Its got that special badge that so many people aspire to own & see as a status symbol.

Does it have to be a VAG oroduct?

We have a 3 year old (bought new) Fabia TSi with the 110 PS engine (think Audi call it "30") and SE-L trim. Its been 100% fault free so far and is a joy to drive, not even considering changing it. Its on 215 45 16 tyres but the ride quality is still fine despite my initial worries before a test drive.

We had 3 years pervious tried a Polo TSi with the 1.2 TSi engine in 90 PS spec and found it totally lacking in most respects.

Not looked at the A1.

Looked on the Carfile.net website (the broker we use) and the price for a 95 PS Fabia SE-L is £13800 after discounts and contributions with a £99 service pack offer. Their price for a A1 TSi 25 Teknik is about £17500 so pretty close to your price.

Its your choice at the end of the day, is a badge worth almost £4000?

But remember that a new Fabia is due later this year, deals on the existing car will without doubt get better.

I do not in any way hide my dislike of these 'badge engineered' premium versions. But the current A1, IMO, is a rather dowdy looking thing. It may well be better (in terms of ride, handling and use of space) than its predecessor, but the older car looked more premium and distinctive (inside and out). So there is absolutely no way I'd have an A1 over a cheaper and nicer looking alternative using the same running gear.

And certainly going by what I read in the motoring press, the interior quality of the current A1 (again, unlike the earlier version) is nothing to write home about (though this does seem to also be affecting current VW's too).

At the end of the day, the heart wants what the heart wants!. So it is really up to you and your partner. But you can take some comfort in the fact that none of the four are 'bad' cars.

They have an awful lot in common mechanically, but there are some important differences. Firstly the Audi will have more development i.e. better soundproofing, a slightly more sophisticated suspension that is more comfortable and quieter (assuming same tyres) and I think it will have some better quality components. I'm thinking here in particular about the disc brakes. Skoda original disc brakes, particularly rear unvented types are of a disgraceful quality, often rust away to the point of MOT failure within 3 years if you are a low mileage driver. I suspect Skoda, VW, SEAT and Audi source such items locally to where the cars are built or have different sourcing policies.

Don't agree with that at all.

All the VAG group cars are built on one of several platforms and components are common to all variants. The A1 may have better soundproofing but components like brakes etc will all be sourced forom the same supplier regardless of brand. If you look at any part on any VAG car it will have all the groups names on them.

One example, the rear discs on our Fabia (the 110 PS version has them, lower power versions have drums) are perfect. It a low mileage car (about 16,000) and its just turned 3 years and passed its MOT with no mention of the rubbish quality rear discs.

Can I ask, do you actually drive a VAG group car and if so what is it? have you ever owned a Skoda?

Thing is, your partner wants the Audi. ;-) Unless four grand or so is a life changing amount to you ( doesn't sound like it is ) then for a bit of domestic harmony or even possible delight, it's maybe the line of least resistance. My wife finally decided that her 13 year old Qashqai had done enough a couple of months ago. ( utterly reliable if entirely uninteresting thing though it was ) She set her cap at a Jeep Renegade, not my first or even third choice, but, hey, it wasn't for me. So anyway, that's what she has now, and apparently I am the best husband and nicest man in the world at the moment for buying it for her. This is not a scenario I was going to pass up lightly, no matter how temporary that situation may be. ;-)

An over complex, overweight, uneconomical, lumpy riding SUV Volvo sits on my drive today for the above reason instead of a much nicer driving Mazda 6 Estate or similar.

If you think that VAG use a single supplier for pads and discs, that's fine. If you think a VAG official pad or disc supplier source their products from a single factory, that's also fine. Who am I to argue Skidpan?

This reminds me of a chap who wrote to Honest John about a new Audi he had just bought, think it was an A3 1.4 TSi. He was shocked when he found out that the engine in the car was actually made by Skoda, he wanted a superior product having bought an Audi and was not happy having some Skoda content. He asked about the possibility of taking Audi to court since he believed it would affect his long term enjoyment of the car.

Honest John told him that all the VAG companies share many components, each brand has its own body styling and interior styling with the oily bits coming from a joint manufacturing/supply chain.

But I suppose some will never believe what has been happening for years.

Are you aware that all the EV drive componets and batteries are made by Skoda for the whole VAG group at a new plant in the Czech Republic?

Same with Hyundai/Kia. Look under the beonnet of either brand and parts will have both companies Logo on them and with the likes of the Ceed and i30 being the same car under the skin it would be commercial suicide to have each brand manufacturing and buying their own components.

But VAG will not rely on a single manufacturer for parts like brakes, like tyres they will buy form several manufacturers. But it will not be each individual manufacturing plant that does the buying.