Audi's stylish answer to the Mini
Meet the "exciting new small Audi", says Sam Hardy in AutoExpress – a car that's "on the road to compact car glory". The A1 debuts at next month's Geneva Motor Show and is Audi's attempt to unseat BMW's Mini.
Available to order in May with prices from £13,000, it "will have BMW bosses worried". As well as a "stylish shape and classy cabin", the A1 will have efficient and powerful engines. It will also be bigger than the Mini – about the same size as a three-door Ford Fiesta.
Inside, the dashboard is "a masterpiece of design and quality" and gadgets include 3D sat-nav, voice control, Bluetooth and music storage, and a 465-watt, 14-speaker Bose stereo.
It's the most desirable new car of the year, says What Car. It came top of the magazine's "must-have newcomer of the year" readers' poll by a big margin – so "the idea of a supermini wearing Audi badges clearly resonates with a lot of people".
And from "its big single grille, through its sharply creased belt-line to its curvaceous roof, it has the look of a car that belongs in the Audi stable". The four engines on offer are also "ideally suited to the downsizing trend that is behind Audi's decision to offer a car as small as the A1".
All are small-capacity, direct-injection, turbocharged units, which should deliver "good fuel economy with no loss of driveability". Indeed, the car promises to offer the "sportiest driving experience in the class", says Hardy.
• Price: from £13,000.
• Engines: a choice of two turbo petrol and two turbo diesel options.
• Performance: 111mph top speed; 0-62mph in 12.1 secs (for 1.2 litre petrol model).