The new five-door Audi A1 Sportback has been launched in South Africa, some 16 months after the three-door model was locally introduced. The newest member to the Audi range promises to extend the virtues of A1 3-door to a more practical and mature package.

Identical in length to the 3-door at 3 954 mm, the Audi A1 Sportback is the most compact 5-door model in Audi’s range. Apart from the two rear doors there is little to distinguish the new car from the sportier 3-door model. The front is dominated by the single-frame grille with the beveled upper corners. The bonnet and the rear hatch wrap around the body, the shoulder line encircles the entire car and the roof, with its integrated spoiler, transitions to a steeply sloped C-pillar. Lightweight materials and construction means that the A1 Sportback remains efficient and agile. As an example, the entry-level 1.2T FSI tips the scales at just 1 065 kilograms.

Inside, the roof of the Audi A1 Sportback extends farther back than in the three-door model, providing 11 mm more rear seat headroom. The various controls and driver instrumentation remains unchanged, as does the classic Audi workmanship. Rear seats are contoured and can be folded down to increase cargo capacity from 270- to 920-litres. As with the 3-door model, there are many customization options available for the A1 Sportback. Customers can choose to differentiate their cars with various body kits from quattro® GmbH or Audi Genuine Accessories. The roof can be painted in a contrast colour while sticker sets can add an interesting dimension.

The A1 Sportback is equipped with electrohydraulic rack-and-pinion power steering, as opposed to a solely hydraulic setup. The flow of oil is produced by an electric motor, which works more efficiently than a hydraulic system and is said to produce better steering feedback and response.

The Audi A1 Sportback is available with a choice of four engines: three TFSI and one TDI unit. Paired with a five-speed manual transmission, the 1.6 TDI puts out 77 kW and 250 Nm of torque. This is good enough for a 0 – 100 km/h sprint of 10.7 seconds, a top speed of 190 km/h and fuel consumption is quoted as 3.8 L/100km.

The smallest of the three petrol engines is the 1.2 TFSI that generates 63 kW and produces its peak torque of 160 Nm between 1 500 and 3 500 r/min. Coupled with a five-speed manual transmission, it accelerates the A1 Sportback from 0 – 100 km/h in 11.9 seconds on its way to a top speed of 180 km/h. It consumes 5.1 L/100km.

The 1.4 TFSI is available in two versions. The smaller of the two is a turbocharged 90 kW / 200 Nm version. Acceleration from 0 – 100 km/h is completed in 9.0 seconds and top speed is 203 km/h. Its average fuel consumption is just 5.4 L/100km and when equipped with Audi’s 7-speed S tronic transmission, this improves to 5.3 L/100km.

The most powerful engine in the series is the super- and turbocharged 1.4 TFSI. This engine is only available with an S tronic transmission and produces 136 kW and 250 Nm of torque. The sprint from zero to 100 km/h is done in 7.0 seconds and the top speed is 227 km/h. Average fuel consumption is 5.9 L/100km.

Pricing includes a 5-year/100 000km maintenance plan.