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By Chris Chilton
First Drives
16 June 2010 10:08
Move over Mini – the new Audi A1 is finally here. It only took them 10 years to catch up with BMW's success story. You have to wonder why it took so long for the A1 to come to market. This isn’t anything like as radical as the old aluminium A2. It’s basically a reskinned Polo with better engines and a posher cabin.What’s under the Audi A1's bonnet?There are three engines: an 85bhp 1.2 petrol turbo, 120bhp 1.4 petrol turbo and a 104bhp turbodiesel, likely to be the biggest seller. We’ve already been impressed by the 1.4 petrol in the Golf and installed in the much lighter A1, it delivers 0-62mph in 8.9sec.This is the version we drove today, a Mini Cooper rival and more warm- than hot hatch.The new 2010 Audi A1 feels spritely but never quick and the optional seven-speed dual clutch ‘box fitted to out car probably helped mask some of the sensation of speed. It also made a bit of worn-bearing din around town and struggled to take up the drive smoothly when we jumped on the power for a smart getaway at traffic lights. What about the quality? This is an Audi after all. What’s the A1 like inside?Step out of an A4 or a TT into the A1 and you’d be hard pressed to find anything to suggest you’re in a car that costs half as much. Think Boxster and 911: they’ve got the same quality feel – and share many components – but one costs twice as much as the other.The A1’s dash and door casings are covered in soft-touch plastics and every switch feels as good as it looks.Premium small car? Premium price?The new Audi A1 range starts at just over £13k for the basic 1.2SE and rises to nearly £20k for a 1.6 TDi S-Line with navigation, LED lights and a few other trinkets.Even the most basic car comes fairly well equipped. SE spec means air conditioning, sports steering wheel, 16-inch alloys and a brace of airbags; Sport adds more heavily bolstered seats, 17s and stiffer suspension, while S-Line means leather seats and various bits of aluminium trim.>> Click 'Next' to read more of our Audi A1 first drive review
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Audi A1 1.4 TFSI (2010) new CAR review
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rickerby says
RE: Audi A1 1.4 TFSi (2010) new CAR review
Brand0 - Please! Its just a car
10 July 2010 11:23
typos1 says
I dont remember that episode, jinglebuddy, but then I try to avoid bad tv programmes. The Vectra was clearly a cr*p car, but how could Clarkson know if he refused to drive it? The guy is to motoring journalism what a Hummer H3 is to driving pleaure. I m no huge fan of the A1, but I dont hate it either-its an Audi on a VW/SEAT/Skodaplatform and if thats lazy, then by the same criterium, so is virtually every mass produced manufacturer's mainstream car (was going to list the cars that share platforms, but not enough room)-platform sharing HAS to be done or car companies would go bust but it can be done well.
18 June 2010 14:35
Brand0 says
Like the vast majority of four-ringed vehicles, this appears to be yet another case of style over substance which will no doubt therefore be relatively successful in a market where premium could not possibly mean sharing basic structure and most parts with cars for Mondeo man with a chip on the shoulder (Polo) or genuine economy products (Fabia). A real sorry state of affairs. That it took so long is a real mystery given the Polo and Fabia have been around for years for plundering purposes. I can't imagine those who owned either 1st or 2nd generations of BMW MINI would test drive a Polo clone and want to change, but there will be those who want to be different for difference's sake, who won't mind driving a car that has the face of Mike Tyson and the body of a 6 year-old girl. I still feel that the most recent supermini sales successes (the MINI and 206) were generally bought by girls who appreciated the innoffensive, friendly and classless looks. This screems money in a way which is at odds with the class and the people who buy MINIs and 500 today as both cars screem fun first and foremost. Perhaps it should be tested against the Aston supermini!
Like the vast majority of four-ringed vehicles, this appears to be yet another case of style over substance which will no doubt therefore be relatively successful in a market where premium could not possibly mean sharing basic structure and most parts with cars for Mondeo man with a chip on the shoulder (Polo) or genuine economy products (Fabia). A real sorry state of affairs. That it took so long is a real mystery given the Polo and Fabia have been around for years for plundering purposes.
I can't imagine those who owned either 1st or 2nd generations of BMW MINI would test drive a Polo clone and want to change, but there will be those who want to be different for difference's sake, who won't mind driving a car that has the face of Mike Tyson and the body of a 6 year-old girl. I still feel that the most recent supermini sales successes (the MINI and 206) were generally bought by girls who appreciated the innoffensive, friendly and classless looks. This screems money in a way which is at odds with the class and the people who buy MINIs and 500 today as both cars screem fun first and foremost. Perhaps it should be tested against the Aston supermini!
18 June 2010 14:22
jinglebuddy says
Do you remember that episode, in which Clarkson refused to drive the Vectra? I recall that his reasoning was that the car was too lame. An Audi A1 deserves the same treatment. Isn’t this the laziest car on current market or what? By the way, this SLS AMG ad on the side is so freakin' annoying! I will never buy one of those SLSs, just for being so irritating.
Do you remember that episode, in which Clarkson refused to drive the Vectra? I recall that his reasoning was that the car was too lame. An Audi A1 deserves the same treatment. Isn’t this the laziest car on current market or what?
By the way, this SLS AMG ad on the side is so freakin' annoying! I will never buy one of those SLSs, just for being so irritating.
18 June 2010 14:10
livc44411 says
Chinto! Summarises the brand per-fec-tly!
17 June 2010 21:43
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