A1 5 door.

I like it but agree a replacement for the A2 it is not and nor do Audi market it as such! For me (money aside!) a key attraction is the avialability of the 2.0TDi engine but offset by whether the boot will carry my large dog! If the same engine was avialable in the Polo then I might swayed but the Ibiza has finish/build/reliability issues albeit possibly the better looking of the 3. (and the Fabia simply looks ill-proportioned).
 
Just checked the dimensions of the new A1 Sportback

It is 58mm longer than an A2
It has a wheelbase 64mm longer than an A2
It is 73mm wider than an A2
It is 131mm less tall than an A2

John.
 
i think it looks great and having seen the 3 door up close they are very well put together. They also have a much higher quality feel to them than the mini but the price is way too high. A Clio 200 can be had for not much more than the base model A1, and i know Renault won't have the quality feel of the Audi but the Clio is way more fun.
 
I suggest you read this weeks Autocar long term report on the a1 before claiming the Clio is way more fun! Otherwise it is expensive especially when optioned up but then so was the a2.....
 
the grim reeper said:
Not a chance the A1 is on another planet compared to the Polo trust me i work on both and some days i will drive 100 Polo's in a day and the Audi wins hands down

Phil
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That's not my point Phil. We all know that the Audi will be the "better one" of the VAG "clones" (and so it flamin' well should be for the price !!)... My point was, IMHO it is not as original, as mould-breaking or as innovative as the A2 was (and still is in my opinion). I think it's just "another boring small hatch with no charisma, charm or character".... yawn....

Next.....
 
I think the sportback A1 actually looks better than the 2 door, doesn't have such big cumbersome doors! But the back end of all a1's is odd unlike the front which is quite attractive, this car still isn't a shade on the a2 tho, where's the headroom, alloy chassis/bodywork, tiny bonnet, big boot, removable seats? Oh yeah it doesn't have any of those things lol! I think that the a2 will be a really popular(if expensive) car in the next gen and much more successful than the a1, well if fuel keeps rising in price and the trend is towards small but spacious cars then it'll be much more trendy than it was in the first generation, if so many wealthy individuals have purchased Prius cars then an Audi badge on a new A2 will surely take a large amount of sales away from cars like the Prius?
 
Lee S said:
... My point was, IMHO it is not as original, as mould-breaking or as innovative as the A2 was (and still is in my opinion). I think it's just "another boring small hatch with no charisma, charm or character"....
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I think most of us share your opinion on this :)

Is it in the show room yet? I'd like to go and check out the real car.
 
I think it is the press photos which didn't show the 3 seat version in the back of it. The A1 Sportback can have 3 head restraints which don't require removing when folding down, as I read on the Audi website. As well as other websites which suggests 3 at the back was definitely designed for.
 
I think too many people are missing the point. The A1 is not, never has been and never will be intended as an a2 successor! It is an upmarket hatch with all the typical Audi features in a small package. In that respect it is proving very succesful selling way ahead of forecast in the UK and other key markets. I have said it before and will repeat it, the vast majority of car buyers (probably 99%) are NOT car enthusiasts, my 'ex' used to sell cars so i have some insight into the typical car buyer. So whilst i am sure our views are noted by Audi we do not buy enough new cars to sway company decisions when it comes to new car product planning. Whether you or I like the A1/Mini/fiesta/Corsa et al or not is irrelevant becuase they all sell succesfully, build brand image, probably make a profit and that is all that matters to VAG/BMW/Ford et al.
 
Not bad they managed to get the weight down to 1125kg with the 1.4 TFSI. Consider my 1.4 A2 tips the scale just over 1000kg with my options, the A1 adds turbo, stop start and latest safety, so that extra 100kg isn't bad. Makes me want to go to the show room and check it out. I need a 5 seater car soon, but it will be hard to convince myself to buy one unless I fall in love with it at the showroom.
 
I don't like to say this out loud, but that's one of the few things I could currently justify trading mine in for. In orange.

Orange piping, black leather, grey alcantara and orange highlights inside.. nom nom nom!

Bret
 
I had a 3 door 1.4 auto to play with when mine was in for service, and it was a lovely car, but then again, the model I had wold have cost £26,400, and thats a lot to spend on a small car. It was very smart s-line in grey, with black leather sports seats, HID lights and the 'eyebrow' running lights, LED interior, auo box, a Bose system inside (liked the light up speakers) and a few other gadgets, although it did not have heated mirrors or climate control - I think for that price, I would feel short changed.

I would consider one, and I like how the 5-door has got away from the god awful coloured arches - I always thought the roof should be coloured too and the arches looked a tad tacky.
 
I've also driven three A1 courtesy cars, a couple of the 1.4s one with all that flappy paddle shenanigans and a 1.6 TDI. Strangely the petrol's low down torque impressed more than the diesel's in which you could definitely feel its long gears but it did give a relaxed drive.

All of them were beautifully built & solid and all were entirely capable but they all left me more than a tad well.... underwhelmed.
 
Thought I'd give this thread a revival, as I went to Watford Audi and saw the new A1 Sportback. I was not impressed nor disappointed, it was more or less everything I was expecting.

I knew it won't be roomy like the A2 and it definitely isn't. It was a 3 rear seats configuration example in the showroom but it really isn't a full size 5 seater. A2's rear leg room is much better even if you only seat 2 at the back. A1SB's rear headroom is limited, although A2 isn't much better, it feels very claustrophobic back there due to tiny windows and high door line (my A2 doesn't even have OSS so I wasn't expecting a lot anyway). The boot is smaller than the A2, definitely not as deep. The battery is under the rear boot floor in the center of a round space but there wasn't a spare wheel there. It is not going to rival our A2 for interior space that I knew, but the placement of the rear electric window switch is such that only a child's short arm will be able to touch it or you'll have to use the 'other' arm and reach over (if you follow what i mean), it is that small at the back. Overall though, very smart looking car, excellent materials like those used in the rest of the Audi range, even the cloth seat trim feels high quality enough that I can do without leather option. The car is of perfect dimension for me, to use around London, small streets and tight car parks. Definitely have the A1SB over that silly Mini Countryman for sure.

On a side note, there was Q3, Q5 and Q7 side by side. I couldn't help to wonder what is the point of both Q3/5. The Q3 is exactly the same as Q5 but smaller in every dimension. Admittedly Q3 is still comfortable and practical offering quality space for passengers and luggage. But for the money, I'd have the LR Evoke over the Q5 and a Tiguan over the Q3.
 
Just checked out the A1 Sportback at Lincoln Audi. The boot's just big enough to swing a small hampster in - not much bigger than boot in my 2002 Smart. Specced as near as poss to my A2 it comes to nearly £25,000!
 
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