Used Audi A1 Sportback (2012-2018) Review

The A1 Sportback encapsulates all that’s best about Audi in a compact, well equipped and good looking five-door small hatch. Every surface that you come into contact with has a solidly hewn appearance and feel, making the A1 seem very substantial even though it’s actually quite a light car by class standards thanks to using aluminium for some of its exterior panels.

This lightness makes the A1 easy to drive through town and there’s the option of the seven-speed S tronic automatic gearbox with some engines. Those engines deliver decent pep in all but the base 1.2 petrol version, which is best limited to urban use.

Practicality is augmented in the Sportback thanks to its five-doors that make life easier for loading kids into the back than with the three-door version. Taller adults will find it a little restricted back here, but the A1 makes up for this with a large boot for a small hatch and split/fold rear seat. If you don't need five doors, the three-door Audi A1 is more common.

The decision to choose the Sportback over the Audi A1 three-door will likely come down to you needing the extra versatility of the extra doors. It’s no hardship being practical as the Sportback is just as able as the hatch in every conceivable way.

While the S Line trim holds much appeal with its half-leather upholstery and larger alloy wheels to give it the edge in the style stakes, we’d opt for the Sport trim. Despite its name, it has slightly softer-set suspension than the S Line while still being more athletic through corners than the SE.

If you can afford to look for a later version of the A1, the 1.0 TFSI turbo petrol is the pick of the bunch. It may not have the outright power of the 1.4 petrol, but it’s keen as mustard when you want to get a move on yet delivers impressive economy and wallet-pleasing emissions.

The MINI five-door hatch is the clear rival to the Audi A1 Sportback. While the MINI undoubtedly has an advantage on handling and many are fans of its style, the A1 is the more rounded overall package.

Others to consider are the Alfa Romeo MiTo and DS3 if you want to go down a more sporting route, though neither is as well finished as the Audi and they only come with three doors. Don’t discount the Ford Fiesta or Volkswagen Polo as both are superb to drive and offer a huge selection of trim and engine choices.

Compare the Audi A1 Sportback to any other car in the small hatchback class and its rivals are going to come off second best when it comes to quality. It’s not just the perceived superiority of construction that sets the Sportback apart, it really is made from plastics that are more substantial.

Add in the fact Audi is a past-master at fit and finish, so there are no exposed screws or rough edges to any of the door pockets or cupholders. It’s all very finessed and makes the A1 a truly pleasant place to while away journeys.

If you stick with the SE and Sport models, the upholstery is cloth, though there were plenty of options for buyers to personalise these fabrics. Some finishes can be more eye-catching than others, so be sure to choose one that fits with your taste.

The S Line model gained half-leather upholstery for an even more premium feel. There were also Black, Contrast and Style Edition models offered with their own interior trims, though most of their upgrades are on the outside. However, the Contrast Edition did benefit from an improved Audi Sound System stereo as part of its package.

Audi was among the first to offer an integrated infotainment screen in the small hatch sector in the A1. The 6.5-inch display rotates into position when the car is started and is easy to see from it’s position in the centre of the dash top.

In the SE model, it can be used to display music choices from DAB radio or an MP3 player, but you have to opt for the Sport to get standard Bluetooth connectivity and a USB port for your smartphone. If you want the Audi Multi Media Interface (MMI) with satellite navigation and iPod connection, you need to find an A1 that had this installed as an optional extra.

The MMI is easy to use too and our only criticism is the sat-nav screen now looks dated and is not as easy to read at a glance as more modern versions.

Between the main dials in the dash binnacle is a simple digital display the driver can scroll through for information on fuel economy, speed, time and radio channel using the steering wheel-mounted controls.

The main attraction of the Sportback over its A1 hatch sister are the rear doors. They are a big boon for anyone who routinely carries more than one passenger as it makes accessing the rear seats much easier.

As well as being simple to get in and out of the Sportback’s rear quarters, the bench has seating for three and comes with a trio of three-point belts. This is in contrast to the hatch’s two-seat rear bench with central cupholder. 

There are two ISOFIX child seat mounts as standard and the front passenger airbag can be switched off to allow a rear-facing child seat to be used. Even so, the Sportback offers no more rear headroom for adults than the hatch, so anyone of average height or above will find it cramped.

The Audi A1 has the clever knack of making its front occupants feel like they are in any of Audi’s other models. It does this not only with the appearance and quality of the cabin but also the generous space given to the driver and front passenger.

A decent 270-litre boot capacity in the Audi is well ahead of a MINI’s but nowhere near as good as its cousin, the SEAT Ibiza. Extending the boot capacity is simple thanks to a 60/40 split and tip rear seat. It folds down to leave an almost flat floor and up to 920-litres of load space.

Some of this space is freed up because the Sportback does without a spare wheel in any of its models. Instead, you get a get-you-home tyre repair kit to fix a puncture that sits in a dedicated spot under the boot floor.

Audi launched the A1 Sportback with three petrol engines and a single diesel motor. The turbocharged 86PS 1.2-litre has a five-speed manual gearbox and was offered across all trim levels. The 122PS 1.4 TFSI turbo petrol was available in the upper two trim specs with either a six-speed manual or seven-speeder S tronic auto ’box. Audi offered the 1.4 TFSI with 140- and then 150PS outputs, and there was also a twincharger 185PS 1.4 that used super and turbocharging.

All three trims were offered with the 105PS 1.6 turbodiesel which is coupled to a five-speed manual transmission. A 2.0-litre turbodiesel arrived in 2012 with 143PS. It’s hard to justify this unit over the smaller diesel unless you spend a lot of miles on the motorway.

The 1.0-litre TFSI with 95PS pitched up in 2015 and is the pick of the engine range thanks to its pert performance and free-revving nature. It may be small in capacity, but it feels like a bigger engine and comes with a distinctive three-cylinder engine hum. In town, it’s all you ever need, but if you drive plenty on the motorway the 1.4 petrol is the motor to choose.

Whichever engine suits your requirements in the A1, they all come with a start-stop function as standard to save fuel when the car would otherwise be idling in traffic. There’s also energy recuperation to charge up the battery as the car slows down, and each version has an electronic differential that prevents the wheels from spinning to aid cornering and stability.

Like its hatch sibling, the A1 Sportback is notable for its superb refinement in the small hatch class. Whether you’re nipping through town, joining the dots down back lanes or cruising along the motorway, the A1 does an impressive job of filtering out road, wind and engine noises.

Even on the firmer suspensions of the Sport and S Line models, there is none of the crash and thump din that can be heard in some others in this class. You may feel those potholes, but you won’t hear the suspension working its way across them. It makes the Sportback a great smaller hatchback for those who spend plenty of time in their car or use them for long trips as you’ll feel fresher at the end in the Audi than any other small hatch.

To get the best performance from the engines, petrol or diesel, they need to be hustled further up the rev range. However, this doesn’t upset the interior harmony of the A1, especially with the petrol motors that are impressively quiet. Even the three-cylinder 1.0-litre barely stirs up anything more than a pleasing growl when worked hard.

Audi’s A1 Sportback scores highly for safety and earned a full five-star rating from Euro NCAP for adult occupant safety. Assisting here were the standard twin front, side and curtain airbags, as well as adjustable rear seat head restraints.

Every A1 has ESP stability and traction control fitted, along with ABS anti-lock brakes and an electronic differential that prevents the front wheels from spinning during cornering.

The front passenger airbag can be switched off to allow a rear-facing child seat to be installed. In the back, there are two Isofix kiddy seat mounts, as well as a trio of three-point belts. As a result, the A1 scored a strong 79% rating from Euro NCAP for child occupant safety.

It’s not quite such good news for pedestrians as the Audi ranked at 49% for their safety, though this is better than many other small hatches.

Audi did not fit a space saver or full-size spare wheel to any A1 model. This was largely to save weight for fuel efficiency and maximise boot space. Instead, what you get is a tyre repair kit that will see you off the motorway or back home in the event of a puncture.

Younger drivers will be drawn the Audi A1 Sportback 1.2 TFSI SE for its group 9 insurance rating that makes it the cheapest model in the range to get cover for.

Our preferred 1.0 TFSI Sport with S tronic automatic gearbox comes in at group 15 for insurance. As a consequence, it will still be easily affordable for most drivers to insure even if its premiums are not quite as cheap as those for a Ford Fiesta or Volkswagen Polo.

Helping the Audi’s insurance ratings are an immobiliser and Thatcham Category 1 standard alarm fitted as standard to all models.

The majority of the petrol engines in the Audi A1 fall into Band C for road tax, so you won’t need to raid the piggy bank to afford this. However, the 185PS 1.4 petrol falls into Band E, which means a significantly higher rate of tax to pay for its added performance.

The less powerful 105PS 1.6 TDI engine resides in Band A, while its more potent 116 version and the 2.0-litre diesel fall into Band B.

The SE is the opening gambit in the used Audi A1 Sportback range and comes with 15-inch alloy wheels, electric door mirrors and colour-coded covers for these items. Inside, you get a 6.5-inch infotainment screen with voice control, aux-in socket, and CD stereo with MP3 connectivity. Air conditioning is also included, along with electric front windows and a height adjustable driver’s seat.

The Sport adds firmer suspension and 16-inch alloy wheels, as well as more figure-hugging sports front seats. A leather-bound steering wheel and handbrake lever add to the ambience, while a Driver Information System offers more data. Outside, the Sport has front fog lights and a polished exhaust tip.

S Line customers get 17-inch alloy wheels and even further firmed-up suspension, a bespoke body styling kit, rear spoiler and S Line badging. Half-leather upholstery covers the seats and there’s a black headlining and aluminium door sill covers.

The S Line Style Edition was finished with metallic or pearl-effect paint, gloss black roof, 17-inch alloys and rear privacy glass. Inside, they benefitted from an uprated Concert CD stereo system and colour-coded dash inserts around the transmission tunnel and air vents.