Road - A1 for 5

The new five-door Sportback version of Audi’s premium subcompact A1 saloon goes on sale next month priced from £13,980 to £21,270, but first deliveries won’t be made till Spring 2012.

The extra two doors adds a £560 premium over the equivalent three door model and offers a full five-seat capability. And despite the similar dimensions, there’s slightly more head and shoulder room.

There will be a choice of four TFSI and TDI engines initially with a 1.2 TFSI petrol (86 PS, 160 Nm), a 1.4 TFSI petrol (122 PS, 200 Nm), an extremely tasty 1.4 TFSI twin-charge petrol (185 PS, 250 Nm) and a 1.6 TDI diesel (105 PS, 250 Nm) with a 2 litre TDI to follow in summer 2012 (143 PS, 320 Nm).

Standard features include alloy wheels, split/folding rear seat, front and rear electric windows, air conditioning, single CD audio system with MP3 compatibility, ESP with latest differential lock system

The Sport model additions include larger 16-inch wheels, sports suspension, sports seats, Bluetooth mobile phone preparation and a Driver’s Information System. Beyond that, the S line versions get an exclusive S line exterior treatment plus larger 17-inch alloy wheels, S line sports suspension and leather and cloth combination upholstery.

Of most interest to us will be the turbocharged and supercharged 1.4 TFSI 185 PS with its seven-speed S tronic twin-clutch gearbox. Audi says it will sprint from 0 to 62 mph in 7.0 seconds and top out at 141 mph. The same transmission will also be available as an option for the 122 PS, 1.4 TFSI.