Following the commercial success of the BMW-designed MINI in the early 2000s and the retro-cute Fiat 500 towards the end of that decade, Audi realised there was money to be made from a small car with a premium feel and price tag. The A1 was the result.
Unlike its rivals from MINI and Fiat, however, the Audi A1 didn’t lean on the heritage of an iconic predecessor. Instead, it took the formula of larger Audi cars – impeccable build quality and a sense of restrained stylishness – and applied it to a small, city-friendly hatchback built using a platform shared with the Volkswagen Polo. With considerable success.
It might have been around since 2010, but there have been only two generations of Audi A1. In fact, the first-generation model lasted from 2010 all the way to 2018. That’s a particularly long time for a mainstream model line, but the longevity of the first Audi A1 is testament to its strengths as a stylish, upmarket small hatchback.
The second-generation Audi A1 is larger and more boldly styled than the original car, but despite its less restrained looks it’s still a classy and desirable small car.
Audi A1 Generations
Audi A1 Sportback mk2 (2018-)
Bodystyles:
- Five-door hatchback
Notable features:
- Unlike the first-generation Audi A1, the mk2 model is five-door only
- With the Audi A1 mk2, Audi dropped the S1 mini hot hatch
- With the declining popularity of diesel power, the mk2 A1 range gets petrol engines only
The second-generation Audi A1 is larger in every dimension than the first-generation model. And its extra interior and boot space means it can tempt supermini buyers away from cars like the Renault Clio and Ford Fiesta.
It’s also much more boldly styled inside and out than the first model, with sharp creases and angular lines intended to remind you of the 1984 Sport Quattro rally special (especially the horizontal slats on the leading edge of the bonnet).
Trim levels start with the SE, which was later renamed Technik. This has 15-inch alloys, LED lights front and back and a 9.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The Sport model brings you rear parking sensors, sports seats and cruise control, as well as 16-inch alloys. With the Audi A1 S Line trim you get 17-inch wheels, a sporty styling pack and firmer sports suspension.
Top of the tree is the Vorsprung. This has Alcantara-trimmed sports seats, 18-inch wheels, MMI Navigation Plus integrated satnav and Audi’s Virtual Cockpit, which is a configurable digital instrument cluster that replaces the traditional rev counter and speedometer.
Other special edition models include the Black Edition, which insurprisingly, added black styling elements to the outside of the car.
Engine options are limited to turbo petrol power, with the 25 TFSI 1.0-litre three-cylinder offering 94bhp, and the 30 TFSI giving 114bhp. The 1.5-litre four-cylinder in the 35 TFSI has 148bhp, while S Line Competition trim also brings the option of a 197bhp 40 TFSI power level.
Audi A1 mk2 Review
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Audi A1/A1 Sportback mk1 (2010-2018)
Bodystyles:
- Five-door hatchback
- Three-door hatchback
Notable features:
- Sport models could be specced with softer SE-spec suspension free of charge, a very advisable change to make
- The A1 was launched as a three-door model only; the five-door version didn’t arrive for almost two years
- 253bhp Audi A1 Quattro was a super-rare special edition with only 333 examples built. Only around 20 came to the UK
- 1.4-litre TFSI models got a puncture repair kit instead of a spare wheel. A space saver kit was optional, but limited boot space
Despite the fact that the Audi A1’s underpinnings were shared with the Seat Ibiza mk4 and VW Polo mk5, Audi wanted their new car to maintain an upmarket feel, given the brand's reputation for high-end build quality. So rather than using basic buttons and switches, the A1 shared some of its switchgear and interior fittings with the A8 luxury limousine.
Aside from the high-quality buttons, the premium feel of the A1 was also helped by the fact that it was very well equipped right from the start. Even entry-level SE models have 15-inch alloy wheels, air-conditioning, electric front windows and a height-adjustable driver’s seat. Sport models add a leather steering wheel, front sports seats, a Bluetooth phone interface, bigger 16-inch alloys, firmer suspension and front fog lights. At the top of the trim tree there are S Line models, which get half-leather seat upholstery, ambient interior lighting, more suspension modifications (which made the ride horrendously firm, so we’d actually steer cleer of the S Line versions), 17-inch alloys and a sporty styling kit.
Most impressively of all, the A1 was available from launch with a 6.5-inch infotainment screen on all models, which flipped up out of the top of the dashboard. Okay, so it wasn’t a touchscreen, but it was impressive, especially in the context of a small car at the start of the 2010s.
Early A1s were offered in three-door form only, and as well as hampered access to the rear seats, space back there was pretty limited, too. The arrival of the new Audi A1 Sportback model in 2012 improved things in both regards.
Engine choices were pretty broad across the whole of the first-generation Audi A1 hatchback’s lifespan, with a variety of petrol and diesel engines available. The petrol TFSI models ran in size from 1.0-litre to 1.4-litres and from 94bhp to 183bhp, though the most powerful engine variant (not including the Audi S1 hot hatch) was dropped in 2014. Low-CO2 emissions TDI diesel models were either 1.6-litres or 2.0-litres in size, with power ranging from 104bhp to 141bhp and fuel economy of up to 60mpg-plus. You could have your A1 with a five-speed manual gearbox, a six-speed manual or a seven-speed S tronic dual-clutch automatic, the latter of which was available on all A1s from 2014 onwards.
Regular A1s were all front-wheel drive, but the high-performance S1 model was four-wheel drive. This delivered 228bhp and a 0-62mph sprint in less than six seconds.
Audi A1 mk1 Review
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