Audi A1 Review

Audi was a late arrival to the premium supermini party, but the Audi A1 was worth the wait. With a top-notch interior and grown-up driving dynamics, it squeezes big car luxury and refinement into a compact package.

The A1 exudes quality. Underneath, this is largely a VW Polo in a designer suit, but the A1’s contact points and cabin materials are of such a superlative standard that it knocks every other supermini – and other mainstream cars from two classes above – into a cocked hat for perceived quality. Knurled metal knobs, a near-perfect perforated leather-clad steering wheel, and the soft-touch fascia are irritatingly seductive.

The five specifications available – SE, Sport, S Line, S Line Style Edition and Black Edition – offer plenty of equipment, although the higher-spec cars are very expensive for such a small car. Cars with the S line suspension are sportier but the ride is compromised and becomes uncomfortable on bumpy roads. Audi also has an S1 hot hatch version in the pipeline.

The efficient 1.4-litre Cylinder on Demand petrol is a highlight of the engine range but there are two other petrol engines and two diesels available too. The Audi A1 is available either as a three-door hatch or as a five-door Sportsback model.

What about performance? The on-paper 103bhp is adequate to shift 1140kg of Teutonic tot, but ignore that, because its torque that diesels live and die by, and the oil-sipping A1 has 184lb ft, locked and loaded from 1500rpm-2500rpm. So, though the 10.7sec 0-62mph time looks tardy, this most frugal of A1s never feels underpowered. It revs admirably smoothly, too. Only at start-up does it err towards loud-mouth behaviour.

Mbali Radebe