Audi A1 Sportback 1.6 TDI

Average score for the 1.6 TDI:

8.310

based on 5 expert reviews

We aggregate and summarise the best Audi A1 Sportback 1.6 TDI reviews from the most helpful publications.

The only diesel engine you can currently get for the Audi A1 Sportback is the 1.6TDI which produces 104bhp and goes from 0-62mph in 10.7 seconds.

Until a new 141bhp 2.0 diesel arrives in the summer, this is the only oil burner in the range. Thankfully, it seems to be a very good one – it’s by no means the fastest A1 on sale, but the wide power and torque band means it doesn’t have many problems with getting up to speed.

One complaint is the fact that the engine does feel rougher than the petrol units and you can feel the vibrations from it on the controls.

However, where this engine shines is the appealing running costs. It is very cheap to run with up to 74mpg and the 99g/km of CO2 emissions, making it exempt from road tax and Congestion Charge zones.

However, experts didn’t think it was as entertaining as a car with the word ‘sport’ in its name should be, and stated that the upcoming diesel unit or the 1.4 petrol engines are the ones to go for if you want your A1 to be fairly fast. That being said, it is one of the cheapest A1s to buy and run, so it’s certainly one to look out for if you want a relatively affordable premium hatchback.

The 1.6 TDI is available in all three trim levels; SE, Sport and S-Line however, for now, you can only get it with a 5 speed manual gearbox. Other engines in the range such as the 1.4TSI have the option of the S Tronic automatic gearbox.

It’s not the cheapest engine you can buy with the A1 but it isn’t that much of a jump in price from the cheapest unit available, the 1.2 TSI.