They call the Audi A1 “the next big Audi” and that about says it all. While this premium German brand openly admits to being more “into” larger vehicles, the A1 is a very significant addition to premium end of the South African light car segment.
To start with, the looks are spot-on. The A1 is unmistakably an Audi, but with a lot of fresh and funky details in its styling. Although the car looks small from afar, once you get inside there is no sense of claustrophobia at all and you immediately feel comfortable.
That’s an Audi strongpoint, isn’t it? The seats are large, supportive and manage to offer some shoulder bolstering as well, but elbowroom is admittedly limited. It’s not too difficult to climb into the back (there are only two doors, remember), where there is acceptable legroom and the headroom only becomes tight if you are taller than about 1,8 m.
The roof lining does intrude at the sides, so it’s best to shift slightly towards the centre of the rear seat, which splits 60:40 but can accommodate two passengers at most.
Further aft, the boot takes a bit of a beating because both a space saver spare wheel and the battery share space. This elevates the boot board higher than one might expect and a full-sized ‘wheel might have limited packing space altogether. Where there is much more space than expected is in the engine bay, so petrolheads who like keeping an eye on the oily parts should be happy.
Engine and gearbox choices seem to have been carefully matched and start with a 1,2-litre turbo squeezing 63 kW and 160 N.m, mated to a five-speed manual gearbox. Next is a 1,4-litre turbo that produces 90 kW and 200 N.m. of torque and is mated with either a five-speed manual or a seven-speed S Tronic dual clutch ‘box with optional paddle shifters.
On the diesel side, the 1,6 turbodiesel offers 77 kW and 250 N.m and utilises a five-speed manual ‘box. Two spec levels are offered, the base being the “Attraction” and the higher spec called the “Ambition”. All engines include stop/start technology and the claimed fuel consumption figures (on the European combined cycle) are 5,1 and 5,3 l/100 km for the petrols and 3,9 for the diesel.
An ABS-linked electronic limited slip diff brakes a wheel losing traction during fast cornering.
As the target market is the younger crowd, many options are available including colour coding of the roof side strips and air vent surrounds and seating. Be careful when ticking the option boxes though, as it is easy to inflate the price…
The composure of the Audi A1 is excellent and the car is supreme fun to hussle around twisty mountain passes as we learned on the launch around Mbombela. The steering has just the right amount of feel and a quick enough ratio while the suspension is firm with little body roll, yet it manages to absorb all but the harshest of road hazards. Also noteworthy is the quietness both with respect to road and wind noise.
I tried the 1,4 petrol S-Tronic and the 1,6 diesel manual and was very impressed with both. The diesel is super smooth and the ‘box a delight. Five ratios were enough with a speed of 120 km/h equating to about 2 200 r/min. The 250 N.m of torque take care of most needs. The petrol is peppy and the auto ‘box fun to play with if you choose the paddle shifts.
This is a car that will take some sales away from its main competition, namely the Mini and to a lesser extent, the Citroen DS3 and the Alfa Romeo Mito.
A five-years/100 000 km Audi Freeway maintenance plan is included on all models. If you need more power than these engines offer, wait a bit longer. They are on the way!
Prices at launch (January 2011)
1,2 TFSI Attraction Manual R219 000
1,4 TFSI Attraction Manual R235 000
1,4 TFSI Attraction S tronic R252 500
1,4 TFSI Ambition Manual R253 000
1,4 TFSI Ambition S tronic R270 500
1,6 TDI Attraction Manual R247 000
