BECAUSE it shares the Volkswagen Group’s PQ25 platform with the ever-popular Polo hatch, it is easy to criticise the less versatile Audi A1 for being too much of a compromise and niche offering within the all-important light hatchback market. However, as a charismatic entry-point into the premium world of Audi, the A1 has more than proved its worth since making its debut in 2010. It has been so successful, in fact, that globally 80% of A1 drivers are new to the brand.
In South Africa, buoyed by the addition of the comparatively practical 5-door Sportback model in 2012, approximately 8 700 A1s have found new-car owners. Recently, the littlest Audi received an upgrade comprising, inter alia, a new grille and bumper arrangement and is available with a choice of fresh exterior colours. A slimmer headlamp design com-pletes what is best described as a subtle facelift.
Of greater significance are the updates introduced below these body panels, however. A new 1,0-litre three-cylinder engine has replaced the previous entry-level 1,2T FSI petrol motor.
Based loosely on the engine utilised by the VW Up!, the Audi-fettled unit delivers 7 kW more than the four-cylinder powerplant replaced. A matching 160 N.m of peak torque is delivered between 1 500 and 3 500 r/min, making this model ideally suited to its intended city driving environment, while also (with only 102 g/km worth of emissions) avoiding government CO2 taxation.
The test unit was specified with the optional seven-speed transmission and we were immediately impressed with the overall refinement of Audi’s new three-pot. Both at idle and once on the move it’s clear the Ingolstadt-based company was adamant the usually workmanlike character many associate with this engine configuration should not detract from the premium feel of the A1.
It’s only once the engine revs pass the 4 500 r/min mark that any audible protestation from below the bonnet infiltrates the otherwise refined cabin.
On that note, we would have liked the test unit to be specified with steering wheel-mounted paddles (not that there was a lack of extras, this particular A1 Sportback was equipped with non-standard features to the value of R73 910!).
In their absence we found that an occasional pre-emptive manual downshift via the transmission lever helps the Audi to maintain its momentum in freeway driving conditions. We also quickly discovered that the combination of a slow-reacting start/stop system, somewhat lazy throttle action and notable turbocharger lag called for a greater-than-usual level of caution when negotiating busy traffic intersections…
Work around this initial hesitation off the line and there’s enough punch on offer to deliver spritely progress round town. That said this drivetrain is most at ease within the confines of the city; the scarcity of mid-range torque is likely to frustrate drivers on longer journeys.
In addition, the need to keep the engine working within its optimal range will hamper efforts to achieve the model’s claimed 4,3 L/100 km fuel consumption: the A1 returned a figure of 6,0 L/100 km on our standard fuel route test.
While optional 17-inch wheels (combined with a short wheelbase) threatened to add unnecessary choppiness to the overall ride quality, the impressive level of compliance exhibited by the test unit bodes well for models fitted with standard 15-inch rubber.
Audi’s electric power-steering setup, which is now standard on the A1 and its Sportback counterpart, continuously adjusts the amount of assistance on offer through various driving conditions (and speeds). With this in mind, the most diminutive Audi feels suitably light on its feet and easy to manoeuvre.
TEST SUMMARY
The presence of the similarly powered (and award-winning) Ford Fiesta 1,0T Titanium automatic in this test’s rivals panel highlights the premiums that the Audi and Mini badges demand in our market.
Whereas the Mini Cooper remains the A1’s natural rival by appealing to a similar well-heeled young urban clientele, as a consumer magazine it’s impossible not to recommend that prospective buyers visit a Ford showroom before parting with R300 000 for an arguably less practical Audi or Mini.
That said, we’ve been testing new vehicles for much too long to know that brand perception and that all-important sense of occasion from behind the wheel plays as large of a role in purchasing decisions as price and any specification details.
Should your budget stretch far enough and your lifestyle not require a car with plentiful rear leg- and headroom, or a deep luggage compartment for that matter, there’s no denying that the A1, which comes with a five-year maintence plan, still offers a refreshing introduction into the refined world of Audi.
