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First Drive: Audi A1

By / 9 years ago / Road Tests / No Comments

Sector: Supermini Price: £15,390–£26,110 Fuel: 40.4–80.7mpg CO2: 99–166g/km

More cut and thrust. That’s how Audi’s marketing department will be promoting the mid-term revisions on the A1. And within that four-word strap-line they’ve actually managed to succinctly summarise the fact that the improvements are found mainly under the bonnet.

There are a few cosmetic changes, too, primarily at the front end, while standard equipment is bolstered to include secondary collision brake assist and electromechanical steering across the range, and Audi is introducing a personalisation service for its smallest model, too. 

The headline news, however, is the new engine line-up. By spring 2015, the 1.2-litre TFSI will have been dispensed with, replaced by a three-cylinder 1.0-litre 94bhp TFSI. This smaller displacement engine shows a 10bhp gain over the engine it’s been swapped with, and emits 99g/km CO2.

There are also two further petrol engines on offer. Both start off as the same 1.4-litre TFSI units, except one offers 123bhp while the other, which features Audi’s Cylinder on Demand technology and is expected to be the biggest fleet seller, has 148bhp. CO2 emissions are down on both, to 115g/km and 112g/km, respectively.

All engines will be linked to either a five-speed or six-speed manual transmission as standard and, for the first time ever, Audi will offer the option to upgrade to the seven-speed S tronic dual-clutch automatic with any of the engines, including the only diesel in the range, the 1.6-litre TDI.

As for driving it, not much has changed. All the models struggled to smooth out bumpy surfaces in town, with the firmer suspension of the Sport and S Line making them seem even more prevalent. There is a no-cost option to revert back to the suspension setting of the entry-level SE, it just needs to be specified at the time of ordering, which is well worth remembering.

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