Wednesday 10th February 2010

Audi A1 Revealed At Last

Stylish supermini sets its sights on Mini's crown

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This is the new A1, Audi's take on the increasingly competitive high-end supermini market. Like the Fiat 500, Citroen DS3 and the New Mini that started it all, the A1 is designed with style high on the agenda.

The effect of that pleasingly malevolent snout and posterior are somewhat thwarted by the softly rounded profile, perhaps, but 'retro' it certainly 'ain't. The size is pretty much the same as the Mini, but at 1045kg it is nearly 100kg lighter than the Mini One, although the car is considerably heavier than the relatively fly-weight 865kg Fiat 500.

There are four engines available at launch, making the most powerful unit at present the 1.4 TFSI direct-injection petrol engine, which at 120bhp is exactly the same as a standard Mini Cooper. But due to the low weight, 0-60 is dealt with in 9.2-seconds, which is over half a second quicker than its rival, and at 124mph it is 2mph faster flat-out.

A lower-powered 1.2-litre petrol version offers 85bhp, whilst two 1.6-litre diesels offer 89bhp and 104bhp respectively. The A1 comes with a five or six-speed gearbox depending on engine choice, and the option of a dual clutch S-Tronic 'box.

The A1 shares its PQ25 platform with three VAG stable mates, the Seat Ibiza, Mk5 VW Polo and the Skoda Fabia, but the suspension is apparently tuned to give the A1 a sportier feel, and to reflect its Mini-chasing intentions. Just like the Mini, the A1 also gets standard ESP and an electronic diff lock.

We're told to expect five-door and cabriolet versions over the coming months, and the range of customisable options for the A1 is set to be pretty broad. But most excitingly, a performance-focused S1 is on the cards, rumoured to have around 180bhp, near-on identical to the Mini Cooper S.

Prices are not yet known, but a base price of around £14,000 for the 1.2 is expected. The A1 will make its debut at the Geneva Motor Show in March, with the S1 thought to be coming along around six months later.

[marctwo]

1045kg + Remapped S1 200BHP = 200bhp/ton. Nice.

[Puk]

Good effort on weight. Doesn't look nice though... and I bet the prices will be quite high for a decently optioned car.

[ljp14]

Nice idea, been waiting for this for a while. Can't wait to see the price of the S1. Will it rival the Cooper S in price?

[shalmaneser]

Looks quite nice, very 'audi' but a bit more interesting, especially the rear hatch.

Good to see that weights aere coming down too, although I'm always suprised at how little the 500 weighs.

[soad]

Looks alright, can't say that it excites me too much though.

No interior shots?

[MitchT]

[Fabric 2.2]

Beat me to it^

[Silent1]

Revealed at last?

Eh, i saw this at the FOS last year!

[telecat]

Fabric 2.2 said:

Beat me to it^

+1

Ugly as sin!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[wab172uk]

Instead of matching the mini's power. Why not give in more power than the mini?

S1 should have 200BHP minimum.

What power does a MIni Cooper S works have?

An RS1 would be brilliant too.

[SimonSaid]

MitchT said:

(compared A1 to Citroen Pluriel)

Oh wow. I thought I saw some Fiat 500 in the profile view, but you've definitely won this one - bravo.

That really is an unfortunately-accurate comparison for Audi...

Edited by SimonSaid on Wednesday 10th February 13:11

[zakelwe]

Boring engine choices, boring looks. Doesn't move the game on. Small cars should be peppy and fun and this doesn't seem to be, think Mazda 2 when that came out.

Andy

[jains15]

Simonsaid said:

but the suspension is apparently tuned to give the A1 a sportier feel

Just what I always wanted. A premium pricetag, a 1.4 engine, chav lights and concrete suspension.

NEXT!

[Cassius81]

I think I prefer this to a New Mini actually... Having owned a couple, I am now fed up of the retro styling and think this looks much more modern.

Still hate the running lights though. Bring on the RS1!

[Chapppers]

MSTRBKR said:

RS1 with the S3's 2.0T engine

Don't be ridiculous, you'd want the 2.7 Twin Turbo V6

[kambites]

Well it looks much better than the MINI or 500. Still not really my cup of tea, though.

[alolympic]

Audi Design committee - "If we paint the body pillars a different colour, it will hide how dull we have made it, and will do all we need to convince the unimaginative middle class road hogger that buy any car we make anyway"

[Atrophy]

i never thought i would not like an audi....but i would not buy this one...why silver bits?? arghhh

[Dr G]

I like that, wonder if there will be a black roof option?

[fathomfive]

Oh dear.