Here’s a detailed look at the paint palette available on the Audi A1 Sportback 5-seater supermini, which we hope will help you choose your perfect new car colour.
There are 10 main paint options for the Audi A1, comprising 2 solid paints, 6 metallic paints and 2 pearlescent paints. Also, every model of Audi’s smallest car can be specified with a 2-tone body-and-roof option, which is either a cost-extra or is instead standard equipment on 1 specification only. Besides the exterior hues, we also outline the various interior upholsteries that go with these body colours.
Paint Types
Solid = A simple body colour with no additives in the paint. Usually comprises 3 coats, these being a primer, then the paint, then a clear, protective lacquer. Solid paints aren’t particularly shiny and are normally the only standard/no-cost colours offered by manufacturers.
Metallic = Same application process as above but the paint now has powdered metal mixed into it, which reflects more light to give the car a shinier appearance. Metallic finishes usually cost more than solid paints.
Pearlescent/Mica = As above, only instead of metal, ceramic crystals (known as ‘mica’) are added to the paint. These not only reflect light but refract it too, giving one colour different appearances in different levels of light. They’re normally as expensive as or pricier than metallic paints.
Matte = Uses special ‘flattening’ agents in the paint/layering make-up to give the car a non-reflective appearance, and sometimes an unusual texture too. These are normally the most expensive and rarest of paint options, and are not offered on many new car models.
Exterior
Single-Tone Colour Schemes
Shell White
Type: Solid
Cost: No cost (default colour on all models except Black Edition)
Available On: All models except Black Edition
For 5 of the 6 available specifications of the Audi A1, the only no-cost paint and the one you’ll get if you don’t bother ticking an options box is this Shell White. It’s a very traditional crisp, stark solid white, which’ll need a fair bit of cleaning throughout the year. The only specification you cannot have Shell White on is the Black Edition, because Audi does not offer this solid paint with the 2-tone body option that is the standard spec on the Black Edition.
Turbo Blue
Type: Solid
Cost: £575 (on all models except Black Edition, where it’s the no-cost standard paint)
Available On: S line, Black Edition, S line Competition, Vorsprung
Arguably a signature colour for the A1 and a brilliant, vibrant shade of blue, Turbo is only available from S line specification and upwards, where it replaces Firmament Blue metallic (see below). Turbo Blue looks great all year round, whether clean or dirty, and it also works superbly with the 2-tone body/roof combinations Audi offers on its stylish supermini.
Firmament Blue
Type: Metallic
Cost: £575
Available On: Technik, Sport
‘Firmament’ is another word for the heavens or the distant sky, which basically means ‘outer space’. As the Foo Fighters once sang, all the deepest blues are black and Firmament is a deep, deep blue. It’s actually a really nice, classy shade that won’t need a massive amount of annual maintenance, so it’s perhaps something of a shame that it’s only offered on the lowest 2 levels of A1 specification, which are Technik and Sport.
Manhattan Grey
Type: Metallic
Cost: £575
Available On: Technik, Sport
Another colour reserved for the bottom 2 rungs of the A1 line-up, Manhattan Grey is very dark, almost a charcoal-like hue. This means it won’t require a lot of cleaning in order to look good. Although Manhattan as a body finish is replaced by Chronos Grey (see below) from S line upwards in the A1 range, it is 1 of the 2 colours used for the contrast roofs provided throughout the entire model selection.
Glacier White
Type: Metallic
Cost: £575
Available On: All models
The metallic alternative to no-cost Shell White, Glacier is the 1st of 5 colours that’s available on every grade of Audi A1, as well as being available as part of the 2-tone options. It’s a slightly duller shade of white than Shell, perhaps more of an off-white, but its metallic finish gives it an extra sheen. It’ll still need washing pretty much every weekend, mind, if you want it to look its best.
Mythos Black
Type: Metallic
Cost: £575
Available On: All models
Mythos is the only black available on the Audi A1 and it’s a nice, shiny shade of the colour. As we always caution with automotive blacks, don’t think they hide the dirt very well – in fact, in winter black shows up encrusted road salt more readily than any other paint, while even in the drier parts of summer it can frequently look dusty and grubby. Bird droppings also stand out a mile on black paint. Anyway, Mythos Black is, along with Manhattan Grey, 1 of the 2 roof colours for the contrasting 2-tone paintjobs.
Python Yellow
Type: Metallic
Cost: £575
Available On: All models
As the A1 is a car which Audi targets at a more youthful audience, then that’s why Python Yellow is offered here. This is a striking bright yellow that’s fairly new to the German company’s palette, and Python is also used on some high-performance models like the bigger S3 with 310hp. A smashing finish that nevertheless won’t be to all tastes, Python works particularly well with contrasting black detailing, and/or the 2-tone body-roof option.
Chronos Grey
Type: Metallic
Cost: £575
Available On: S line, Black Edition, S line Competition, Vorsprung
Like Turbo Blue, Chronos Grey is only available from S line models and upwards. It is a lighter grey than the Manhattan it replaces, being more of a midtone hue – kind of a ‘gunmetal’ finish. Chronos will therefore be 1 of the paint finishes offered on the A1 which requires the least amount of year-round maintenance in order to look sharp.
Arrow Grey
Type: Pearlescent
Cost: £575
Available On: All models
Audi has form with matt greys, as it used to provide a flat-effect paint on its high-speed RS models which was called Nardo Grey – and it was a finish in huge demand. Arrow Grey isn’t massively dissimilar to Nardo, then, and will hide the road muck of yearly usage very well. Arrow is 1 of 2 pearlescent paint finishes, but they still cost the same £575 as any of the metallics so there’s no premium required to have this glossier grey on your A1.
Misano Red
Type: Pearlescent
Cost: £575
Available On: All models
Another performance colour that has been seen on many an RS Audi, Misano Red is one of the brighter shades offered for the A1, alongside Turbo Blue and Python Yellow. Again, because it is so eye-catching, it really works well with the 2-tone options (see below) or on the sportier specifications like S line. It also won’t need a massive amount of regular cleaning, although if you want it to look as sparkly as it does in the showroom, a good wash every other weekend ought to do the trick.
2-Tone Colour Schemes
Technik And Sport
Type: Metallic-metallic or pearlescent-metallic 2-tone
Cost: £425
Available On: Technik, Sport
The 2-tone paint options are available across the board on the Audi A1, from Technik level right up to flagship Vorsprung. However, there are differences relating to which spec you go for, so we’ve listed them by trim grade here. Both Technik- and Sport-spec A1s have 12 colour choices to go at, based on 7 of the 8 body finishes available to them (these being all 5 metallics and the 2 pearlescents; the only colour omitted from the 2-tone option is Shell White, which is the case right across the A1 range). Therefore, all of Firmament Blue, Glacier White, Python Yellow, Arrow Grey and Misano Red can be had with either a Manhattan Grey or a Mythos Black roof for £425, while Manhattan Grey (body) can only be teamed to Mythos Black (roof) or vice versa for the same cost. Shown in this pic is a Sport model in Firmament Blue with a Manhattan Grey roof.
Black Edition
Type: Solid-metallic, metallic-metallic or pearlescent-metallic 2-tone
Cost: £0 (most colours standard fit or no-cost option), £575 (Turbo Blue with Manhattan Grey – see below)
Available On: Black Edition
The Black Edition, as its name suggests, offers the Mythos Black roof 2-tone scheme as standard; it’s basically an S line with this option thrown in, plus 18-inch Anthracite Black Gloss alloy wheels, a Black Styling Pack and privacy glass. It is the only grade of A1 where Shell White isn’t the standard colour, so Turbo Blue (the only other solid paint) becomes the default colour. Of the 7 finishes available for the body, all of Turbo Blue, Glacier White, Python Yellow, Arrow Grey and Misano Red come with a Mythos Black roof for no extra cost. Chronos Grey can also only be specified with a Mythos Black roof, while Mythos Black comes with just a Manhattan Grey roof, again for free, but all of the other colours already listed can also have the Manhattan Grey roof as a no-cost option – except for Turbo Blue, where you have to pay an additional £575 if you want a Manhattan Grey roof up top. Shown in this pic is a Black Edition in Python Yellow with a Mythos Black roof.
S Line And S Line Competition
Type: Solid-metallic, metallic-metallic or pearlescent-metallic 2-tone
Cost: £425
Available On: S line, S line Competition
For the S line and S line Competition models, the line-up of 2-tone colours is the same as for the Black Edition – or, put another way, the 3 combinations from Technik and Sport level which involve hues that are no longer available as single-tone colours (so 2 Firmament Blue-based combos and the Manhattan Grey body/Mythos Black roof mix) are replaced by 2 versions of Turbo Blue (with either a Mythos or Manhattan roof), and then Chronos Grey with a Mythos Black roof only; the cost of a 2-tone finish remains £425. The only difference here is that the S line Competition also gets 17-inch Platinum Grey alloys and door mirror caps, plus red brake callipers, to make it stand out even more. Shown in this pic is an S line Competition in Turbo Blue with a Manhattan Grey roof.
Vorsprung
Type: Solid-metallic, metallic-metallic or pearlescent-metallic 2-tone
Cost: £425
Available On: Vorsprung
This has access to exactly the same dozen 2-tone options as the S line and S line Competition cars, only the Vorsprung again gets different alloys (18-inch Matt Titanium finish) and a Black Styling Pack, a feature it shares with the Black Edition. Shown here is a Vorsprung in Misano Red with a Mythos Black roof.
Interior
Delta
Type: Cloth
Cost: No cost (standard interior)
Available On: Technik
Available With All Body Colours?: Yes
Moving to interiors, we again start with some overarching rules for all A1s, which are these: 1, every interior is mainly black in colour, with no light-finish options; and 2, you can’t upgrade a cabin finish without moving up to the relevant specification it is related to. This means that if you pick a basic Technik A1, you get standard-shaped seats in the front which are finished in black Delta cloth with black stitching, a black dash and black carpets, with a Titanium Grey headlining up top.
Novum
Type: Cloth
Cost: No cost (standard interior)
Available On: Sport
Available With All Body Colours?: Yes
Stepping up to Sport grade on the Audi A1 brings in Sport seats in the front, a feature retained by every other spec in the range above this point. In the Sport, they’re finished in Novum cloth in Granite Grey, with Steel Grey stitching, a black dash, black carpets and the Titanium Grey headlining. Novum cloth has 3D cubic shapes on it that are vaguely reminiscent of M.C. Escher’s artwork, in order to give a bit more visual flair than the plain Technik chairs.
Pulse And Leatherette
Type: Cloth and synthetic leather
Cost: No cost (standard interior)
Available On: S line, Black Edition, S line Competition
Available With All Body Colours?: Yes
As standard on the next 3 grades after Sport, the shapely bucket front seats and the rear bench are now finished in a dual cloth-and-fake-leather upholstery. The centre sections are the cloth, called Pulse, which has a simple pattern of small repeating lines on it and which has contrasting Fine Silver stitching. Again, the dashboard and carpets are black, but now so too is the headlining. There are also ‘S’ monograms embossed into the head restraints in these versions of the A1.
Frequency And Leatherette
Type: Alcantara and synthetic leather
Cost: £600 (all models, except Vorsprung where it’s the standard, no-cost interior)
Available On: S line, Black Edition, S line Competition, Vorsprung
Available With All Body Colours?: Yes
As a £600 cost-option alternative to the standard interior of the S line, Black Edition and S line Competition, A1 owners can choose to switch the Pulse cloth to sportier Frequency Alcantara, which is not only a plusher material but it also comes with a natty geometric diamond pattern. While this interior costs an extra £600 on the 3 aforementioned specifications, it is the standard cabin finish on the range-topping Vorsprung – you can’t have the Pulse cloth at all in this top-spec A1.
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