Audi A1 Sportback - a baby with potential

Audi has decided to expand the range of its smallest cars. Nothing less than the inelastic A1 can no longer be produced, so the Ingolstadt engineers thought: "Add a couple more doors to the A1." As they thought, they did it, and we had the opportunity to see what came of it.

Model A1 is a city car, the main recipient of which should be young people. The five-door has a length of less than 4 meters and a width of 174,6 cm, and its height is only 1422 millimeters. The wheelbase is 2,47 m. Compared to the three-door Audi A1, the A1 Sportback is six millimeters taller and six millimeters wider. The length and wheelbase remained the same, the B-pillars were moved about 23 centimeters forward, and the roof arch was longer by more than eighty millimeters, which increased headroom in the rear. So much technical data, and how do these dimensions compare with the amount of interior space? The S-Line version we tested was equipped with well-shaped and resilient seats that each of us could adjust to suit our needs. Well, in front we can take a comfortable position, only soft toys travel comfortably in the back - I myself, not being a tall person, had problems with getting my legs between the rows of seats. Interestingly, the A1 is equipped with four seats as standard, but can be equipped with five seats on request. To be honest, I can't imagine three people in the back seat, but perhaps as you get older you demand more from your car.

The A1 Sportback has a boot capacity of 270 liters, which is about the size of any other small city car. This allows you to pack 3 small backpacks into it. It should be added that the walls of the luggage compartment are flat and the loading edge is low, making this small space easier to use. After folding the rear seats, we get a much larger trunk volume, 920 liters (we pack up to the roof).

When it comes to interior quality, Audi doesn't compromise. Everything we touch is exactly as it appears to us when we look at it. The dashboard is made of soft plastic, the air conditioner handles and many other elements are made of aluminum. If leather was used somewhere, then only high-quality. Everything is adjusted very precisely - the premium character is felt here at every turn.

The A1 Sportback is available with three TFSI petrol engines and three TDI diesel engines ranging from 63 kW (86 hp) to 136 kW (185 hp). All units are four-cylinder and built on the principle of downsizing - high power is replaced by supercharging and direct fuel injection.

The base 1.2 TFSI petrol engine has an output of 63 kW (86 hp), a special temperature control system reduces fuel consumption: 5,1 liters per 100 km. Two 1.4-litre TFSI engines develop 90 kW (122 hp) and 136 kW (185 hp). The most powerful petrol engine is equipped with a compressor and a turbocharger - the result: maximum torque of 250 Nm and a top speed of 227 km/h.

TDI engines - two with a volume of 1,6 liters and a power of 66 kW (90 hp) and 77 kW (105 hp). Both versions with manual transmission consume an average of 3,8 liters per 100 kilometers and CO2 emissions of 99 grams per kilometer. A little later, a 2.0 TDI engine with 105 kW (143 hp) will appear, accelerating the A1 Sportback from 100 to 8,5 km/h in 4,1 seconds, with an average fuel consumption of 100 liters per XNUMX km.

I think it is worth mentioning the unit, which will soon be under the hood of the A1. It is a 1.4 hp 140 TFSI engine that uses a new cylinder-on-demand technology. It lies in the fact that at low and medium load and in the rolling phase, the engine turns off the second and third cylinders. As soon as the A1 Sportback driver presses the accelerator pedal harder, the deactivated cylinders start working again. The switching processes last from 13 to 36 milliseconds depending on the speed of rotation and are not felt by the driver.

The car on which we had a chance to ride was equipped with a powerful 1.4 TFSI power unit with a capacity of 185 hp. and a seven-speed S tronic transmission. Thanks to its high power and low weight, it quickly accelerated to 7 km / h in just 100 seconds. Although the manufacturer claims an average fuel consumption of this engine at 5,9 liters per 100 kilometers, the on-board computer showed us completely different, often double-digit values ​​- it may have been incorrectly calibrated :). The steering is precise - the car drives confidently and goes exactly where the driver wants. Machine with good sound insulation and only about 4,5 thousand. rotation, the sound of the engine begins to delight the hearing of the presenter.

Prices for the A1 Sportback start at PLN 69 for the version with a 500 TFSI engine with 1.2 hp. and end from PLN 86 for the most powerful 105-horsepower version 200 TFSI. Of course, in many cases these will not be the final prices, as the car can be equipped with many attractive accessories.

With the A1 Sportback, Audi is trying to carve out a market dominated by the Mini and Alfa Romeo MiTo. Given the potential of this subcompact, it is quite possible that it will be quite biting.