Buying guide Audi A1: can the bar be raised with used premium brands?

Audi has sold almost 900,000 units of the first-generation Audi A1 (2010-2018) in eight years. It appears to be a popular car, especially among female drivers. With the A1, Audi enters the B segment for the second time with a compact hatchback and, if you include the A2, the third time. The first attempt was in 1974 with the Audi 50. There will be no successor to the current, second A1: it is becoming too expensive to develop compact cars. However contradictory this may sound in a world that demands CO2 reduction.

Audi A1 is on the same platform as Volkswagen Polo and Seat Ibiza

Premium is the magic word that manufacturers use to position a car high in the market and the Audi A1 is a striking example of this. Based on the trusted VW Polo/Seat Ibiza platform, there will be a completely new, serious-looking three-door body with the color-contrasting roof arches as a stylistic highlight. The A1 (internal: 8X) is also a recognizable Audi design and exudes solidity and quality, partly due to the profiling in the sides that they call the Tornado line in Ingolstadt. The 2015 facelift makes the A1 a bit more aggressive thanks to sharper headlights and more angular bumpers.

The A1 is only available as a three-door for two years, from 2012 the five-door Sportback will be added and in the following years this more practical variant will replace the three-door from the range.

There are numerous versions, with a five or six-speed gearbox or a 7-speed DSG gearbox, which Audi calls S-Tronic. All engines have direct injection and a turbo. The basis is the well-known 86 hp 1.2 TFSI four-cylinder. Higher up you will find the 1.4 TFSI with 122 hp. There is also a diesel: the 1.6 TDI that delivers 90 or 105 hp. For connoisseurs with deep pockets, Audi has the 185 hp 1.4 TFSI twincharger in store and for frequent drivers the 143 hp 2.0 TDI. You need the deepest pockets for the A1 quattro 2.0 TFSI with 256 hp, which was only built 333 times.

Three-cylinder TFSI from 2015

From the facelift in 2015, the four-cylinder 1.2 TFSI makes way for the three-cylinder 1.0 TFSI (95 hp) and the 1.4 TFSI has been replaced by the 1.4 TFSI with 125 hp. The 1.4 TFSI CoD (150 hp) has the special feature of active cylinder deactivation. In the diesels, the 1.4 TDI (90 hp) takes over from the 1.6. The S1 2.0 TFSI replaces the quattro and loses 25 hp. More affordable is the 1.8 TFSI. With its skirts and spoilers, S-Line is a popular accessory package that really completes the compact Audi.

Thirteen years after its launch, has the Audi A1 proved to be of high quality and reliable? Vakgarage Verlaan in Harmelen has prepared a self-imported Samoa Orange Metallic three-door A1 1.2 TFSI for a test drive and an assessment on the bridge.

A1 offers an excellent seating position, even for tall people

It is pleasant to stay in an Audi A1. The sitting position is excellent, even people with tall postures find a good sitting position. No competitor can match the A1 in terms of finish and quality feeling. Now this used car, recently brought from Germany, has only covered 56,000 kilometers, but there is no doubt that this interior can withstand the test of time.

We deliberately opt for the less practical three-door, which we only find minor parking damage, and UV-related cracks in the headlight lenses. Most striking are the corners of the large doors, which have sometimes hit another four-wheeler in the flanks in the parking lot of the German ‘Penny’ supermarket. The entry to the back seat is not your thing, even though the A1 has easy-entry systems on the right and left. Well, those are known shortcomings of two- and three-door cars.

On the other hand, the luggage floor in two heights and the split-folding backrest are useful. The A1 drives flawlessly. It’s firm, but not uncomfortable, and it steers nice and direct with its electric assistance, but not nervously. And braking is the best. Anyone who thinks that the 1.2 TFSI with 86 hp is short, should drive with this engine. Thanks to the small turbo, the four-cylinder engine delivers a mountain of torque and therefore you have enough power. In daily practice you have more than enough with this engine. In addition, it sounds pleasant.

Timing chain stretches

What should you pay attention to if you have put the Audi A1 next to, for example, a Mini or a DS 3 on your wish list? The main focus is on the engines. Whether you are in the market for a 1.2, a 1.4 or a diesel, there is something to pay extra attention to with all these engines. For example, the 1.2 and 1.4 of the EA111 family have a timing chain that stretches over time – this has been reported countless times over the years. Often this point is dismissed as a horror story, but it only becomes that if you keep driving it: the chain can then break, so that the valves hit the pistons, with all the expensive consequences that entails. This phenomenon can manifest itself from 40,000 kilometers. Fortunately, there is a simple method to check: start the engine cold and focus your attention on a strong noise (it sounds like a throat scraping) that is above the normal engine noise; it shouldn’t last more than five seconds and then it should be gone. If it persists, the chain has stretched. With the 1.4, the repair is more expensive, because more key hours are needed to fix the problem. A tip from Nijburg Automotive from Apeldoorn: park the A1 in neutral and on the handbrake and not in gear. That would extend the life of the chain.

Below is the infamous chain.

The turbos rarely give up the ghost, except for the 185 hp TFSI. Here the performance potential will affect the service life. This power source also suffers from oil consumption. In some cases, pieces of the piston even break off. Then a revision is the only option. Apart from the distribution, broken ignition coils and ditto cables and the gasket of the oil filter housing occur, causing oil leakage. According to the scholars, the newer engines after the facelift with their timing belt are problem-free. Yet the 1.0 TSI has one drawback: in the factory they literally tighten all nuts and bolts, with machine-operated torque wrenches with a fixed torque. It may happen that a bolt of one of the timing gears comes loose. If it gets into the engine, it can have serious consequences. You can only prevent this by removing the distribution cover, unscrewing the bolts and re-tightening with Loctite.

Diesels have fewer problems than petrol engines

The diesels have fewer problems than the petrol engines, although the injectors break down in cars that do a lot of city work. This can already occur at 40,000 kilometers.

The 1.0 and 1.2 engines have a five-speed gearbox, others a six-speed gearbox.

Furthermore: check the operation of the clutch during the test drive. If it rises high, you know there is wear and tear involved. You have to be more alert with the S-Tronic automatic transmission built up to and including 2014. This DSG automatic transmission malfunctions more often, partly as a result of software. Due to the software, the clutch plates wear out more quickly. During the test drive you have to pay attention to the switching moments, which should actually go lightning fast and therefore go unnoticed. So focus your gaze on the tachometer that has to drop very quickly at the moments of switching. At the same time, you listen to possible rattling noises during the switching moments. On cars with high mileage, it is advisable to test the braking system for seized calipers. And if you can view a car on the bridge, immediately inspect the sleeves of the CV joints, and the last muffler for rust from the outer casing. And while you are still test driving, also check the operation of the air conditioning and the multimedia system MMI. The latter often fails. Also operate the side windows because sticking window rubbers are a recurring theme on forums.

If you can view a car on the bridge, immediately inspect the cuffs of the CV joints.

Known problem with the last muffler: rust of the outer casing.

The screen of the multimedia system sometimes falter and also check the air conditioning.

A1 in top condition, easy to find

An A1 in top condition can certainly be found among the more than 1,000 used cars on offer. If you have a limited budget, you are stuck with the model before the facelift and you have to make do with the ‘old’ engines. More certainty is more expensive, so keep saving for the A1 after 2015. There is plenty of choice and there are enough cars with low mileages.