The Audi TT continued its domination of the Coupe category by picking up the top award for the fifth consecutive year. The judges described the model as “better than it has ever been” thanks to it’s new turbocharged 2.0 TFSI engine. The panel also praised the TT’s handling, particularly its cornering: “The strong grip and body control means it changes direction like a housefly, while the responses from the steering, throttle and brakes are razor-sharp. This is a sports car with real finesse.” 

Having already been awarded the title of the Most Exciting Car of the Year in 2010 by What Car? the automotive bible has now awarded the Audi A1 with the Best Supermini title and overall Car of the Year at the What Car? 2011 Awards.

Steve Fowler, editor-in-chief of What Car?, explained: “The Audi A1 is a brilliant car: brilliantly targeted and brilliantly executed. More and more buyers are looking for smaller, more efficient cars, but with all the luxury trappings of much larger cars. That’s exactly what Audi has given them – a super-stylish, high quality small car that’s affordable and great fun, too.”

What Car? review

The definitive aid for any new car buyer – What Car? was full of praise, commenting: “Like the A5, the A7 is a striking car. Pictures fail to do it justice, […] but on the road it looks lithe and hides its size well. It also has some of the most intricate and delightful design touches yet on an Audi.”
The publication then went on to say: “An A7 driver gets to enjoy an all-new cabin design for Audi. As with the outside, it’s a delicious mix of curves and lines, but with some of the beautiful detailing Audi has become famous for. We especially like the new instrument binnacle with its silver-rimmed dials and crystal-clear electronic display, and the way buttons and knobs are illuminated in the dark – even the volume control has a thin red-lit ring around its edge.”

Auto Express review
The Audi A7’s design and functionality were particular highlights for journalists from Auto Express: “There can be no denying the A7 is striking. In fact it’s arguably Audi’s most beautiful car after the R8. Inside, the A7 is just as stunning. The dash, with its wraparound effect, the cool-looking instruments and the layout of all the buttons are all incredibly well executed.

“The A7 impresses in the back too. While it’s a strict four-seater, most adults will find it no less comfy than an A8. There’s enough space to stretch your legs out and, despite that sloping roofline, only those well over six foot will find head room a squeeze.”

Autocar review
Autocar journalists were particularly impressed by the Audi A7’s innovative technical details, in particular the drive train: “Both 3.0-litre diesel engines are new; lighter than the ones they replace and quiet and smooth, too. On this quattro model it’s mated to a twin-clutch seven-speed gearbox, which makes shifts cleanly and smoothly. It’s also quick”.

The insurance group ratings database has been updated on a monthly basis with new car insurance rating data since the 1980’s and includes all model, engines and variants of cars. The database is managed by the Motor Insurance Repair Research Centre in Thatcham on behalf of the ABI and Lloyds Syndicates. The data provided has been used to calculate average insurance group ratings for Audi models and their equivalents from BMW and Mercedes. In the vast majority of models, Audi produced considerably lower average ratings than its competitors, resulting in Audi owners paying lower insurance premiums in most cases.

Insurance group ratings are defined by a system which gives penalty points to every vehicle, based on a variety of factors, including the purchase price, the cost of key parts, and the ease, and cost, of repair following an independent crash test undertaken by the Research Council for Automobile Repairs (RCAR). So the higher the associated costs with these factors, the higher a cars penalty points score and subsequent insurance group rating.

In addition, security performance is a critical factor in determining a vehicles insurance group rating. Audi’s commitment to security can be demonstrated by four British Insurance Vehicle Security Awards (BIVSA) and three What Car? Magazine Security Awards for ‘Best Overall Manufacturer’. Audi has also won the top BIVSA award for ‘Best Overall Manufacturer’ for four consecutive years since 2006.

Award-winning security protection is achieved across the Audi range through features including Thatcham Category 1 alarm and immobiliser technology with interior ultrasonic protection and anti-tow sensors, Thatcham Category 4 locking wheel bolts and extensive covert and overt marked parts.

What Car? Was one of the first to comment through their website, saying: “The idea of a supermini wearing Audi badges clearly resonates with a lot of people.” They then went on to say: “the choice of infotainment and multi-media systems – some of them lifted directly from executive and luxury cars – will ensure the A1 fits the bill for people stepping out of bigger cars.” What Car? then concluded that: “We can almost guarantee it will steal a slice of the Mini’s market.”

The story that was run by Auto Express headlined: “The A1 is here…so who needs a MINI?” and then continued to encourage readers to: “Meet the exciting new small Audi that’s on the road to compact car glory!”

Car’s website felt that: “This is what promises to be one of the biggest debuts at the 2010 Geneva motor show: the new Audi A1 supermini.” They continued by pinpointing two of the A1’s biggest strengths: “Performance, emissions and handling are all boosted by the A1′s light weight, which tips the scales from 1045kg” and ”that charismatic sweeping pillar from windscreen to rump can be had in silver or three other colours (black, white, grey). You can even change them retrospectively to match London’s Fashion Week’s latest colour fad.” Perhaps Car’s most poignant commentary looked at the wider social climate in which the A1 will arrive: “Carbon dioxide is evil, motoring taxes high and social mores are making large cars less acceptable, so the thinking goes. Against this backdrop, there’s little to argue against the new Audi A1′s exquisite timing.”

Keep checking this blog for more news and exclusive images of the A1.

For the third consecutive year the Audi A8 won the luxury category, even though it was the oldest model in its class. This bodes well for the new A8 which is due to launch in April of this year.

The 2008 small 4×4 winner the Honda CRV, along with Volvo’s XC60, the BMW X3 and the Land Rover Freelnader were all over shadowed at this years Business Car Awards by the Audi Q5.

The R8 was named the 2009 sporting car of the year. This award has been dominated by Audi in the last few years with previous winners, the Audi TT and the Audi A5. You may think that the R8 would not be an obvious choice for Business Car Users, but there were more than 160 R8’s registered as fleet purchases in 2009. businesscar.co.uk highlighted that the R8 had a rock-solid residual value and head turning ability.

The Business Car Awards are designed to highlight the best in business, and are chosen by the people whose firms depend on using top-quality products, technology and services on a daily basis. The winners are selected by the readers of Business Car magazine, website and email newsletters.

The other nominees in this category were formidable, none more so than Audi’s latest executive car, the A5 Sportback, which has received rave reviews and excellent sales figures since its launch in October this year.

Jeremy Hicks,   Director of Audi UK, was delighted by the result: “If proof were needed that the A4 allroad is fit for purpose, not just as super-refined executive transport, but also as a tough opponent to more testing terrain and conditions, then an award made by Scottish motoring writers surely provides it. This is a great endorsement.”

Clarkson went on to describe the TT RS’ technical specification by saying “underneath, it has a 2.5-litre turbo engine, which, because it has five cylinders, harks back to the glory days of the original quattro. It’s a corker of an engine. Muscular and zingy in equal measure, it endows the car with a grown-up turn of speed while sipping the fuel. And on top of all this, there’s that marvellously offbeat, though surprisingly muted, five-cylinder backdrop.”

He continued to enthuse about the rest of the car, by saying that it was “either just as good or a bit better. The seats are wonderful, the ride is much more supple than you might imagine, the grip from the four-wheel-drive system is magnificent, the handling is a delight, the stereo is a joy and the boot is huge.”

For more information and pricing on the TT RS please visit www.monmotors.com

The S5 Sportback is the pinnacle of the new A5 Sportback model line, which has its official UK launch on 17 October 2009. The S5 Sportback is an elegant, five-door coupé which is propelled by a three-litre V6 with a mechanical compressor. The S5 Sportback sprints from 0 to 62mph in 5.4 seconds [provisional figure]; its top speed of 155mph is limited by an electronic governor. Its combined economy figure of 29.1mpg [provisional figure] is the best in this power-output category. Although UK prices are yet to be finalised you can contact us now to request a contract hire quote and we will get back to you as soon as prices become available.

Audi introduced the 3.0 TDI clean diesel engine in the Q7 SUV; now, the world’s cleanest diesel technology will also be available in the best-selling A4. A package of technologies provides innovative solutions for engines and the after-treatment of exhaust gas. The A4 3.0 TDI clean diesel quattro already complies with the emission limits of the EU’s Euro 6 standard, expected to become law in 2014. It is also very fuel-efficient, with the potential to cover up to 42.1mpg (Avant: 41.5mpg). And this TDI engine is indeed a powerful performer, needing only 6.2 seconds (Avant: 6.3 seconds) to go from zero to 62mph.

Downsizing is an element of Audi’s efficiency strategy to which it is absolutely committed. Another turbocharged petrol engine featuring lower displacement will soon introduced to the A3 model line. It unites maximum performance with minimum consumption. Designed from scratch, the new 1.2 TFSI generates 105PS from a displacement of 1,197 cm3. And as is typical of Audi, turbocharging and direct petrol injection, once again work in harmony to maximise efficiency. The three-door A3 1.2 TFSI will accelerate from 0 to 62mph in 11.1 seconds; the Sportback, in 11.3 seconds. Both versions reach a top speed of 118mph and can return up to 51.3mpg (combined cycle), while emitting just 127 grams of CO2 per kilometre. The new engine will initially be paired with front-wheel drive and a six-speed manual transmission.

For more information and pricing on these vehicles please visit www.monmotors.com

The A5 came top in Which? Car magazine’s survey of 10 of the best cars to own, scoring a brilliant 97%. Owners praised the A5 for its looks and performance. The survey was based on the responses of real car owners to questions about what cars were like to live with.

In What Car’s ‘Best Buys’, the TT 2.0 TFSI Coupe was given a perfect five-star rating in the coupe category. The TT was described as “once a great looker that had all the agility of a ballet dancer in wellies, but now it has twinkle toes to go with the supermodel style”. The A8 2.8 V6 FSI SE scored four stars in the luxury cars category, receiving high praise as “one of the greatest luxury limos you can buy – reason enough to get one, especially as a sub-£50,000 price will also help towards a low company car tax rating”.

For more information and pricing on these vehicles please visit www.monmotors.com

The track captures the many high notes emitted by the new sounding engine, which is at the forefront of technology in the best traditions of Vorsprung durch Technik and has a repertoire rich and deep through its rev range tone that recalls the World Championship Rally – winning Audi quattros of the Eighties. Titled “Die Fünf Zylinder” or “The five-cylinder, it was developed by the design and advertising agency Bartle Bogle Hegarty, connected with Audi UK since 1982 and its composition was the work of musician Neil Barnes, half of the electronic music legend, Leftfield, and Nic Rapaccioli, a DJ also involved with the group.

The track is available on such sites as YouTube for free.