Audi has priced its new A1 supermini. And it’ll pile pressure on the car it has its crosshairs on: the Mini Cooper.
 
A1 pricing will begin at an entirely reasonable £13,145, for which you’ll get an 85bhp 1.2 TFSI in SE trim with a five-speed manual gearbox. The closest rival from Mini is the One, which is a bit cheaper (£12,730) and a tad more powerful (94bhp), but the Audi’s badge appeal is arguably higher.
 
If a 1.2-litre petrol sounds puny, fear not: like every engine in the A1 range thus far, it utilises turbocharging and direct injection, a useful 118lb ft of torque the upshot.
 
There’s two other engine options – a 120bhp/148lb ft 1.4 TFSI petrol and a 104bhp/184lb ft 1.6 turbodiesel – as well as two more trim levels, Sport and range-topping S Line.

Read evo's thoughts on a hot Audi RS1
 
Sport endows the A1 with 16in alloys and sports suspension on top of interior and exterior trinkets, while S Line enlarges the wheels an inch, sharpens the suspension further and adds sportier exterior trim including a rear diffuser and Audi’s recognisable gloss black ‘mouth’.
 
A 1.2 Sport will set you back £14,945 while an S Line is £16,460. Add around £400 if you want to upgrade to the 1.4 TFSI or around £1000 for the 1.6 TDI. The diesel helps justify its price premium with an impressive 72mpg fuel economy figure.
 
A1 sales begin in the UK this Autumn, with just a three-door bodystyle for now. A five-door and a convertible are likely to follow, while our fingers are firmly crossed for hot S1 and RS1 variants. Read our thoughts and predictions on that here…

The A1's rivals from Mini and Abarth battle it out

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