Advanced Audi City Car Fits The Bill For TV Science Presente

[A2OC]

Television science and technology presenter Kate Humble has a new and very appropriate way of navigating around her London base - the latest 1.6 FSI version of the chic aluminium bodied Audi A2, designed to run on new ultra low sulphur petrol.

The new Audi A2 1.6 FSI is engineered to take advantage of the ultimate 'lean burn' performance achievable through the use of sulphur-free or ultra-low sulphur fuels. It can, however, also run highly efficiently on 95 RON unleaded and 97 RON super unleaded petrol.

Britain lags behind major European countries such as France and Germany in offering ultra-low-sulphur fuel, but it looks set to become much more widely available in the UK from the end of this year. Government duty incentives to encourage the production and use of this very low pollution petrol are also likely to be offered*, further increasing the cost-cutting potential for FSI-equipped cars.

The new FSI engine is another technological advance for the already highly progressive A2, which has been designed around a unique lightweight aluminium space frame body shell. The 1.6-litre, 110bhp unit incorporates a special stratified fuel injection system that enables the nimble hatchback to strike the best possible balance between performance, economy and clean running.

A 0-62mph acceleration time of 9.8 seconds is combined with the potential to cover up to 47.9 miles per gallon (combined cycle). Equally crucially for a city car, these figures are achieved with a minimal CO2 output which positions the A2 FSI in the lowest of the emissions-linked taxation brackets.

Prices for the new A2 1.6 FSI range from £13,895 OTR for the standard model to £14,895 for the 1.6 FSI Sport (pictured). In addition to these new models, the recently revised A2 model line-up also includes four-cylinder 1.4-litre petrol versions and three-cylinder 1.4-litre TDI diesels, both offering 75bhp and available in standard, SE and Sport trim levels.

FSI For All In The Future

Born and bred in the Audi sports cars which have won the gruelling Le Mans 24-hour race for three successive years, FSI technology has not only filtered down to the A2, but also to the A4 saloon and Avant - the 2.0-litre, 150bhp A4 FSI is available to order now from Audi Centres. In the future, the benefits of FSI will extend to the range as a whole.

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