Audi A1 — Size Matters?
Small cars are set to dominate the sales charts once again with plummeting COE premiums. The Audi A1 is surging ahead with its mix of driving fun and efficiency. SIX-SIX.COM judges the German supermini.
Why is that good news for the rest of us? Car-lite is the new buzzword for the government and large luxury cars are becoming passé. Small, light and efficient is in. Fringe benefits of hatchbacks are the ease of going through traffic and the ability to chuck them into the tightest lots with ease.
If in the process of easing congestion with smaller cars we fall upon a peppy hatchback, so much the better! And that’s what Audi is banking on. The small compact A1 is alive behind the wheel. Even with its modest 1.0-litre, the hatchback gets up to speed reasonably quickly and has no trouble merging with traffic on the highway.

The hatch is efficient too. With a claimed consumption figure of 22km/L, it will do nearly a 1,000 kilometres on a full tank. Fuel saving features includes a coasting function, which allows the A1 to decouple the transmission when you’re cruising. The lower carbon emissions mean its eligible for a $15,000 rebate.

However the quality does come at a premium. The A1 is the most expensive compared with the Mini One and Volkswagen Polo. But nobody said fun was going to be cheap.