Now it’s still possible
A number of car manufacturers will soon leave the B segment for what it is. One of these is Audi, which is still serving there with the A1: a compact hatchback according to the premium recipe. That recipe is characterized by countless options to put together your A1 entirely to your own taste. But what remains if you ignore all those options?
Audi A1 Pro Line 25 TFSI, €29,932
An Audi for less than 30 grand, you can only do that with the cheapest A1. As soon as you tick one of the cheapest options – such as the ‘storage package’ (compartments on the back of the backrests, a lock on the glove compartment and a compartment under the co-driver’s seat) of €155 – you cross that €30,000 limit. The Audi is, as it should be, more expensive than the technically related Polo from sister brand Volkswagen. What’s in it?
At least not in the powertrain. Also at Audi, the range starts with the ’25 TFSI’, or a 1.0 3-cylinder turbo with 95 hp, coupled to a manual five-speed gearbox. This combination helps the Audi A1 achieve a 0-100 time of 11 seconds and a top speed of 193 km/h. Slowing down is done by means of disc brakes on the front axle and drum brakes on the rear axle. You can immediately recognize the cheapest powertrain from the latter: as soon as you are dealing with an Audi A1 with 110 hp or more, it has rear disc brakes. In the entry-level model, the brakes are hidden behind 15-inch alloy wheels.
The rear drum brakes betray that you are dealing with the least potent motorization.
Bright yellow, bright red
As mentioned, the A1 can be personalized quite a bit, and that applies especially to the exterior. Wheels with a diameter of up to 18 inches are possible, as are contrasting parts (such as the roof) and paint colors such as pearl red and metallic yellow. All paint options cost the same: €772. The only free option is – unfortunately – a white unilak. The standard lighting is of the conventional type and you therefore have to pay extra for more modern LED lighting at the front and rear. These are considerable amounts, which you ‘prevent’ by going for a more expensive trim level.
Inside the least expensive Audi A1 we find cloth-wrapped, height-adjustable seats and a dashboard with a digital instrument panel and a central screen-with-navigation function. In addition to navigation, that screen also offers Apple Carplay and Android Auto and sends its sounds into the interior via six speakers. The ‘Audi Sound System’ at an additional cost of €379 adds two extra speakers – including a subwoofer – and those who really want to go all out go for the Sonos system with even more speakers.
Yellow sports seats
One of the many options that stands out for its not too high price is that of sports seats. For €365 extra you get completely different, more extensive (manually) adjustable furniture in the front, which can be provided by Audi with a partly yellow fabric if desired. Nice and crazy and yet not expensive.
This cheerfulness costs a pittance for Audi standards.
Anyway, this is about the basic version, so we ignore the color – just like all the other ‘goodies’. That also means that we are dealing with a manual air conditioning, a multifunction steering wheel and the lack of contrasting door sills – really! The Audi also has cruise control, a number of active safety systems (such as emergency braking and lane assist), a rear seat that can be folded down in parts and heated side mirrors.
All in all, the Audi is ‘basic-complete’. Air conditioning, cruise control, some practicalities and smartphone connectivity are there. We see that with every €30,000 car these days, so it’s not surprising. However, we can say that nothing remains of the premium appearance if you order an Audi A1 at no extra cost. Or rather: ‘premium’ often also means that you really can’t get away with not ordering options, and that is certainly the case here. With its halogen lighting, 15-inch wheels and three-cylinder rumble, this basic A1 does not exactly drive forward, despite its four rings.
Audi A1 ‘editions’ make up for a lot
The solution? A more than €2,000 cheaper Volkswagen Polo with richer standard equipment (LED lighting, adaptive cruise control) offers an alternative, but the ‘editions’ that Audi created for the end-of-life phase of the A1 also deserve attention. The ‘S edition’ brings an S-line interior and exterior, 17-inch wheels, LED lighting and some extras for a relatively modest additional cost of less than €2,000. This version makes up for a lot in terms of appearance. An Audi A1 for less than ‘only’ 30 grand in no way conceals that it is, but one of just a little more already looks very different. If you want to buy one while you still can, take advantage of it.
Less than €2,000 extra and your Audi A1 will look quite different. One more color and it’s almost finished.
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– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl