer protects the metal from further oxidation."

So are little A2s even have "clever metal" as well as a clever design.

So unless you keep cleaning or polishing any exposed aluminium you should find that the A2 will outlast us all !!!
Steve B
 
Found this on Wikipedia when I was trying to find out if my memory was ok.

"Metallic aluminium is very reactive with atmospheric oxygen, and a thin passivation layer of aluminium oxide (4 nm thickness) forms on any exposed aluminium surface.[SUP][7][/SUP] This layer protects the metal from further oxidation."

So are little A2s even have "clever metal" as well as a clever design.

So unless you keep cleaning or polishing any exposed aluminium you should find that the A2 will outlast us all !!!
Steve B

A good find Steve and very reassuring to know.
 
By the way, I re-read my post and it could confuse people (as mine often do). What I was trying to say was that it is best to NOT keep cleaning and polishing the exposed alluminium, because you would be removing the oxide that protects it.
Keeping it generally clean under there is fine but don't remove the oxidisation from the alluminium.


Steve B
 
I started a post on this back in 2007
http://www.a2oc.net/forum/showthread.php?5862-Aluminium-Fatigue

Beware, this post went on for 51 pages!! This was mainly due to others raising the issue of the door hinges tearing the body panel. However post #8 http://www.a2oc.net/forum/showthread.php?5862-Aluminium-Fatigue&p=45597#post45597 mentions that the quality of the aluminium is important and that the A2 uses the higher quality anodise 6000 and 5000 series alloys.

Also post #21 http://www.a2oc.net/forum/showthread.php?5862-Aluminium-Fatigue&p=45702#post45702 is again more technical and reassuring.

No time to scan the other 500 posts!
 
Article scan

Just been doing some sorting out and came across a cutting of the article mention in this post and scanned it, so might as well upload it.

The article is dated August 2004 and I bought my A2 in March 2005, so I think this article must of influenced me to consider the A2.

Audi A2 article 2004 lr.jpg
 
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