Driving impressions – And with the smaller of the petrol engines under its bonnet you need to keep the revs up to get anything like brisk performance from it. On the handling front, Audi wants the front-wheel-drive Audi A1 to be the sportiest car in the compact class. In Berlin, where the roads are more of a maze, during our first encounter we found it to be nimble and agile in the city; steady and precise on interurban roads, and generally comfortable on the highway. The chassis appears quite modern with the wide track and balanced weight distribution. For a front-wheel drive this we think was a key engineering challenge.
The car with the 1.2-litre powertrain felt a bit underpowered while the bigger by 200cc engine could manage some consolation in the acceleration department. While the car feels good on road, it doesn’t feel as planted nor does its steering feedback offer that sharpness to the driver, although with a heavy feel to its steering, it gives the impression of a bigger car. It seems the performance focus is reserved for the Quattro (all-wheel-drive) version with the 2.0-litre TSFI turbo that will join the line-up at a later date depending on market.
Conclusion – We think Audi’s idea is to promote this car more as a lifestyle entry model will work better than trying to promote is a direct MINI rival. While in the current package it won’t score high points in the performance or handling department, it does score where most cars in this segment are weak – interior packaging and styling options.
The Audi A1 might not make it to India anytime soon, but it is a formidable rival to the MINI.
