What's all this about?
Audi is treating the A1 - and its five-door sibling, the A1 Sportback - to a bit of spit'n'polish for its mid-cycle facelift. But as more than 500,000 have been sold worldwide since it went on sale in 2010, there's little point in radically overhauling a successful product.
So what can we expect from the refreshed A1s?
Very mild exterior tweaks (amounting to a reshaped 'singleframe' grille, new bumpers, fresh standard alloy wheel designs and a wider choice of colours) team up with even milder interior updates; the cabin gets some extra chrome, a smattering of high gloss black trim and a few new upholstery options. The bigger news is under the bonnet.
And what do we find there?
New and improved engines, including the first three-cylinder offering from Audi - a 1.0-litre TFSI petrol unit. It will follow shortly after the rest of the motive power line-up in spring 2015 and delivers 95hp (up 6hp on the 1.2 TFSI engine that it replaces), at least 60mpg and 99g/km CO2.
Are there any four-cylinder units?
Yes, of course. The 1.4-litre TFSI comes with either 125hp (up from 122hp previously) as standard or 150hp with Cylinder-on-Demand technology. The former emits 115g/km CO2 while the latter's figure is 112g/km. The 1.6 TDI engine meanwhile drops from 99- to 92g/km, with economy increasing from 74.3- to 80.7mpg on the combined cycle. All engines will get either five- or six-speed manual gearboxes, with the seven-speed S tronic automatic optional for all variants.
Anything else to recap?
The S1 and S1 Sportback get equipment enhancements, there's more spec across the SE, Sport and S line trims and some improved option packs are available. Plus, the electromechanical steering has been retuned to improve feel.
How much, and when can I buy?
The A1 and A1 Sportback ranges are priced from £15,390 to £21,640 on-the-road, you can order from the end of this month and first deliveries will be in spring 2015.
Matt Robinson - 27 Nov 2014