Audi facelifts its A1 and A1 Sportback.
[Not a valid template]Try to contain your shock at the radical changes Audi has made to the A1 and A1 Sportback for its mid-life facelift. OK, we jest – there are hardly any visual revisions, which suggests that both Audi and its customers are still pretty pleased with the way the A1 looks, four years after it first appeared. Some 500,000 sales in that time would confirm that.
There are a few little fiddles to the look of the A1 and the five-door A1 Sportback however, with revised bumper front and rear, funked-up headlights and taillights and restyled door sills. The changes at 20mm to the length of the car.
Engineering wise, the A1 has a new electromechanical power steering set up that reduces assistance the faster you go and can also be configured via the drive select system, which can also tweak the shock absorber settings.
The engines have had an overhaul too, depending on what market you’re in. Two new three-cylinder units have been added to the roster, with the 1-litre petrol option – the first such engine in Audi‘s history – pushing out 95bhp, while a 1.4-litre diesel makes 90bhp. Not much power, but if economy is your thing then look happy – the diesel will consume just 3.4 litres of fuel for every 100km driven.
If you like more fizz however, there will also be 123bhp and 148bhp versions of a 1.4-litre petrol engine, and the S1 output remains unchanged at 231bhp.
