My own car had to be serviced (again!) so I've just been driving around in the new A1 5-door version. I am not impressed. It feels extremely basic inside, with the controls surprisingly flimsy and cheap. The plastics are, however, soft to the touch (got to keep the motoring journalists happy!).
The steering doesn't feel as if it's connected to anything, and the ride is very firm ("Sport" variant). This gives the car a slightly nippy feel to it, but a Mini it ain't! Things are not helped by the old-fashioned narrow power band to the 1.6 litre diesel engine. It means you have to work the rubbery-feeling manual gearbox hard to maintain progress. I've driven small hire cars on holiday that felt a lot better. (The Hyundai i20 in Greece last year springs to mind) The diesel engine makes an agricultural racket at idle and low speeds, but fades into the background on the move.
As for practicality, well the boot is tiny, and the rear seats are very cramped. For part of the time, there was passenger in the rear seats of less than average build, and she was not amused. Mrs L in the front seat is quite petite as well, yet she and I were frequently rubbing elbows.
Driving around North London I only got 35.8 mpg, and this was in ight traffic, and with stop-start enabled. Utter carp fuel economy. (I get more than that in the A5 in the same conditions)
I know it is a cheaper car but you wouldn't think that it was the same company making it as my A5. I know that people sometimes claim that Audis are overpriced and overrated, but whilst I would defend the A5 against this allegation, I have to say that as far as the A1 is concerned then it is spot-on.
In conclusion, I reckon that you must really be desperate for an Audi badge to buy an A1! What is the point of this useless car?
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My neighbour has just bought one, a 3dr 1.6 TDI of some description, for his wife.
I did try to warn him that modern diesels are no good for the kind of local running about she does (reckons she does about 4000 miles a year), but he kept on about "70 mpg". Which she won't get either in round the houses use.
I reckon it will be in the garage for a forced DPF regen within 2 months.
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Premium priced small cars usually disappoint. After all, they are still just small cars with the limitations that by default brings to their usefulness. Cheap small cars, conversely, can often surprise and delight when you marvel at how good they are for so little money.
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What Car says it's wonderful.
They MUST be right and the OP MUST be wrong :-)
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Interesting; we also had an A1 as a courtesy car a few weeks ago; a basic 1.2TFSI 3 door in a fetching shade of powder blue. I actually thought the interior pastics were pretty poor, compared to a 'grown up' Audi, though far better than the MINI we had a few years back, and the car itself felt pretty solid. If you think the 'Sport' was basic though I dread to think what you'd have thought of 'ours'!!
Perhaps because it was an no options base model I had low expectations, but thought it was absolutely fine to drive. The 90PS or whatever it had seemed more than adequate - no idea on fuel consupmtion (no OBC, a base model remember!). For the £12k list price I couldn't really fault it.
Practicality is not really what these cars are about is it?
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I've got to drive an A1 1.4 Sport on trade plates 110 miles tomorrow. This thread does not fill me with confidence...
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Think this bears out my thoughts that small cars are often best in their most basic form.
I almost became convinced that something far smaller than the C5 would be a more sensible replacement for me until I dropped it off for a service. They gave me a high end C3 which although ok, was to noisy and buzzy on the motorway where 75% of my driving takes place. Reminded me why I like bigger cars.
Also think that bigger cars often offer better value
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Dave_TDCi
>> I've got to drive an A1 1.4 Sport on trade plates 110 miles tomorrow.
I think the 1.4 engine is supposed to be a good 'un - a VW engine. Wouldn't be at all surprised if you enjoy the car and think "That Londoner bloke is a lunatic!" :-)
mikeyb
>> Also think that bigger cars often offer better value
Good point! They often get much closer to their claimed MPG figures as well. As I said, I only got 35.8 using stop-start and changing up early. The official figure is 64.2!
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In the road tests I've seen the 1.6 TDI seems not to be the best engine for the A1. If you use a car for long distances, I'm all for the larger engine option. But the priorities for small cars are rather different: to be nippy, manoeuvrable and quick off the mark.
The 1.2 and 1.4 petrol engines are best for this, and I hope Dave will come back and tell us how he's got on with the 1.4. The A1 has the advantage over the Polo and Fabia in that it can be had with the 1.4 122 bhp engine. It may seem expensive but like the Mini it will hold its value well.
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Well I've just dropped the A1 off, so I'm writing this sitting at the bus station. Unfortunately for road-testing purposes, the drive was almost entirely motorway with a couple of miles of dual carriageway at either end, so no chances to test the handling.
I found the 1.4TFSI engine to be very similar to my old Escort's Zetec unit: torquey and well able to keep up with traffic, but it was easy to find its limit on long uphill stretches. A computed 51.4mpg isn't bad for a 122bhp petrol though. The quality of the interior, and the fit and finish, was very good. The suspension however was, to use a cliche about Audis, on the firm side of uncomfortable. Either I'm getting old, or the ride was bumpier than my lowered boy-racer XR3 twenty years ago. My back still hurts.
Last edited by: VxFan on Fri 20 Apr 12 at 12:57
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This was a car that I was mildly interested in buying when a five door version is introduced but straight from the start I am being put off by the suggestion that, if you want a decently speccd car the suspension and ride will be hard and like a horse drawn wagon.
It simply isn't enough in this day and age, with our atrocious road surfaces and lack of maintenance to produce cars set up like this. My current Golf MK6 SE with that 1.4TSI 122PS engine is excellent although the ride is just about acceptable on standard whees/tyres when the going gets rough.
Bring back higher profile tyres and even balloon tyres if our roads are going to worsen.
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>> Bring back higher profile tyres and even balloon tyres if our roads are going to
>> worsen.
>>
NOO!!!!!
Sales of wheels and tyres are the only things keeping some dealers going!
Bodyshops are a dying business due to the cost of replacing airbags etc (can be easily £3k before any repairs of the impact!)
Servicing at 10k+ miles has also reduced the amount we see cars in the workshop....
Times are not good in the motortrade, and aint going to get better.
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...Bring back higher profile tyres and even balloon tyres if our roads are going to
>> worsen.
>>
NOO!!!!
Yes.
The motor trade will adapt, or at least those in it familiar with the term 'consumer sovereignty' will.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consumer_sovereignty
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>> the cost of replacing airbags etc (can be
>> easily £3k before any repairs of the impact!)
>>
Really?! Time for some budding entrepreneur to enter the Market with a cheaper solution?
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>> >> the cost of replacing airbags etc (can be
>> >> easily £3k before any repairs of the impact!)
>> >>
>>
>> Really?! Time for some budding entrepreneur to enter the Market with a cheaper solution?
As the solution is to replace the dash, Steering wheel, seats and headlining its not exactly the kind of area where you can market a repair kit of glue and old paddling pool offcuts.
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>> As the solution is to replace the dash, Steering wheel, seats and headlining its not
>> exactly the kind of area where you can market a repair kit of glue and
>> old paddling pool offcuts.
>>
Exactly Zero....
We hardly ever sell airbags, or seatbelts/pre tensioners to accident damaged cars, the ones we do sell will be due to faults/dog chewing etc.
If a bag goes off, in 8/10 cases the car will be written off - some don't look that seriously damaged, but as I said, the cost of accident repair plus interior replacement tips it over the edge....
Off the top of the head prices.....
Airbag - £300 - £600 each
control unit around £400
Dashboard £400
Last edited by: VxFan on Sat 21 Apr 12 at 23:50
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Audi A1 - Audi A1 Sportback - What a disappointment! - DP
