New Audi A1 Sportback

Published on 22 June, 2018

Baby Audi gets a mean new look and some impressive new kit

Overview

Audi have just introduced their new A1 Sportback and its edgy new design looks set to give BMW’s recently facelifted MINI Hatch a run for its money.

The taut lines, wide track and short overhangs give the baby of the Audi range a sporty new look and a meaner, more aggressive stance. They’re certainly not after the ‘cute’ tag with this one. They have even paid homage to the brand’s rally icon from 1984, the Sport quattro, with three flat slits below the edge of the hood. They sit on top of a wide, single frame grille which dominates the front end.

It’s lower and longer than before with an extra 65 litres of bootspace, and more legroom for backseat passengers. The interior will follow in the footsteps of the Q2 and offer plenty of personalisation options including a fully customisable dashboard and plenty of colour pops to allow you to put your own stamp on the cabin. It will be available only as a five door model.

The technology on board will be just as impressive as its larger siblings with plenty of ‘big car kit’ now on offer including Audi’s fantastic virtual cockpit (optional no doubt), a 10 inch colour touchscreen infotainment system (standard), and steering wheel mounted controls. Also available will be a host of driver assisting features including hybrid route guidance, parking assistance systems and pre-sense emergency braking with pedestrian recognition.

Engine line-up will be solely petrol-powered from the launch ranging from a 95hp turbo-charged 1.0l unit, or for some real tiny thrills, the 197hp 2.0l TFSI shared with the Volkswagen Polo GTI. The S1 should be along shortly after.

The new Audi A1 Sportback will come in a choice of ten different colours and will be available to order from the end of the year. More as we have it.

Sinead McCann

Sinéad is our resident car tester who has the unenviable (-ok, slightly enviable) task of reviewing all the latest new cars to hit the market. You can follow her on Twitter @smcani and on Instagram @whatshedrives