Audi A1: The First Premium Small-car DCT
Audi has been the auto industry’s success story of recent years – not just in the premium segment, where it is fast drawing alongside leaders BMW and Mercedes Benz, but also on a more general level: it is one of the few automakers to have ridden through the downturn with no adverse effects. Indeed, it has been adding new model lines rather than trimming its catalog.
As a company looking to blanket the market with premium offerings in every segment and niche, it was only a matter of time before Audi looked towards small cars to lure buyers into its brand at an early stage: it’s a tactic that BMW has found successful with Mini and Mercedes (though to a lesser extent) with Smart and its A Class compact. But whereas the Mini and the Smart are diametrically different to the bigger models in their parent companies’ main line-ups, there can be no doubt whatsoever that the A1 is an Audi through and through. Not just the obvious brand identifiers such as the shape of the grille or the four rings on the trunk lid, but also the smooth surface language, the neat tire-to-wheelarch fit and the absence of superfluous decoration. The interior, too, is just like that of a large sedan Audi, except smaller. The company’s designers have resisted the temptation to make the treatment youthful, flashy or overstyled: this is clearly a very serious and businesslike small car.
That seriousness of purpose extends into providing a range of the VW group’s best driveline technologies including the latest turbocharged 1.4 liter gasoline engine and S-Tronic transmission – Audi’s version of the DQ200 seven-speed dry-clutch DCT used across the VW group for applications with lower torque and power.
In the A1 the seven-speed proves its efficiency, helping trim CO2 emissions on the European drive cycle from the 124 grams per kilometer of the six-speed manual version to just 119 g/km – a good figure for a 122 horsepower gasoline-fueled car capable of 203 km/h (126 mph) and 0-100 km/h acceleration in 8.9 seconds. The DCT adds just 25 kg to the thee-door A1’s mass, taking it to 1,200 kg.
Were it not for a slight reduction in width, the A1’s interior would feel just as grown up as every other current Audi: the leather-wrapped steering wheel is neat and chunky, with many of the minor controls such as telephone answering, sat-nav and audio set into its spokes; the instrument pack is classy and clearly calibrated, and the center stack houses tidy HVAC controls and Audi’s new multimedia interface operated by a center wheel and displayed on a screen which pops up from the top of the IP.
The 1.4 liter engine is smooth and unobtrusive in action, its turbo ensuring there is a healthy delivery of torque at low rpm to provide good drivability and throttle response even at low speeds; in this sense the gasoline car is a positive surprise after the 1.6 liter diesel, which seems to lack flexibility compared with those of other automakers. Star of the show, however, is the seven-speed DCT. Despite its dry clutch configuration it allows gentle and shudder-free launches from rest as well as steady creep in stop-start traffic. Upshifts are seamlessly smooth and quick, even on full throttle, though drivers new to the A1 will need to become accustomed to the slight hesitation then surge through the system as the transmission shifts from first into second, a larger gap than between the five higher ratio pairs.
Paddle shifters behind the steering wheel spokes provide a handy way of overriding the transmission’s automatic operation, though this is rarely required in normal driving except, perhaps, when slowing down just before a bend or descending a steep hill. As a rule, the transmission is excellent at finding the right ratio and for knowing what the driver wants: it will even maximize efficiency by holding on to a high gear on an upgrade, allowing the driver to use wide throttle openings that would normally trigger a kickdown on a conventional automatic.
Where the transmission behaves strangely, and perhaps too racily for the buyers of this medium-powered premium hatchback, is in Sport mode, accessed by releasing the detent and pulling the center lever back past the D position. In Sport, the box will allow the engine to reach high rpm, even on a very light load, before shifting up a gear, while deceleration is accompanied by automatic sequential downshifts. Even at motorway speeds the transmission appears programmed not to shift up beyond fifth: this can be overridden with the shift paddles, but the system will soon revert to its programmed mode and come back down to fifth. This Sport mode is rewarding for quick driving on twisty and undulating roads, giving keen throttle response and useful engine braking, but for most other conditions some may judge it needlessly noisy and stress inducing.
Mention should also be made of the stop-start function. This cuts the engine at traffic lights as soon as the car comes to a halt; the engine restarts the instant the driver takes his or her foot off the brake and the car then pulls away with only the slightest of delays. However there is an art to judging how much pressure to put on the gas pedal in readiness for the restart: too little pressure means a hesitant start, while too much gas gives an unexpectedly racy launch off the line. The car cannot be held on the handbrake: this makes the engine start again and the car strains as it tries to creep forward.
The buzzy, engaging character of the engine and transmission are set against the slightly more solid and sensible temperament of the rest of the vehicle. As with most Audis, the ride is firm on any road that is less than perfect, the brakes respond sharply to the first touch on the pedal, and the electrically assisted power steering initially feels too light around the center point both around town and on the motorway.
The A1 is not overt, sporty fun like the Mini or Ford Fiesta: instead, it is something more grown up, more mature and, perhaps, more enduring in its appeal. It is a very precisely targeted design, flawless in its execution and impeccable in its construction. It is not cheap, but it stands alone as a high quality small car that steers clear of transient styling fads, especially in the cabin. It has more space in the rear than the Mini, as well as a much bigger trunk – and of course it is the only one to boast the crucial advantage of a best-of-both-worlds dual clutch transmission.
| Audi A1 1.4 TFSI Sport S tronic | |
|---|---|
| Engine | 1390 cc four-cylinder, 16 valves |
| Induction | Gasoline turbo direct injection |
| Max Power | 122 hp at 5,000 rev/min |
| Peak Torque | 200 Nm at 1,500 to 4,000 rev/min |
| Transmission | VW-group DQ200 seven-speed dry clutch DCT |
| Maximum Speed | 203 km/h |
| 0-100 km/h Acceleration | 8.9 sec |
| CO2 Emissions | 119 g/km |
| Price (approx) | £16,475 before extras ($25,900) |
Story Filed: 11/17/2010
By Tony Lewin, managing editor DCTfacts.com