Audi A1 Sport 1.4 TFSI 2011 Review

Audi A1 Sport 1.4 TFSI

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The Audi A1 Sport brings an interesting recipe to the table, delivering serious straight line speed via one of the most advanced four-cylinder engines on the market today, the twincharged 1.4-litre TFSI unit. This compact engine is at the core of the Audi A1 Sport and makes use of both supercharging and turbocharging technologies to deliver big power from a small block.

Jump on the accelerator pedal and the angry little German erupts into life, accelerating with a level of intensity normally found in much larger turbocharged four-cylinder engines. Best of all, Audi has tweaked the exhaust system to ensure there's a strong emotional connection with the car, which emits a suitably gravelly exhaust note.

Based on the top-spec Ambition trim level, the A1 Sport comes standard with "don't-argue" LED daytime running lights -- some of the best looking yet in the Audi range -- plus xenon headlights, 17-inch alloy wheels, LED brake lights, an aggressively styled front bumper with larger air intakes, sports suspension and an S line  body kit as standard. This last package adds side skirts plus lower front and rear aprons, a rear diffuser and roof spoiler.

Standard interior equipment is competitive when compared to its rivals, with an eight-speaker CD/MP3 stereo, a 6.5-inch pop-up colour monitor, and an ambient LED interior lighting package offered gratis — items that are usually part of an options package.

Rear parking sensors are also standard issue, as is a multifunction steering wheel, Bluetooth connectivity with voice control, single-zone climate control air conditioning, rain and light sensors, and plenty of safety equipment too. Six airbags, ESP, ABS, ASR and even hill hold assist come standard, which contribute to the car's five-star Euro ANCAP safety rating. A space saver spare tyre is included.

The engine is a 1.4-litre direct injection petrol four-cylinder turbo/supercharged unit that manages to combine an urbane character with an element of hooliganism, to great effect. Maximum power output is 136kW at 6200rpm and torque is 250Nm at 2000-4500rpm.

The S tronic seven-speed gearbox is standard and a very nice fit for the twincharged engine, but purists may rue the lack of a manual. I know I did...

But it is an efficient cog-swapper, and if you're trying to reduce your carbon footprint the high performance engine lets you have your cake and eat it too, with a claimed fuel economy rating of 5.9L/100km and CO2 emissions of 139g/km. Very low figures, both.

The A1 Sport has a great looking interior. I would argue that it's better than MINI's; the quirkiness of the BMW-branded small cars becoming a little embarrassing. The Audi reflects a considered approach to the interior, one that may be more conservative than MINI's, but will age more gracefully. It's a relatively simple set up, with the main elements that attract the eye being circular air vents, a minimalistic centre console, smart switch gear and the sporty but simple instrument cluster.

The optional extras list is massive, too long to fit everything in here, but here's a taster: Three different 17-inch alloy wheel designs priced between $400 and $700, an 18-inch alloy wheel design that adds even stiffer S line suspension for $2000, and the MMI navigation plus package for $3600, which buys you a hard-drive based satellite navigation system, 20Gb music storage space, Audi music interface and two SD card readers.

The huge number of custom options -- six different air vent sleeve colours ($220); Wasabi green anyone? -- at least gives buyers the scope to add an individual touch to their car.

My personal favourite option is the $200 steering-wheel mounted paddle shifters, which make snicking through the dual clutch gearbox nice and effective in traffic. Another nice option is the S sports seats for $1300, which add more lateral support and look very trick. Though it should be mentioned that you have to first purchase one of two S line Sports packages for the seats, and that'll add either $1650 or $2900...

Priced at $42,500, Audi Australia chief Uwe Hagen said he expected most buyers would up-spec their vehicles, with an average price of around $50,000 for most A1 Sports, with options like the 18-inch wheels, sports seats and navigation systems the most likely option boxes to be ticked.

Check the fine print and the Audi A1 Sport is a more powerful vehicle, yet sips less fuel thanks to a more advanced powertrain. The Audi outputs 136kW of power, one kilowatt more than the MINI Cooper S, and it accelerates from zero to 100km/h faster, 6.9 seconds compared 7.2 seconds. In combined-cycle testing the diminutive Audi also uses less fuel: 5.9L/100km compared to the MINI's 6.4L/100km.

From our time behind the wheel it's safe to say the Audi is a faster car in a straight line than the MINI - it's a deceptively quick hatchback and though we didn't reach its top speed of 227km/h, it wasn't for lack of trying.

The national launch for the Audi A1 Sport took place at Moorabbin airport in Victoria, where we had the chance to punt the car around a makeshift track at speeds of up to 130km/h, through a slalom course and even on an ad-hoc drag strip.

Generally speaking the A1 Sport is a lively pocket rocket - it does what you ask of it and can be very rapid from point to point. Acceleration is excellent, both off the line and at high revs, and the German car attacks corners with enthusiasm thanks to a tidy chassis tune. It's communicative too, clearly telling the driver when it's about to start sliding.

The brakes stood up to repeated punishment, ventilated discs measuring 288mm fore and solid 230mm rotors aft chomped by floating calipers, and like many hot hatches of this size it's a persistent performer that doesn't require a CAMS license to get the most out of.

The only aspect that seemed to let it down were the tyres - though in their defence, the Continental tyres got slammed pretty hard, much harder than they probably would on public roads.

Equipped with an axle differential lock, designed to send torque to the wheel with most grip — usually the outside wheel — the European pocket rocket rarely struggled getting power to the ground mid-corner.

However when there's no traffic and no speed limits, one tends to get overconfident and the car began to feel stretched beyond its limit. From our brief drive at one of Australia's busiest airports, we get the feeling that it's been tuned for ride quality rather than flat out cornering.

There's perceivable body roll near the car's grip limit and particularly when the car's weight shifts around at higher speeds, and it would be interesting to see how the Audi goes against the MINI Cooper S. Audi's car is definitely quicker in a straight line, but through a corner? Only a back-to-back comparison would tell them apart.

While driving the bejesus out of the Audi A1 Sport on an airstrip is one thing, buyers spend the bulk of their time on public roads, and in this respect the Audi is always in control. On the highway the car is quiet, composed and easy to drive; the cruise control is a doddle to set and the seven-speed S tronic is good at plucking out the right gear for the situation. Steering wheel controls for the audio system are also easy to use and intuitively placed.

In stop-start traffic the A1 Sport can be a lot of fun, the responsive engine making mince-meat of standing starts while the electrohydraulic speed sensitive power steering ensures easy lane changes and 90-degree intersection turns. We did note a touch of torque steer under full throttle take-off, but it's relatively mild and isn't of the sort that will rip your arms clean from their sockets.

Proximity parking sensors fitted as standard are a godsend, making reverse parking a pleasant experience, and apart from the chunky C-pillar, front and rearward vision from the pilot's seat is pretty good.

Audi has developed an entertaining and very modern-looking premium sports hatch that has no major flaws to speak of. The twincharged engine is an absolute pearler and provides the car with the kind of character that gets people talking, while the fashionable interior is equal parts sport and luxury.

What the Audi A1 Sport lacks on the racetrack it makes up for on road, where most of these cars will spend most of their motoring lives, and much of what makes Audi such a desirable brand has been distilled into this compact form. In a word: impressive.

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