Audi has thrown a bone to "young, urban types" with the elevated and ever so slightly off-roady citycarver (yes, it's all lower case). Based on the A1 Sportback, it gives you two inches' (4 cm) worth of extra visibility around town, and a slight appearance of ruggedness.
Visually distinguishable from the A1 thanks to that extra ride height, matte black wheel arch covers, a matte black grille, some stainless steel accents around the lower edges, a pair of nostril gaps under the hood and its own wheel designs, the citycarver is otherwise pretty much an A1 tweaked for drivers that prefer a little extra road presence over a low center of gravity.
The interior is more or less unchanged, complete with the A1's funky, youthful color accents, ambient lighting, 10.25-inch dash and 10.1-inch touchscreen for navigation and infotainment. Three "equipment lines" are available: advanced, design selection and S line, with the latter offering the option of Alcantara/synthetic leather seats and a roof edge spoiler.
The suspension can be upgraded with a Dynamic package, which also makes the brake calipers red. Lane departure warnings and pre-sense front are included as standard, the latter attempting to stop frontal accidents while stopping just short of full-on auto-emergency braking. You can option up with things like adaptive cruise and park assist.
There's no real attempt at off-road capability here, although Audi goes so far as to say the citycarver will be at home "in the city, on country roads and highways and even on slightly rough terrain." Righty-o then.
Source: Audi
