Hot Audi A1 Diesel To Take On Mini Cooper SD

Mini Cooper SD, watch out! Your not alone in the hot diesel premium supermini market anymore as Audi has spiced up the diesel A1.

Originally the only diesel engine available for the A1 was a 1.6L TDI  with 103bhp and 136 lb ft of torque. Now you have a choice between this and a 2.0L TDI that produces 141bhp and 236 lb ft of torque, less horsepower yet more torque than the Cooper SD but the differences are minute. Unlike the smaller 1.6L TDI A1 the bigger 2 litre comes with a 6th gear ratio for the manual 'box. Speed wise it's a similar situation, stationary to 62mph takes 8.2 seconds in the A1 with a top speed of 135mph whilst the manual Cooper SD gets to 62mph 0.1 seconds faster and goes all the way up to 134mph, very similar isn't it?

The main reason why you would buy a diesel hot hatch is to have the power but save cash on running it, right? The more powerful diesel A1's running costs should be easy on your wallet with a claimed 68.9mpg and it will only cost £20 to put a tax disk in the window every year because Co2 emissions are 108g/km, slightly more economical than the Mini but less economical than the smaller diesel A1, that one is road tax free.

The engine isn't the only new addition for the A1, there are also two new special edition trims to pick as well; Contrast Edition and Black Edition. The Contrast Edition, available to all A1 Sports apart from the most powerful 1.4TFSI, lets you choose a different colour for the roof line, just like in the standard car but also comes with aerodynamic styling elements in the same colour as the roof line as well as 17" 'five-arm' alloys added to the standard Sport trim. You can also get a double-blade roof spoiler to make the car look even more sporty but that's an optional extra. Black Edition is pretty much a S-Line model but with a black surround for the grille and the number plate holder as well as titanium finished 18" alloys, tinted windows from the B-pillar back, Xenon plus headlights with LED daytime running lights, full electric climate control and a better sound system. The Black edition is only available with the most powerful 1.4TFSI petrol and that new diesel engine though.

So the classy yet slightly immature looking hot A1 diesel with great running costs sounds like a good call, what's the catch? The asking price is the catch! Adding these special edition trims means a price hike to the Sport and S-Line trims; Contrast edition costs £1,350 extra than the Sport and Black Edition is £1,100 added to the S-Line price. The Audi A1 Black Edition with the most powerful 1.4TSI petrol is a whopping £21,810 and the powerful diesel will cost a bit more. That's similar to a basic Scirocco with the 158bhp 1.4TSI, a lot more than the A1's cousin, the Skoda Fabia VRS (£16,415) and a bit more than it's main rival, the Cooper SD (£18,810).