By Staff Reporter

The second generation Audi A1 has landed in South Africa. Having been introduced nearly 9 years ago, the A1 has done well for Audi finding over 13,700 homes in South Africa. This means Audi was able to sell nearly 127 A1s every month since the car was introduced to our shores. That’s not bad at all for a premium hatch.

A bigger A1

The new A1 one looks more angular and outgoing compared to the previous model. In fact Audi has pitched it as “ideal companion in the urban environment while also being very well suited for longer journeys.” The latter seems completely doable as the A1 grows in size. Length expands with an additional 56 millimetres, it now measures 4.03 metres. The width stays almost the same at 1.74 metres. The gains in length mean boot space has increased by 65 litres. Normal boot space is 335 litres; with the rear seats folded down, this increases to 1,090 litres.

Design

The new design of the A1 Sportback is not in vacuum but draws inspirations from Audi heroes like the Ur-Quattro and Sport Quattro. The A1 is immediately distinguishable by its grille, side air inlets and three flat slits below the edge of the bonnet (which pay homage to the Sport Quattro). On the side, the new A1 features a wide and flat sloping C-pillar with a roof contrast line, that is available in two dark colours (black and grey), and that ends above the C-pillar.

The new A1 Sportback is available in a choice of ten colours. The roof of the A1 can be optionally finished in a contrasting colour from the A-pillar to the roof edge spoiler.

Lighting up the A1 one are new LED lights with a distinct graphic design. These light are standard on the 35 and 40 TFS.

The freedom of choice made easy

Customers wishing to personalize their cars can take advantage of Audi’s equipment modular lines structure. Depending on the equipment line – Standard, Advanced or S line – the attachments on the exterior are available in various configurations. With S line equipment, Audi offers larger air inlets, additional sill trims, an elongated slit centrally below the hood with two fins and the larger rear wing. The top-of-the-line engine (Audi A1 45 TFSI) is offered with striking twin tailpipes.

Additionally, there are colour packages on offer which include Black Styling Package and Contrast Package. The Black Styling Package includes the radiator grille in mate black; grille frame; front air inlet frame; rear diffuser and front spoiler, all in high gloss black. The Contrast Package offers a contrasting roof dome; exterior mirror housing; front spoiler lip and side skirts in Mythos Black Metallic or Manhattan Grey Metallic.

Customers wishing to add an even sportier look and feel to their new A1s can select the Dynamic Package that is available only on the 30 and 35 TFSI S line models. The package includes a sport suspension, red brake calipers and larger brake discs, a sound actuator and Audi drive select. The Dynamic Package contents come as standard equipment on the top-of-the-range 40 TFSI model.

Interior

The interior has been dialed-up with new materials and displays. Audi offers a fully digital instrument cluster with a high-resolution 8.8-inch display as standard.

On the entertainment front, the MMI radio plus comes as standard whereas in the top specification, MMI navigation plus offers a 10.1-inch MMI touchscreen. The optional Audi smartphone interface comes with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto plus two USB interfaces (1x USB-A, 1x USB-C with increased charging current). Another option, the Audi phone box improves LTE coverage and provides wireless charging.

New packages

Appreciating the daunting nature of many options on offer on modern cars, Audi has sought to rationalize their packages available to customers. The new packages include Comfort, Technology, Sport, Lights (for 30 TFSI only) and S line. Within each package structure is a few options suited to the particular option. For example, the Technology package includes e includes Audi virtual cockpit; Audi smartphone interface and Audi sound system.

Engines

On the engine front, there is a choice of three petrol engines: 1.0 TFSI (85 kW/200 Nm), 1.5 TFSI (110 kW/250 Nm) and 2.0 TFSI (147 kW/320 Nm). A seven-speed S tronic dual-clutch transmission is available for the 1.0 and 1.5 engines whereas a six-speed S tronic transmission is paired with the top-of-the-range 2.0 engine.

Pricing

The new Audi A1 Sportback range is priced as follows

• Audi A1 30 TFSI S tronic: R359,900
• Audi A1 30 TFSI Advanced S tronic: R373,900
• Audi A1 30 TFSI S line S tronic: R388,900
• Audi A1 35 TFSI S tronic: R429,900
• Audi A1 35 TFSI Advanced S tronic: R443,900
• Audi A1 35 TFSI S line S tronic: R458,900
• Audi A1 40 TFSI S line S tronic: R488,000

Pricing includes the Audi (Maintenance) Freeway Plan (5 year / 100,000 km).