Overpriced compact or an auto to adore
An over-powered, horribly expensive compact with a tiny boot and hardly any room in the back seats? This sounds like one of those catastrophic miscalculations that the automobile industry sometimes makes. But in the case of the Audi A1 1.4 litre TSI with the S-Line sports package the car has become an unlikely favourite. In spite of its obvious lack of practicality the A1 inspires affection, even if the top version with its price tag of 25,120 Euros is about as expensive and a Volkswagen Scirocco 1.4 TSI which also comes with double-clutching automatic transmission. This is an auto predestined to be bought by horsepower-addicted city dwellers unencumbered by such inconveniences as a family, a clientele which will be happy to own an A1.
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- Practicality is not the motivation for buying an Audi A1. The admiring glances the driver gets are, however, a definite reward.
A look both criticised and admired
This little car is immediately recognizable as an Audi. The entire front section of the A1 corresponds completely with the often mocked ‘Audi uniformity’ look with its oversized radiator grill and the narrow LED framed headlights. The side view with the partially contrast coloured roof edges and the curvy rear end are a matter of individual taste. The backward sloping roof line stresses sporting character. But this is also why the boot is so small, taking just 270 litres if all seats remain in place. With the two single seats in the back folded down the A1 can handle 920 litres of load in the rear, behind the somewhat clumsy tailgate. Another drawback: twisted necks for the rear seat passengers.
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- The comfortable and well formed seats fit snugly and offer more support than those in most compact class autos.
A bigger compact
But anyone voicing complaints of this kind fails to understand the intention of the car maker. The little Audi is not built to handle a family's weekly shopping expedition, nor does it invite the installation of Isofix child seats in the back, although this would be theoretically possible. The A1 driver has other things on his mind. For this there is good reason: Any one taking the wheel of this little car soon forgets that this is a smaller Audi. The driver has the impression of perfectly generous space in all directions. The comfortable and well formed seats fit snugly. The dashboard has a clear layout even if the rotating knob in the middle takes some getting used to. Due to the position of the B pillar and the wide doors it requires some contortions to get the seat-belt fastened if the driver is short and sitting far forward. The wide doors are also a problem when trying to get out of the car tight parking spaces. On cold days the seat heating could perform a little better since the two stage system takes very long to warm up.
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- The real ‘Audi feeling’ is delivered by the turbo boosted 136 kilowatts or 185 horsepower engine. The rush to a hundred kilometres an hour takes the quick and light little car just 6.9 seconds and the A1 tops out at 227.
Adequately powered
What does warm up very quickly in the motor of the A1 when the driver presses the accelerator. Then the top version of the A1 with is 136 kilowatts or 185 horsepower is as potent as a bigger automobile and with only the weight of a compact to get moving. Maximum agility is on hand when the driver selects ‘S’ on the seven-speed DSG transmission. Keeping the pedal resolutely pressed to the floor means that the dynamic is almost without limits, with 5,000 RPM quickly delivered on the Autobahn. Only then will the transmission notch up to the next gear. In city traffic the progress through the gears takes place at 4,000 RPM. There is no fear that the driver will be too conspicuous on the trip to the nearest deli provided he has selected the ‘D’ mode. This allows the mini-Audi to play a different tune: Now the gear changes take place at just 1,800 RPMs. At the traffic-light the Audi’s motor cuts out whether in ‘S’ or ‘D’ mode. The start-stop automatic system is sensitive although the subsequent pick up of speed is not as fast as it might be. There is a noticeable delay before full power is once again available.
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- The rear view of the top ‘S-Line’ version is marked by the contrasting colour roof edge and the shiny chrome double end-pipes.
At home of the winding road
This mini-Audi comes into its own on the secondary roads where its agility and power make a difference. The short wheelbase and the very direct steering allow the corners to be handled with the ease of a slalom ski ace carving precise tracks in the snow. The turbo boosted 1.4 litre four-cylinder engine responds brilliantly and is perfectly happy with the high revs controlled by the automatic transmission. The suspension is firm and contributes to the sporty image of the junior Audi made in Ingolstadt. Only seldom does the driver experience any discomfort when hitting bumps in the road. The brakes are sensitive and react quickly when stopping power is needed. The lust of the motor for high revs and the temptation for the driver to put the pedal to the metal implies regular visits to filling stations. Depending on the journey characteristics the test car called for between 7.7 and 8.5 litres per hundred driven. The car maker claims an averaged consumption of 5.9. The rush to a hundred kilometres an hour takes the quick little car just 6.9 seconds and the A1 tops out at 227.
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- The driver has the impression of perfectly generous space in all dimensions.
Well equipped but horribly expensive
The level of equipment is as high as one would expect at this price point and includes as well as the obligatory air conditioning and CD radio unit a spoiler, aluminium styling in the interior, a leather sports steering wheel and highly polished twin end-pipes. There is no doubt that in its top version the Audi A1 is a very costly means of transportation and one which will not very often venture far from the city. But to be quite honest the investment is this chic compact will be regretted by very few.
