Second-Hand Sense: Almost five years after its launch, the Audi A2 is still a rare enough sight on Irish roads. A combination of a high purchase price and the fact that the design is an acquired taste for most people, has kept the profile of the A2 on the lower end of the recognition scale.
The design of the car is a kind of hotchpotch, with a sawn-off rear, a snubbed nose and a high rounded roof all in aluminium. It was the first production car to be built in aluminium to reduce weight and allow for a smoother aerodynamic profile. Personally, I never took to the shape, but appreciated what the engineers intended in terms of weight and fuel savings.
And the idea works. The basic 1.4 petrol model is a nippy performer that is light on effort and fuel. It is not, however, found lacking in terms of its handling and performs in this regard with a surefootedness generally found in bigger cars. Ride can be a little choppy though, especially when faced with some of our more challenging road surfaces.
The same is true of the diesel 1.4, but there are great fuel returns from the diesel, which benefits both from the design of the car, the weight and the fact that it is an efficient oil-burner.
The A2 is good and roomy too. Driver and passengers have length and height and the boot is big enough for most purposes. The interior is not exactly on the exciting side, and the fact that it is a small car makes the German finish a little more austere.
It is interesting to note that its nearest competitor, the Mercedes A-Class, is now being replaced, making the A2 even more dated. The Mercedes certainly has more appeal and the design is more appealing.
The car scored four out of a possible five stars in EuroNCAP crash tests. The body withstood the frontal collision well, with the passenger compartment suffering only "minor deformation". The side impact protection was also found to be good but the testers noted that not all the child restraints were of equal quality.
The A2 has a good reliability record, much better than some of its Audi stablemates. Only a small number of cars have been recalled for a potential problem with air conditioner units, but the basic car sold here does not have air conditioning anyway.
There are few enough A2s available on the second-hand market because not many have ever been sold in the first place. A 2002 model with a 1.4 diesel engine and 22,000 miles on the clock and with a few extras is featured on carzone.ie for €21,950, and a 2004 petrol 1.4 demo model is featured at €21,200. Prices are high, reflecting the high price of the car new and, frankly, do little to promote the cause of the A2 as a fuel-efficient alternative.
