Road test: Audi A1 1.4 TFSI
The Audi A1 is shaping up to be one of the most hotly anticipated cars of 2010. A premium supermini (and close relative of the VW Polo, Skoda Fabia and Seat Ibiza), the A1 should be a big hit with the young, urban consumers it is aimed at. It’s a clever little package of premium quality condensed down into a stylish, funky small car, so it’s bound to find favour with metropolitan consumers looking for a practical and stylish status symbol. The A1 has also been designed to allow lots of scope for customisation, which will only increase its appeal among buyers who like the idea of having something different.
The more powerful of the two petrol engines on offer in the A1, the 1.4 TFSI generates 120bhp and peak torque of 147lb-ft at 1,500-4,000rpm. This is a decent amount of power for a small car that weighs in at 1,125kg, so it feels pretty nippy. This is borne out on paper by the official 0-62mph time of 8.9 seconds and the top speed of 126mph, which seem about right. This performance means that it has all the necessary power to buzz about in town, moving off smartly from standing starts and providing enough surge to overtake when required. It also cruises comfortably at motorway speeds, the gearing having been set up to ensure that the A1 doesn’t need to rev too highly in these conditions. The 1.4 TFSI is also the only engine in the A1 range to have the option of being mated to the seven-speed, dual-clutch S tronic transmission, which costs an extra £1,420. A tried and tested gearbox, the S tronic provides, smooth, instantaneous gear shifts on the move and is the auto box that all others are measured against. The petrol engines are undoubtedly the best options for the A1, offering a balance of performance and refinement that is slightly lacking with the diesel. The 1.4 TFSI obviously has more poke, but if you’re not too bothered about power, the 1.2 is definitely worth a test drive for comparison.
Read the full Audi A1 TFSI road test
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