Audi is welcoming the addition of the VW Group’s new 1.4-liter turbocharged petrol engine (TFSI) with Cylinder-on-Demand (CoD) technology in the A1 and A3 hatchback ranges in Britain.
The new 1.4 TSI CoD unit can run on two-cylinders under low and intermediate loads and when coasting, at engine speeds between 1,400 and 4,000 rpm, and torque between approximately 25 and 75 Nm, to greatly improve fuel economy.
When applied to the four-cylinder engine, the CoD system shuts down the second and third cylinders, which are reactivated as soon as the driver calls for strong acceleration by pressing hard on the gas pedal.
According to Audi, the switch between two cylinder and four cylinder operations take place in 13 to 35 milliseconds, depending on engine speed, and are carried out “virtually imperceptibly” to the driver and passengers. The 1.4-liter unit is also fitted with a start-stop system.
The 1.4-liter engine itself puts out 138hp (140PS) at 5,000 rpm and 184 lb-ft (250Nm) of torque between 1,500 and 3,500 rpm.
It allows for 0-62 mph (100km/h) acceleration times of 7.9 and 8.0 seconds in the A1 and five-door A1 Sportback equipped with S tronic transmission, and 8.3 and 8.4 seconds in the A3 and A3 Sportback models, respectively. Top speeds are 132mph (212km/h) in all cases.
At launch, Audi will offer the A1 CoD models only with the seven-speed S tronic twin-clutch automatic transmission, and the A3 CoD range exclusively with the six-speed manual gearbox, however, later in the year, both transmissions will become available on all CoD models.
On the combined cycle test, the three door A1 1.4 TFSI CoD Sport, S line and Black Edition and the five door A1 Sportback Sport can return up to 60.1mpg UK (50mpg US or 4.7 lt/100km) with CO2 emissions of 109g/km, while the S line and Black Edition versions of the five-door, 57.6mpg UK and 113g/km.
The three-door A3 CoD models match the A1’s number with a combined fuel economy of 60.1mpg and CO2 output at 109g/km, with the five-door Sportback marginally behind at 58.9mpg UK (49mpg US or 4.8 lt/100km) and 112g/km.
Available to order from this week in the UK, the A1 CoD starts at £16,740 OTR and the A3 CoD from £20,055 OTR. According to Audi, the 1.4 TFSI CoD 140PS models carry a premium of £850 over the respective versions of their continuing 1.4 TFSI 122PS equivalents in both ranges.
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