Overall rating:

Audi's A1 supermini gets a pair of rear doors for more practicality on the same footprint, while a new 1.4 TFSI engine adds TDI-rivalling economy and emissions.

Key Facts

Model tested: Audi A1 Sportback 1.4 TFSI 'Cylinder on Demand'
Pricing: To be confirmed
Engine: 1.4-litre turbocharged petrol with Cylinder on Demand technology
Transmission: six-speed manual, front-wheel drive
Body style: five-door hatchback
Rivals: MINI Cooper D, Audi A1 2.0 TDI, Citroen DS3
CO₂ emissions: 109g/km*
Combined economy: 60.1mpg*
Top speed: 132mph
0-62mph: 8.1 seconds
Power: 140hp at 4,500-6,000rpm
Torque: 250Nm at 1,500-4,000rpm
* provisional figures

In the Metal:

The A1 Sportback might be dimensionally dinky, but it retains Audi's signature style and quality. This new five-door - Sportback in Audi speak - adds practicality too, Audi's designers managing to incorporate the additional access without upsetting the car's visual appeal. It's a touch wider and taller (6mm each way), but the wheelbase remains the same as its three-door relative's.

You gain some headroom in the back, and access is easier, as is opening the front doors in tight spaces. The boot volume remains surprisingly generous and the interior is as smart as ever. Good looking, and high of quality, Audi reckons the Sportback will boost already good A1 sales even further, and we're not about to disagree.

Driving it:

It's no MINI to drive. There it's been said, and really the Audi A1 is no worse for not offering the immediate, sharp responses of the fashionable Brit. The steering doesn't deliver much in the way of information, but it's decently weighted and quick enough. The suspension rides tidily on smooth Spanish tarmac, and if our experiences of the three-door in the UK is anything to go by it should do the same here - so long as you avoid sports suspension. Do so and it's a refined, comfortable choice.

It's not a sporting car, even if the 1.4-litre engine's specification reads like it might be. It's turbocharged, though forced induction here is for economy, as is the new Cylinder on Demand technology. It shuts the engine down to two cylinders whenever possible. The transition is barely perceptible while driving, indeed, without the indicator on the trip computer telling you it's all but impossible to notice such is its smoothness. That enables this A1 to return a combined economy figure of 60.1mpg, and CO₂ emissions of just 109g/km - which compares favourably to its 2.0 TDI relative, which boasts similar performance. Not as efficient as the 1.6 TDI alternative (74.3mpg and 99g/km), admittedly, but a fine compromise between performance and economy.

What you get for your Money:

You pay an extra £560 over the equivalent three-door model and it's worth paying for the Sportback's additional versatility. It's a relatively expensive car to begin with, but great residual values help offset that and equipment levels are decent, and it's a premium badged car. It feels it too.

Worth Noting

The new Sportback five-door range joins the three-doors in showrooms from Spring 2012. This version and the 2.0 TDI model will follow shortly after, while Audi is still saying that the recently announced three-door 255hp A1 quattro will be offered in the UK. They're not saying how many of the 333 cars to be built will make it here, but left-hand drive and a hefty price tag is likely to put off all but the most committed Audi fans.

Summary

Audi's A1 has always impressed us thanks to its premium levels of build, comfort and refinement and the Sportback with its two extra doors only adds to that. The practicality afforded by the additional access does increase its appeal, and while space isn't vast in the back it's acceptable for small children or adults on short journeys.