Audi A1 Sportback 2015 Review

Brand has never been more important. Once it was an old school tie, now it can be something as arbitrary as the shoes or watch you wear that sets expectations. And cars… Nothing says you’ve made it, or at the least you reckon you’re on the way, than the right set of wheels.

Fortunes are being wagered on what marketeers call the elasticity of brands. If you can stretch your brand ‘upwards’ there’s significant added profits to bank. If you can stretch a luxury brand down into more affordable territory without devaluing it, there are aspirational customers to be won (and profited from) for life.

And that’s a large part of the reason why cars like the pint-sized Audi A1 exist. While providing more choice for Audi aficionados is part of the Polo-based light-car’s raison d’etre, the number one target is conquests -- brand newbies.

Over 500,000 A1s have been delivered to owners around the globe since the car was first launched in late 2010. They’re younger than typical Audi buyers and split 50:50 on gender lines but, crucially, in some markets, up to 80 per cent of A1 buyers are new to the Audi brand.

Down Under the demographics are similar but the new-to-Audi proportion is lower — that said, the model has still been plenty effective in introducing buyers to the four rings.

And, about to embark on a serious tilt to knock off BMW in the local sales race, Audi Australia will be hoping the freshened and updated A1 at the very least continues to do this job for it.

Indeed, more than likely, the company is banking on the facelifted car boosting sales well beyond its historic volumes of around 1700 per year.

Set to arrive in May 2015, the fresh-faced A1 Sportback range was ‘previewed’ by its high-performance S1 counterpart which went on sale in October.

The new front-end shared with the S1 is intended to give the car a more masculine look and seeks to visually widen and lower the A1. But the facelift is just part of the story — most of the investment in the midlife update has taken place under the skin.

New engines (all turbos and petrol only), the option of dual-clutch gearboxes across the range, a move to electrically-assisted power steering system and the availability of adaptive dampers for the first time, are the tech highlights.

So too, the fact the Aussie line-up will kick-off with Audi’s first ever triple, a spritely 1.0-litre turbocharged and direct-injected TFSI engine developed from Volkswagen’s discontinued up! Micro-car.

The new turbo-triple is not only more powerful than the 1.2-litre four it replaces (70kW/160Nm versus 63kW/160Nm), but it is also more 0.4L/100km economical at 4.7L/100km on the ADR Combined cycle.

It’s still no rocketship mind you… Audi claims a 0-100km/h acceleration time of 11.6 seconds but, as we found in our launch drive in the mountains above Monaco (more below), real-world performance is better than the numbers suggest.

Audi Australia has dumped the TDI turbo-diesel option from the revised range but will be hoping the availability of the excellent seven-speed S-tronic in the new base model 1.0-litre triple will open up the A1 family to more buyers. Previously the entry-level $26,500 four-cylinder 1.2-litre A1 Ambition was available as a manual-only proposition.

At the top of the front-drive only A1 range, meanwhile, is a new 141kW/250 1.8-litre turbocharged petrol four that, combined (exclusively) with Audi’s S-tronic dual-clutch auto, can sprint the A1 to 100km/h in 6.8 seconds.

Just one other engine option will be offered Down Under, an updated 92kW/200Nm version of the existing1.4-litre turbocharged petrol four. This engine will be paired with six-speed manual or optional seven-speed S-tronic.

Combined with the latter, Audi claims a 0-100km/h time of 8.8 seconds and combined fuel consumption of 4.9L/100km. These are 0.2-second and 0.4L/100km improvements respectively.

In Europe, Audi is emphasising personalisation options offered by the new range — in part at least in answer to the A1’s chief rival, MINI’s Cooper line-up. More colour choices have been added, along with the choice of alternate roof colours, plus body kits and other accessories. By way of example, a total of 17 different alloy wheel choices are available.

Ingolstadt claims with the choice of wheels, colours, body styles (three- and five-door) and the wider engine line-up available in Audi’s home markets, there are more than one million different A1 combinations available for order.

Back in the real world and Down Under, the update will see Audi retire its Ambition and Attraction model designations, instead offering A1, Sport and Design trim levels. The differences include such items as alloy wheels and interior detailing, although at this stage specifics for our local market are still to be confirmed.

Under the new carve-up, Sport grade vehicles can be further enhanced with an optional S-line package, while buyers can up-spec their Design with a Design Selection pack.

Locally, Audi Australia is expected to simplify the option offering further on the new A1 roll out. Popular options will be packaged as is the case with models further up the Audi range.

Final pricing and specification for the new A1 line-up are still a work in progress. Indicative standard equipment to be offered on the 1.0 TFSI base model includes 15-inch alloys, rear park assist, cloth trim, cruise control, Bluetooth phone and music, and auto wipers and headlights.

All four-cylinder Sport-grade A1s will feature Audi’s Drive Select system, which offers the driver the choice of Efficiency, Dynamic and Auto modes, which in turn adapt the behaviour of the throttle mapping, steering assistance, gearbox shift strategies and variable dampers. This is the first time the A1 has been offered with this technology.

Audi Australia says the A1 Sportback Sport 1.4 TFSI will feature Drive Select but also add 16-inch alloys and upgraded aluminium-look interior trim package.

The S-tronic-only A1 Sportback S-line 1.8 TFSI meantime will also get 17-inch alloys, sport suspension, xenon plus headlights with LED daytime running lights plus a host of S-line dress-up parts. Leather will likely be an option.

All of the A1 range will offer WiFi hotspot and comprehensive Audi Connect functionality in Europe, however, at this stage the connectivity features will not make the trip Down Under.

We drove the book-ends of the Aussie A1 range at the launch on a range of roads including freeway, challenging mountain switchbacks made famous by the Monte Carlo Rally and, of course, the gridlock for which Monaco is (in)famous.

Kicking off with the S-tronic equipped 1.0 TFSI, there’s no mistaking the entry-level A1 for a hot hatch but progress when up and running is good, even with a couple of burly blokes and their luggage onboard.

There’s plenty of torque on tap from 1500 to 3500rpm and that’s where the engine is both happiest and performing the best. Revving too far beyond 4500rpm seems to yield little significant performance increase, so even though it may seem alien with such a small engine, short-shifting is the go.

The car is at its worst in stop-start traffic or accelerating away from intersections. Here the combination of a slow refire from idle-stop, gearbox hesitation and not inconsiderable turbo lag can make entering one of Monaco’s notorious underground roundabouts a touch fraught.

In the hills you're rewarded by the best steering Audi’s put in a car in years — accurate, light but capable of delivering feel and feedback in the right proportions. It’s also here that the quality of the standard suspension tune is highlighted.

Riding on optional 17-inch Goodyear rubber, our 1.0TFSI was grippy enough but also delivered decent ride with minimum road noise. The engine itself is a bit of an aural gem — listen carefully and you’ll learn to appreciate the offbeat thrum of the triple.

Having not so much as sat in the A1 since its original arrival, the facelift drive was also a chance to remind myself about the practicality of the wee five-door. There’s belts for five and decent space for four adults — with the understanding that limo legroom is not a given. And the luggage area is effective, easily swallowing three carry-on suitcases plus laptop bags and the like.

Far faster and even more competent, the 1.8 TFSI Sport in contrast qualifies as a bona-fide hot hatch. This is a lag-free revvy engine that delivers excellent, accessible performance bordering on real pace in the range-topping A1 Sportback.

The ride on 18-inch Bridgestone Potenza rubber is more taught than the 1.0-litre car but standard Audi Drive Select allows you to choose the damper characteristics you’re after (as well as change steering, gearbox and throttle maps). There’s noticeable difference between the Efficiency, Dynamic and Auto settings, with the middle mode our default choice.

Beefed-up brakes and detailed changes like more supportive sports front seats all combine to lend the car a very different character to its entry-level counterpart.

What they share, however, is a palpable sense of refinement and quality. The multimedia interface and HVAC controls are prime examples — with a real alloy feel to the knobs themselves and an impression of precision in the way they operate.

Along with improved materials and excellent fit and finish, this is what you're paying for in comparison to the mechanically very similar Volkswagen Polo.

It’s therefore disappointing that some safety features (both existing and emerging) are not offered on any A1s — even as options. Specifically, here I refer to a reversing camera and autonomous braking.

Currently, the A1 range kicks off at $26,500 (as detailed above) and runs thought to $39,990 for the S-tronic equipped 1.4TFSI Sport (for the record, the new manual-only all-wheel drive 2.0-litre turbo S1 is priced from $49,990).

Understandably, six months out from release, pricing remains a moving feast. However, Audi Australia spokesperson Anna Burgdorf told motoring.com.au the company was keen to keep A1 pricing “competitive”.

She stated that ideally the new range’s pricing would be consistent with the current line-up, but added the caveat that “any price increases would be accompanied by an increase in specification”.