Audi A1 Sportback released

While the A1 Sportback is identical in length and wheelbase to the 3-door A1, Audi has added 6mm to the Sportback’s height and width to improve interior space. The A1 Sportback also comes standard with four seats, but a fifth seat can be added at no extra cost. Boot space stands at 270 litres, expandable to 920 litres with the seats folded down.

Audi will offer a choice of three petrol and three diesel engines for the A1 Sportback in Europe, all of which are turbocharged. The base petrol engine is a 1.2-litre TFSI which produces 86bhp, while there are also two 1.4-litre TFSI units, churning out 122bhp and 185bhp. The most powerful A1 Sportback has a top speed of 227km/h, and can go from 0-100km/h in 7 seconds.

The diesel poweplants, meanwhile, are two 1.6-litre TDIs with 90bhp or 105bhp, and a 2.0-litre TDI with 143bhp that can accelerate from 0-100km/h in 8.5 seconds. Audi’s seven-speed S tronic dual clutch transmission is available as an option for the A1 Sportback 1.4 TFSI 122bhp and the A1 Sportback 1.6 TDI 90bhp, and as standard on the A1 Sportback 1.4 TFSI 185bhp.