- Doors and Seats
5 doors, 5 seats
- Engine
1.0T, 3 cyl.
- Engine Power
70kW, 160Nm
- Fuel
Petrol (95) 4.4L/100KM
- Manufacturer
FWD
- Transmission
Auto (DCT)
- Warranty
3 Yr, Unltd KMs
- Ancap Safety
5/5 star (2011)
2015 Audi A1: owner review
When my partner accepted a new job in the city, I started the process of researching small hatches, as we'd now need a second car.
Owner: Brendan
When my partner accepted a new job in the city, I started the process of researching small hatches, as we'd now need a second car. I thought I'd have a few weeks, but being away for five days after he accepted the role, upon picking him up at the airport he decided he needed to organise the car that day, and so the car yard shuffle began.
Working in the auto industry, I had a fair idea of what I thought would fit the bill – either the VW Golf Trendline or VW Polo Comfortline (with optional Sports Pack). Both had a ripper finance deal at the time around 3.9 per cent with a guaranteed future value, which is what we were after.
We test-drove the Golf, and while well built and roomy, the Trendline trim level left a lot to be desired – basic seats, plastic steering wheel, hubcaps... Quite drab for $26K. I was quite taken by the Polo Comfortline with the Sports Pack, as that had the added benefit of AEB, and a few more bells and whistles for similar coin. But after the test drive, the other half wasn't sold on the Polo either. The customer service at the VW dealer wasn't that great either.
We went down the road to a major metro Audi dealer, as they had the same finance deal on the Audi A1. We test-drove a demo, and we were pretty taken with the A1. He picked a Scuba Blue demo, which wasn't on site during our test drive, buying sight unseen. For just under $27K on-road, it was a good deal with the Style Package (a must with Xenon headlights and 17-inch alloys), carpet and rubber floor mats, boot liner, tint, Audi cargo box, Audi umbrella, and a nice bottle of champagne at pick-up.
While technically the same car as the Polo, I was surprised at how much more expensive the A1 felt – fit, finish, style, soft-touch plastics and well-damped knobs and controls. It really made you feel like money well spent compared to the Polo.
A few days later we went to collect it, our first time seeing the actual car, and it had a big scrape under the front bumper. We left in another demo and returned three days later after it was repaired. Apart from that hiccup, the service at the dealer was much better compared to VW.
Over the three years we had the A1, and 31,000km later, it never missed a beat. Not sure if I'm alone, but I think the A1 is equal to the original Audi TT in terms of being a design classic. The clam shell bonnet, with shut lines that seamlessly flow from front to back, and the neat hatch with integrated tail-lights, to the Audi TT-style air vents inside.
Even today, I'm sad we sold it. With the optional Style Package that brings the more modern xenon headlights, I think it has aged exceptionally well, and is much better resolved than the second-generation A1 (which lost a lot of the charm and perceived cabin quality). I can’t think of a better-looking five-door hatch in recent times.
Technology wasn’t class-leading with no AEB, and the Audi MMI system needed the optional Audi-branded cable to connect your phone to the car. The pop-up infotainment screen was more style over substance, showing a navigation tab whether fitted to the car or not. It also lacked Apple CarPlay/Android Auto. The overall layout of the controls was good, with everything sensibly laid out.
Overall quality was impressive, and there was enough storage around the cabin to tuck away all your things. Controls were well damped, and the doors shut with a quality thud. Particularly nice were the one-touch power windows, auto-dimming rear-view mirror, the adjustable centre armrest, and high-grade leather on the steering wheel.
While back-seat legroom is quite small (and I think we only ever once squeezed a rear-seat passenger in), you aren’t buying this car to ferry four passengers in. The boot space is fine for the size of the car.
Over the three years of ownership, no rattles developed and mechanically the car was fine. My only complaint was how much brake dust the car managed to develop just a few days after a wash.
Ride and handling were fine – it didn’t feel like a light car, and had a sense of weight about it, and I think the larger alloys of the Style Package helped it feel a little more go-kart like than its looks suggest. This is not a performance car by any means, but the 1.0-litre, three-cylinder engine had a nice thrum to it under acceleration, and with one passenger city commuting was no issue.
Fuel economy was good, averaging 5–6L/100km, and back then about $50 for a full tank that would last 2–3 weeks.
It did need some pre-planning to overtake, as the car needs to build up momentum. There was a sports mode for the transmission that would change the gears quicker, and up the response from the accelerator pedal that did help. We found ourselves constantly switching the auto-stop function off each time you get into the car via a button on the dash. When left on, it was not only harsh stopping/starting, but distracting to what was a nice drive.
I think the transmission was a seven-speed dual clutch, which was fine once you were going, but when manoeuvring at low speeds (such as parking) it would roll too much when moving from drive/reverse, and simply wasn’t confidence-inspiring at all. Although it had a hill-hold function, it was stressful being on any kind of incline, requiring a quick move from brake to accelerator to beat the car rolling back at all. The worst when you also forgot to disable the stop/start function...
The most frustrating experience during our three years was servicing costs, partly due to my insistence it return to the selling dealer. Back then, there was no capped-price servicing, and each annual service I would get three other written Audi dealer quotes for our selling dealer to match – who was always the priciest.
At worst, the three-year/45,000km service had a price difference of almost $250 between the dealers. Servicing was never cheap, but we didn’t need to replace any brake pads or tyres in that period, which softened the sting.
For those who like to wash their own car, the A1 was the easiest car I’ve ever washed. Not only due to its size, but the body didn’t have any weird creases or curves, so it was a quick job washing and drying (unlike a BK Holden Astra).
As I said, I wish we kept the A1. It was a good reliable car that was cheap to run (excluding genuine Audi dealer servicing costs), and a genuinely nice hatch that stood far above its peers in terms of design and quality. Yes, it didn’t have the most up-to-date technology, and the transmission would get you nervous at times, but as a second car it excelled. We enjoyed owning the A1.
Owner: Brendan
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