Last week I had the opportunity to drive the all new Audi A1 in the Magaliesburg area. So we got into the Audi Sportback A1 and madeoff into the traffic. It has a multitude of new trims & variants, and can be highly customized.

The A1 has grown longer by 56 mm, but has stayed the same slender width of 1.74m, and is 1.43mm in height, including aerial. The wide track and tight overhangs give the A1 a sporty air indeed, and the wide, low Singleframe grille and the implied side air- inlets, dominate the the front end.

A question was asked as to why the faux side inlets, and the answer was for the after market. Resembling the Audi Ur Quattro and Sport quattro from the side. The roof looks flatter and the car looks low-slung. The distinctive daytime running light graphics of the Full LED-lights, resemble dynamic wing shapes, known as hydro-foils.The A1  comes in a choice of ten colours, and can have contrasting roofs as well.

The looks can vary per variant, with Standard, Advanced or S-Line. S-Line comes with larger air inlets, additional sill trims, and the top of the line A1 45 comes with twin exhaust pipes.

In the Cabin.

The brief was for the sportiest interior in the compact class, and the dash area is certainly extremely driver focused. It has 30-colour ambient lighting. And there are a myriad of seat cover options , from leather, to two tone and cloth seats.

It is more spacious in the cabin, front & rear, with the luggage area increasing by 65 L. Digitally advanced, the A1 even comes with an 8.8 inch display in the basic version.In the top version it is 10.1 inch which blends into the black glass area.

Apple Car-Play and Andriod compatibility, complete the connectivity option. And a Bang & Olufson sound system complete thet circle. Customers wishing to upgrade their tech even more, can specify the Technology Package, which features Virtual Cockpit, Audi Smart phone Interfaceand a sound system for R9 900.

Engines & Transmission.

Three petrol engines were available with outputs between 85kw to 147kw. Turbo, direct injection were standard. And the 1.0 L and 1.5L will be mated to a seven-speed S tronic dual clutch tranny. And the 2.0 L with a six -speed transmission as standard. We drove both 40 and 35, and enjoyed the 40 much more. Over the variants the tyres are between 15 & 18 inches. The 40 with it’s wide tyres and 147kw engine was the pick of the bunch.

All three model line-ups come with extensive standard equipment.

Pricing.

Coming with a Audi freeway 5years/100 000km

Audi A1 30 TFSI S tronic   at R359 900

Audi A1 35 TFSI  S tronic at R429 900

Audi A1 35 TFSI Advanced S tronic at R443 900

Audi A1 35 TFSI LINE S TRONIC at R458 900

Audi A1 40 TFSI S line tronic at R488 000

Huge improvement in looks, interior styling, and many different engine and model options, make the Audi A 1 a winner.