Audi launched the A1 in the 2010 Geneva Motor Show and it was first sold in Germany as well as the UK later part of the year. But it was only early 2011 when the smashing supermini came to our local shores. So despite the fact that the Audi A1 has been on the road since then, the three-door compact hatch from Ingolstadt inevitably limited its appeal for families and buyers looking for greater practicality.

Perhaps the product wasn't quite suitable for fussy Singaporeans and customers had yet to come to terms with the idea of a boutique three-door compact hatchback, although there was a growing demand for small cars that offered the generous cabin quality feel of bigger cars. Volkswagen succeeded well in this aspect, with the Golf and the Polo model range but is now being forced to compete with Audi's latest offering for its share of the hatchback pie.

Exterior

Casting its net wider with the A1 Sportback - a five-door version of the A1 - Audi is poised to take the supermini segment by storm. It has preserved its strengths and reinforced its weaknesses on the A1 to include young families with children, thanks to the added rear doors. As a result, the car is now a much more interesting proposition.

In terms of its dimensions, the A1 Sportback's length and wheelbase have been brought over from the A1 at 3,954mm and 2,469mm respectively. But when compared to the three-door A1, the Sportback is slightly taller and wider, sporting an extra 6mm in both directions.

Visually, the A1 Sportback you see here hasn't changed much from the three-door twin. Despite the extra set of doors, the designers have retained the overall proportion and silhouette that make it immediately recognisable as an Audi A1. Its form is clearly in line with the design language of the marque, resulting in a bold and stylish look when parked in the open while sporting a clean unbroken line on the side that flows across the doors before ending at the rear side panels.

While the A1 lends itself to all sorts of road mischief, thanks to its lack of rear doors, the Sportback appears more tamed and matured. But it hasn't lost its sporty stance. Equipped with the S line kit, the 185bhp version of the A1 Sportback is endowed with an 18-inch aluminium alloy shoes as well as sport bumpers as standard.

But it is at the rear where the car garners mixed feelings. Starkly sculptured, the butt of the A1 Sportback takes cues from Audi's Q model series, with a rather prominent valance panel housing the tailpipes. It does look a little out of place at first but the youthful-looking hot cake is bound to win you over with its overall package of creativity and style.

Interior

It's certainly a good change for passengers here, with doors number three and four making access to back seats much easier. More relevantly, headroom is significantly improved, with 11mm more head space than in the three-door A1. Simply put, fitting in without having the need to slouch is now possible in the Audi supermini. Still, rear space is best fitted with two passengers. Squeezing in three would just be pushing for shoulder room.

What hasn't change is the boot space. On par with its lesser-door twin, the A1 Sportback has a respectable 270 litres of space with the rear benches in place and 920 litres when knocked down.

Seats are well-bolstered and snugly supportive and are more than capable of hauling occupants over long distances. It's got such a big car feel when inside that you could easily forget it's suitably a city car. The air vents that resemble like jet turbines also came with matching surround colours and can be tweaked according to buyers' tastes.

Audi's reputation for sumptuous materials and exemplary build quality in the A1 Sportback supersedes many of its fellow peers. The cabin is a plush environment, with cleverly designed layout, precise detailing and the kind of technology you would find in bigger luxury cars.


Hence, unlike some of the higher-end cars that boasts a whole lot of savvy technology, you won't be swarmed with distraction when driving. The retractable 6.5-inch display located on the centre top stage of the dash is straightforward and it packs all the buttons and controls to a single knob on the centre console.

The Drive

It does feel pretty similar to the three-door A1 behind the wheel. The crisp control and impressive stability are all still there. In fact, the car does feel slightly more controlled over the three-door A1 (185bhp) that we tested. Torque steer that was felt before on the A1 is now missing on the A1 Sportback and it never once felt like there was too much power for the car to handle. That's not to say that the car's agility is assisted largely by the accurate and well-weighted steering.

Mated to an S-tronic seven-speed automatic gearbox, the 1.4-litre TFSI powerplant churns a maximum output of 185bhp and 250Nm of torque and will get from 0 to 100km/h in a swift 6.9 seconds. For such a small engine, it is nothing short of impressive. Overtaking slower traffic is simply a breeze, though you may need to get used to the meaty, if not stiff, accelerator.

For enthusiasts this engine (and the meaty right pedal) is a joy to behold, especially when pushed through a series of bends. Although it doesn't offer the kind of interaction and road manners of a MINI, the A1 Sportback front end has a lot of grip with very little body roll. It encourages you to push the box to get a little more oomph as its precision allows you to carve a neat line through the twisties.

The downside of the car, though, is the stiffness of the suspension. It rides hard over broken asphalt and sends even the slightest vibrations through the cabin. It does feel unnecessarily harsh when driven in a relaxed manner. Of course it feels undoubtedly accomplished when the call for reckless road mannerisms are unleashed through the right foot as it lets out a satisfying growl from under the bonnet.

Conclusion

More of an evolution than revolution, the Audi A1 Sportback currently costs no more than $4,000 over the three-door version. At $177,000 the supermini isn't exactly chump change but you'll be getting a lot of class and quality with ample go to match its show.

Audi launched the A1 in the 2010 Geneva Motor Show and it was first sold in Germany as well as the UK later part of the year. But it was only early 2011 when the smashing supermini came to our local shores. So despite the fact that the Audi A1 has been on the road since then, the three-door compact hatch from Ingolstadt inevitably limited its appeal for families and buyers looking for greater practicality.

Perhaps the product wasn't quite suitable for fussy Singaporeans and customers had yet to come to terms with the idea of a boutique three-door compact hatchback, although there was a growing demand for small cars that offered the generous cabin quality feel of bigger cars. Volkswagen succeeded well in this aspect, with the Golf and the Polo model range but is now being forced to compete with Audi's latest offering for its share of the hatchback pie.

Exterior

Casting its net wider with the A1 Sportback - a five-door version of the A1 - Audi is poised to take the supermini segment by storm. It has preserved its strengths and reinforced its weaknesses on the A1 to include young families with children, thanks to the added rear doors. As a result, the car is now a much more interesting proposition.

In terms of its dimensions, the A1 Sportback's length and wheelbase have been brought over from the A1 at 3,954mm and 2,469mm respectively. But when compared to the three-door A1, the Sportback is slightly taller and wider, sporting an extra 6mm in both directions.

Visually, the A1 Sportback you see here hasn't changed much from the three-door twin. Despite the extra set of doors, the designers have retained the overall proportion and silhouette that make it immediately recognisable as an Audi A1. Its form is clearly in line with the design language of the marque, resulting in a bold and stylish look when parked in the open while sporting a clean unbroken line on the side that flows across the doors before ending at the rear side panels.

While the A1 lends itself to all sorts of road mischief, thanks to its lack of rear doors, the Sportback appears more tamed and matured. But it hasn't lost its sporty stance. Equipped with the S line kit, the 185bhp version of the A1 Sportback is endowed with an 18-inch aluminium alloy shoes as well as sport bumpers as standard.

But it is at the rear where the car garners mixed feelings. Starkly sculptured, the butt of the A1 Sportback takes cues from Audi's Q model series, with a rather prominent valance panel housing the tailpipes. It does look a little out of place at first but the youthful-looking hot cake is bound to win you over with its overall package of creativity and style.

Interior

It's certainly a good change for passengers here, with doors number three and four making access to back seats much easier. More relevantly, headroom is significantly improved, with 11mm more head space than in the three-door A1. Simply put, fitting in without having the need to slouch is now possible in the Audi supermini. Still, rear space is best fitted with two passengers. Squeezing in three would just be pushing for shoulder room.

What hasn't change is the boot space. On par with its lesser-door twin, the A1 Sportback has a respectable 270 litres of space with the rear benches in place and 920 litres when knocked down.

Seats are well-bolstered and snugly supportive and are more than capable of hauling occupants over long distances. It's got such a big car feel when inside that you could easily forget it's suitably a city car. The air vents that resemble like jet turbines also came with matching surround colours and can be tweaked according to buyers' tastes.

Audi's reputation for sumptuous materials and exemplary build quality in the A1 Sportback supersedes many of its fellow peers. The cabin is a plush environment, with cleverly designed layout, precise detailing and the kind of technology you would find in bigger luxury cars.


Hence, unlike some of the higher-end cars that boasts a whole lot of savvy technology, you won't be swarmed with distraction when driving. The retractable 6.5-inch display located on the centre top stage of the dash is straightforward and it packs all the buttons and controls to a single knob on the centre console.

The Drive

It does feel pretty similar to the three-door A1 behind the wheel. The crisp control and impressive stability are all still there. In fact, the car does feel slightly more controlled over the three-door A1 (185bhp) that we tested. Torque steer that was felt before on the A1 is now missing on the A1 Sportback and it never once felt like there was too much power for the car to handle. That's not to say that the car's agility is assisted largely by the accurate and well-weighted steering.

Mated to an S-tronic seven-speed automatic gearbox, the 1.4-litre TFSI powerplant churns a maximum output of 185bhp and 250Nm of torque and will get from 0 to 100km/h in a swift 6.9 seconds. For such a small engine, it is nothing short of impressive. Overtaking slower traffic is simply a breeze, though you may need to get used to the meaty, if not stiff, accelerator.

For enthusiasts this engine (and the meaty right pedal) is a joy to behold, especially when pushed through a series of bends. Although it doesn't offer the kind of interaction and road manners of a MINI, the A1 Sportback front end has a lot of grip with very little body roll. It encourages you to push the box to get a little more oomph as its precision allows you to carve a neat line through the twisties.

The downside of the car, though, is the stiffness of the suspension. It rides hard over broken asphalt and sends even the slightest vibrations through the cabin. It does feel unnecessarily harsh when driven in a relaxed manner. Of course it feels undoubtedly accomplished when the call for reckless road mannerisms are unleashed through the right foot as it lets out a satisfying growl from under the bonnet.

Conclusion

More of an evolution than revolution, the Audi A1 Sportback currently costs no more than $4,000 over the three-door version. At $177,000 the supermini isn't exactly chump change but you'll be getting a lot of class and quality with ample go to match its show.