Audi has introduced the all-new
A1 Sportback to the
South African market. At a time when buyers are looking at trading down but perhaps staying in the same premium market, the
A1 looks set to take some nice sales numbers at the dealership floor.
Never mind the fact that it looks absolutely stunning, even for such a small car.
Audi has done an amazing job there after the rather lacklustre original.
While the car retains its
A1 Sportback name, there will no longer be a
3-door model, meaning only the
5-door will be sold. Some
sportiness has thus been sacrificed. Just as well; most buyers these days are looking for practicality as well as
sportiness, which the extra two doors and space provide. Therefore when you say
A1 you automatically mean
A1 Sportback. Just putting it out there. So how big is this car, seeing as it has taken on some
extra dimensions? Well, the length is
4.03 metres, width is
1.74m, and height is
1.43m. Normal boot space is
335 litres, up by
65, but can go up to
1 090 litres with the rear seats folded. All models come standard with
6 airbags.
I must say, this is one of the most striking
Audis' in recent times. That it is a
baseline model just adds to that spice and gives some insight into future models. The original
Ur-quattro that owned the world rally championships of its time, has provided some design inspiration in places like the thick
C-pillar that appears to push the car forward even as it stands still.
That philosophy actually starts at the front end where the bonnet has three “nostrils”, same as the legendary
Ur-quattro.
Audi is offering
the roof in either black or grey, which parts give the impression that it is
floating from the A-pillar.
It can be paired with one of ten exterior colours, including my favourite Python Yellow Metallic. Several
alloy wheel options are available for configuration, starting from the base
15-inch all the way to 18-inches.
The rear end is cutting-edge, with LED lights and surprisingly, no fake exhaust tailpipes.
I guess
Audi is getting over that phase. Interestingly for the first time also, the
Audi rings in the single frame and the model designation on the back are black,
emphasising an increased athletic and trendy appeal. While there are plenty of different ways to configure your favourite
A1, the company has simplified the process as well as packages available. Therefore it should now be simpler and easier to do.
While
Audi has certainly
improved the interior quite noticeably, there are one or two items that still feel sub-premium, such as some of the dashboard surfaces and door panels. Large parts of these can be overcome by
special surfaces one can get with certain packages or as single options on their own. Another surprise is the omission of keyless start/ stop, which I believe is par for the course for this segment. Otherwise
the design is pretty cool, with sharp and edgy surfaces that give the car an appropriately funky, youthful feel.
Audi’s new
MMI infotainment system has now found its way into the
A1, with an offer of a
25.7cm touch screen (a standard 22.4cm system can be specified). It faces the driver, along with the
air conditioning knobs and other features. Straight off the bat
the steering wheel available is flat-bottomed and has multi functionality. The car can interface with several devices, including
Bluetooth,
two USB ports, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The optional
B&O (
Bang & Olufsen)
sound system comes with
11 speakers and an output of 560 Watts.
The three models available in the country are the
30 TFSI,
35 TFSI and
40 TFSI. The
baseline 1.0-litre turbo 30 TFSI produces
85kW and 200Nm of torque,
does 0 – 100km/h in 9.4 seconds, has a
top speed of 203km/h and
an average fuel consumption figure of 5.8 litres per 100km. Next is the
35 TFSI carrying a 1.5-litre turbo worth 110kW, 250Nm and a 7.7 second sprint time. It is said to
return 6.1 litres per 100km. Top of the pile sits the
40 TFSI pushing out a hot 147kW and 320Nm, with a matching
6.5 second time and top speed of 235km/h.
Audi claims 7.2 litres per 100km.
Audi has
installed a 7-speed S-tronic dual-clutch gearbox for the
30 TFSI,
35 TFSI, while
40 TFSI uses a 6-speed
S-tronic. There is
no manual gearbox available for the
A1 Sportback.
If you had reservations about the
A1 before, then this new one has worked very hard to address them. Besides the couple of things I mentioned before, it ticks pretty much all the other boxes and can be considered one of the two segment head honchos without reservation.
