Snackable Review: Audi A1 Sportback

PLUS

• Striking design is an Audi hallmark and it’s not lost on its smallest offering, in 2015 updated form it also welcomes new headlights borrowed from the brutal $50K S1 and a slightly redesigned front bumper.
• We love its high-street look and the ability to customise it, especially with something like the optional black roof dome.
• The range of engines are smooth and are matched to Audi’s quick-shifting 7-speed.
• Its steering is great, and feels made of high German quality.
• Around town, and out about country roads, the Audi A1 rides comfortably, and avoids feeling brittle like some small cars do.

MINUS

• Its high belt line and B-pillars compromise its over-shoulder visibility from the driver’s seat
• Rear seats are raised and rob cabin of headroom for passengers.
• Style costs, you’re entry ticket to the range $27K for the 1.0-litre triple-pot engine A1, which is the same price as its rival range-toppers.
• Dual-clutch transmission doesn’t gel well with the system that turns the engine off at traffic lights, so it requires concentrated pedal input to get going smoothly.
• Full house 1.8-litre engine A1 isn’t a performance hatch, despite its whopping price.

Click here to find out more about the Audi A1 Sportback.