This car was named Carbuyer’s Best Luxury Small Car 2012. It’s larger than the old version and looks much more fierce. It fits in nicely with the rest of Audi’s new-look offering. Sharp, muscular lines, strong bodywork and typical Audi comfort.
The Technical Stuff
The 1.2l TFSI is probably to most suitable for new drivers as the small engine size means the insurance costs are going to be low. The small engine doesn’t mean it’s slow, though, with a top speed of 112mph and it can do 0-62 in 11.7 seconds. That’s good compared to similar small hatchbacks.
The 1.6 TDI has a top speed of 118mph and can do 0-62 in 10.5 seconds.
It’s a front-wheel-drive, five-speed luxury car with loads of optional extras. The size of the car is deceiving, it’s small enough to have good acceleration but it has an impressive amount of storage space.
Costs
The 1.2 TFSI will do a combined 55mpg, meaning it will do around 550 miles on a tank of petrol. The 1.2 is also in band C for tax, meaning it’ll only cost £30 per year. Insurance is generally quite low on these cars too, as it has an insurance rating of 9 (out of 50).
Brand new the recommended on the road price is £13,420.
If you went for the 1.6 TDI version then things start to look even cheaper. There’s more initial outlay in that the on the road price for a brand new 1.6 TDI Audi A1 is £14,480. The combined mpg is an amazing 74.3, which means it will do about 700 miles on a full tank of diesel.
The insurance is a little higher as its insurance rating is 14 but the 1.6’s low emissions means it’s tax exempt!
Optional Extras
Some of these may push the running and insurance costs of the Audi A1 up but it depends on how luxurious you want your luxury car to be. There are a number of different versions you can get in varying sporty varieties. There’s sport model, which comes with sports seats, and 16-inch 10-spoke alloys. The
interior also has a sporty feel with a leather handbrake grip, sports gear stick and aluminium trim on all the control switches.
There’s then the S line model. On top of all the sport extras you also get 17-inch alloys, special cloth and leather upholstery, and the S line body work. This includes side skirts, front and rear bumpers and a roof spoilers.
Then there’s the beautiful competition line. As sporty-looking as you can get. This model has beautiful body work, orange trim, 18-inch alloys and a front and rear spoiler.
If you just want to add a few extras you can choose from a BOSE sound system, sunroof, roof trim colours, upholstery contrasts and a number of different communication and media options.
All in all this is a great luxury car for someone who is looking for something quick, a little sporty and very cheap to run.
Jess Shanahan is a journalist from the UK who works with
Iain Mutch Prestige Car Buyers. She loves long country drives and orange cars.