- Doors and Seats
5 doors, 5 seats
- Engine
2.0T, 4 cyl.
- Engine Power
147kW, 320Nm
- Fuel
Petrol (95) 6.4L/100KM
- Manufacturer
FWD
- Transmission
Auto (DCT)
- Warranty
3 Yr, Unltd KMs
- Ancap Safety
5/5 star (2019)
2019 Audi A1 Sportback review – First drive
Australian car sales have dipped after several boom years of robust growth and Audi is one of many brands to take a solid hit.
An array of fresh models coming over the next 12 months should boost showroom traffic Audi is counting on, with models like big luxury Q8 SUV, new A6 executive sedan, four-door RS5 Sportback, the second-gen Q3 SUV, Audi's first fully electric vehicle, the e-tron five-seater SUV, and a refreshed R8 supercar.
Audi's smallest car is also expected to do some heavy lifting with the all-new small A1 Sportback (hatch) due here in the second quarter of next year.
Bigger, more masculine looking and riding on the new MQB platform used for many VW Group models, the 2019 second-generation A1 promises more luxury, more safety and cabin technology, better engines and improved fuel economy than the old over-priced and under-equipped VW Polo-based jigger.
The A1 now looks grown-up with its broad single frame grille, wide track, lower stance and shorter overhangs. It's also a little aggressive with stronger sculpted shoulder lines that are so much better than the soft sloped tail of the outgoing A1 and three holes in its bonnet that hark back to the giant-killing UR Quattro rally car. It’s a huge improvement inside too.
Set to prove a popular choice with Australian buyers is a new 1.5-litre turbo engine slotting between the carryover 1.0-litre triple and a 2.0-litre which is new to the A1.
The standard equipment on the current A1 looks somewhat miserly against more rival cars, but that will change with the 2019 funked-up version.
Like the original city runabout launched in 2010, Audi’s prime aim with the second-generation range is to draw to the brand a host of new buyers - younger singles and couples primarily - and hope they stick and ultimately move into bigger, pricier models over time. It’s a strategy that won’t work unless the car can connect on many fronts with the often-fickle, fashion-conscious under 35s demographic from the big cities. The more striking looks and stance, modern in-car connectivity and now-standard active safety gear should broaden its appeal. But also hike the price.
- Responsive and efficient power trains
- Strong, handsome styling
- More gear in smart, fashionable cabin
- Puncture repair kit
- Road and wind noise
- Ride compliance
When even generous disposable incomes are not quite compatible with swanky car badge aspirations, perhaps an option is to jump aboard at the more affordable end of the premium market. The A1 is Audi’s cheapest and smallest offering, and an alternative to not-so-trendy SUVs.
The new A1 will be offered in just the Sportback body shape, meaning five doors and five seats and enough style, gear and badge appeal to impress the mob at the local coffee shop.
The absence of a manual gearbox of the A1 won’t deter anyone because most would-be buyers have been raised on autos.
Audi Australia hasn’t revealed standard equipment and indicative pricing for the second-generation A1 range but hints strongly it will take the opportunity to load more gear into each model to heighten appeal (but you’ll pay more).
Taking clues from the present A1 which starts with the 1.0-litre Sportback at $28,900 before on road costs, it’s reasonable to expect the starting price for the second-gen line-up will be in the low 30s. Further up the totem, the 1.5 and 2.0-litre models will be closer to $40,000. Into the future, a sporty S1 all-wheel-drive quattro version is possible but not guaranteed, as it is very difficult (but not impossible) to engineer the new platform to take all-wheel drive. If it happens, you’ll be forking out well over $50,000.
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Responding to growing expectations of more driver assistance technology, the A1 now has standard autonomous emergency braking where a radar sensor recognises and warns of dangerous situations involving other vehicles, rogue pedestrians or cyclists ahead. Simultaneously it prepares for a possible emergency brake application to try to prevent an imminent collision.
For the first time a reversing camera is included in addition to parking sensors and there’s a speed limiter to help you hang on to your licence.
Likely to be an optional feature is a park assist system that can auto steer the car lengthways and sideways in parking spaces. And forward into perpendicular parking spots too. Also available is lane departure warning prompting the driver to keep the car in the lane from a speed of 65 km/h.
The adaptive speed assist is also radar-based. It keeps the Audi A1 Sportback at a safe distance from the vehicle ahead across a speed range from zero to 200 km/h.
The driver-oriented cabin really goes all out to captivate buyers who prioritise home comforts and up-to-the-moment infotainment and connectivity. Even the basic A1 has a fully digital instrument cluster with a high-resolution 10.25-inch display and a multifunction steering wheel. An optional Audi virtual cockpit display has an extended range of functions including animated navigation maps and graphics of some driver assistance systems.
Young drivers and their phones are inseparable and the A1’s smartphone interface keeps the world in touch, integrating Apple CarPlay and Android Auto into the intuitive MMI operating system with either the touchscreen or latest-generation voice control. Two USB ports give more options and Qi wireless charging is also available.
A digital radio tuner is standard though music buffs might instead tick the option for the 11-speaker 3D 560 watts Bang & Olufsen premium sound which uses the windscreen as a reflecting surface.
Beyond the audio system, Audi boasts endless customisation opportunities with one million different ways to personalise and configure the A1.
For starters three different equipment lines are available – basic, advanced and S Line. Then there are 10 exterior colours including some attention getters. The roof can be optionally finished in a contrasting colour as can the exterior mirror housings, the side front spoiler lips and sills.
The choices broaden to Dynamic packages, individually configured for every engine version. They bundle equipment options to bring a more overtly sportier trim to the little Audi. Even the three-cylinder base model can be ordered with sport suspension, red brake calipers and larger brake discs. A Performance dynamic package for the other engine versions also includes red brake calipers and larger brake discs as well as a suspension with adjustable dampers, a sound actuator and Audi Drive Select.
The optional S Line equipment pack has long been an Audi staple, and popular with buyers. This time around the sporty nature has been reinforced through features including larger air inlets, additional sill trims, an elongated slit centrally below the bonnet with two fins and the larger rear wing. The top-of-the-line engine is also identifiable by its prominent twin tailpipes.
As practical as a small hatch can be, the A1 has a spacious cabin for this segment with room for 185cm tall adults in the front and back seats. And despite the sporty roof line, there is a margin between the coif and the headlining.
The driver-oriented cabin is a welcoming space with its customisable design elements, selectively matching bold cloth seat graphics and colour-coded trim with the exterior tones. The front seats are pleasingly contoured and there is a functional range of adjustment so that drivers of most shapes can get set while dual-zone climate control with easy-to-use vent nozzles defy extreme temps.
The hard-touch plastic on the fascia is an interesting design feature too.
A pair of regular mug holders (plus a smaller one) sit in the centre console and 1.5L water bottles can be carried in the front doors, but rear seat passengers miss out on rear vents and USB power outlets.
The A1 is physically bigger than the model it replaces. At, 4030mm in length it is 56mm longer than the outgoing model, but has a 94mm extension to its wheelbase for greater interior space, longer doors and additional cargo carrying capacity.
The boot offers 335L of luggage space in its conventional configuration and can be expanded to 1090L with the back seats folded flat. In the wheel well resides a puncture repair kit rather than even a skinny temporary spare. It’s a good thing most A1s don’t venture far from home but if buyers have wanderlust, they can option a proper spare.
For Australia there is initially a choice of three efficient turbocharged direct injection (TFSI) engines, all with particulate filters and outputs ranging from 85kW to 147 kW.
The old 1.4-litre and 1.8-litre engines have been dropped, and replaced by a smooth new 1.5 TFSI recently used in the mid-sized A4 range while an older, proven 2.0-litre used around the VW Group joins the line-up.
All three are characterful and work well in different ways. The 85kW 30 TFSI, a 1.0-litre three cylinder, is an enthusiastic little funster. Our favourite was the 110 kW 1.5-litre four-cylinder, designated 35 TFSI, with the efficiency system cylinder-on-demand (COD). Finally, there’s the 40 TFSI with 147kW and 320Nm.
A seven-speed S tronic dual-clutch gearbox is mated exclusively to the smaller two engines while the higher outputs of the 2.0-litre require the 40 TFSI to be tied to a six-speed S tronic.
The 85kW 1.0-litre three-cylinder uses around 4.9 litres/100km in combined city-highway conditions. Official figures are not yet available for 110kW 1.5-litre and 147kW 2.0-litre four-cylinder models, but expect them to be reasonably efficient.
The first-generation A1 didn’t feel as engaging as other Audis further up the food chain. It felt a little cheap and underwhelming.
As well as being way more imposing visually, the 2019 A1 steps up to satisfy and entertain the driver in ways that make them all now worthy of the Audi badge.
On Spanish bitumen about as poor as our own rural back-road kidney shakers, we experienced the three different engines destined for Australia.
The most powerful of the new range, the 147kW S line 40 TFSI is blessed with impressive pulling power from modest revs. It's ability to clock Zero-to 100km/h in 6.5 seconds is rapid enough but it just feels, well, not as polished as it should be.
The 1.5 30 TFSI emerged as the sweetie in the new line-up, smooth and refined but with enough response, driveability and personality to win us over. By comparison, it takes 7.7 seconds to go from rest to 100.
We also sampled the 1.0-litre variant, but with the manual gearbox not destined for our market. It too is entertaining, though slower and accompanied by the three-cylinder exhaust patter.
All three were fun and well behaved and the carryover suspension set-up - MacPherson struts at the front and torsion beam rear – is firmly sprung with minimal body roll. Although it has advantages of space efficiency, the torsion-bar rear end is not the most sophisticated suspension configuration around, and it occasionally allowed the A1’s tail to skip sideways when encountering a bump mid corner. No biggie for around town, but it's a blight on what is an otherwise entertaining little tiddler.
This sportiness was accompanied by direct steering without any kickback through the wheel.
Noise suppression wasn’t perfect. Rolling on firm underpinnings and either 215/45 R17s or 215/40 R18s probably didn’t help ride comfort and tyre rumble on coarser bitumen. This roar and light wind rustle around the exterior mirrors shouldn’t be noticeable in urban situations though.
The new Audi A1 is a pleasing and significant leap forward over the old-gen car, and the fact it now includes the driver assistance systems and infotainment goodies expected in mainstream cars let alone those more exclusive brands makes it even more appealing.
It has the style, elegance and refinement missing from the outgoing A1 and now feels and drives like a genuine premium product.
Price: from $30,000 plus on-road costs (estimated)
Engine: 1.0-litre 3-cylinder petrol/1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol/2.0-litre 4-cylinder petrol
Power: 85kW/110kW/147kW
Torque: 200Nm/250Nm/320Nm
Transmission: 7-speed dual-clutch automatic (1.0 and 1.5) / 6-speed dual-clutch automatic (2.0), FWD
Fuel use: 4.9L/100km (1.0). Others not yet available