Overview

There are plenty of reasons to like the Audi A1 Sportback: it has five doors making it a more practical choice over the standard A1 hatchback, while it’s still one of the most premium-feeling cars in this sector.

It also gives Audi the chance to challenge the MINI Clubman as a viable five-door small car. With that premium feel comes a more premium price tag, and the Audi A1 Sportback is one of the more expensive choices in this class even as a used buy.

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Add to this the numerous options and the cost of the A1 can be close to that of medium hatchback. What you do get though is supreme build quality and the German manufacturer’s well-established reliability record.

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The Audi A1 Sportback comes in a 5-door only bodystyle, and even though the car doesn’t feature Maybach levels of rear legroom, it’s certainly a whole lot easier to access the rear seat in this five-door guise.

Arguably though, as with many five door cars, the three door does look slightly better. The model shares its platform with a number of other VW Group models such as the Polo and SEAT Ibiza, in fact, Audi jointly developed the A1 range with a great deal of input from the Spanish manufacturer SEAT.

Have no fear about an Audi built in Belgium and part developed by SEAT though; the A1 has a lovely build quality so many rivals lack on a tangible level. Everything from the door handles to the twiddly fiddly bits like knobs and switches feel just like an Audi should.

It’s just a shame they fail to drive as well as other makes out there and also, they are not without problems, especially in the powertrain department. Most of the issues here were sorted under warranty and by means of manufacturing improvements, but many rogue cars slipped through the nets so watch out.

Audi A1 Sportback known faults and common problems

1. Engine death rattle (TFSi Petrol)

If the car emits a clattering metallic ‘zinging’ sound when starting from cold, lasting up to five seconds before quietening down, the timing chain has stretched beyond the tensioners tolerances. Unless the car is laughably cheap in the first case, this is a walk away problem. Without immediate repair, the engine will destroy itself when the chain eventually snaps or jumps its gear train through excessive wear.

2. Whining or loud whistling from engine (petrol)

When the engine is loaded during acceleration you shouldn’t be able to notice any turbo noise. If you hear a notable howl not too dissimilar to a vacuum cleaner that rises in pitch, or a loud whistle under boost conditions, adjust your budget – and offer – to cover fitting a new or reconditioned turbocharger.

The aforementioned noises will also come cap-in-hand with a marked reduction in power too.

3. Electrical gremlins

Keep an eye open for flickering or constant illumination of dash warning lights. This can occur if the car fails to get dealer or specialist servicing where software updates are installed as part of the work. Be wary of vendor patter trying to downplay these sort of issues.

4. Noisy suspension

The A1 has a notably hard riding suspension, not so much a fault, more of a design trait. But keep your wits about you for any noises getting into the cabin such as knocks, clatters or bangs. Urban or City cars can wear out their anti-roll bar links and / or bottom ball joints quickly – the latter requiring expensive quality components if you are to avoid a repeat problem down the line in the near future.

5. Headlamp upgrades

It seems that LED headlamp DIY upgrades have become popular as of late. Be wary and check if this has been done because unless the car features a lamp power wash system, any MOT tester worth his licence will fail the car at its next MOT owing to recent testing rule changes.

6. Rear seat smart repairs

If the previous owner was a smoker, check carefully for repairs to the rear seat bench, especially cloth trim. The aerodynamic traits of the A1 means flicked ash or burning embers re-enter the car via the rear edge of the front door window tops and duly burn the trim.

7. Alloy wheels

The A1 in many cases was bought for younger drivers by affluent parents. So check for wheel and tyre sidewall damage that can be expensive to put back in order – especially if the car features ‘diamond cut’ style alloy rims that require specialist attention.

8. Urban toreador vehicles

The trendy A1 is a darling of inner-city folk. As a consequence they can be treated like dodgem cars getting into all sorts of minor scrapes and mishaps. Keep an eye open for shoddy repair work, non-genuine replacement lamp units and anything that does not align correctly or look right.

9. Connectivity issues

It’s not uncommon for some cars to refuse to connect with a mobile phone. Ask the vendor to show you proof it works otherwise you could be looking at a visit to the dealer for further investigation that may be as simple as a system reset or a more costly affair like an audio head unit replacement.

10. DPF warning lamp (1.6 TDi)

If the car is showing a warning symbol for a faulty DPF this could be an expensive issue. A lot of cars never see a decent length dual carriageway or motorway journey in order to fully regenerate the diesel particulate filter (DPF) and in many cases this requires replacing the DPF – and it is big money. If in any doubt just walk away.

Our ultimate tip? Buy a good one and expect to pay sensibly for it because a cheap A1 can be a rather expensive A1 in the long term.