Audi's A1 S line Style Edition makes the MINI look cheap

On the face of it, Audi’s newest A1 variant – the S line Style Edition – looks prohibitively expensive, starting at £18,125 for the 85bhp 1.2 TFSI with a six-speed manual gearbox.

The 98bhp MINI One starts from £13,460, albeit one without all the fancy design and technology upgrades packed into Audi’s pocket special edition.

According to Audi, their newest A1 Edition includes £2,200 worth of upgrades, which still fails to account for the near-£5,000 price difference. The Style Editions command a premium of £950 above the equivalent S line model with prices ranging from £18,125 to £20,605 for the 120bhp 1.4 TFSI with a seven-speed S tronic gearbox. To put that in perspective, the 120bhp MINI Cooper comes in at £16,125 when fitted with a six-speed Steptronic auto.

The A1 Style Edition is positioned between S line and Black Edition models – yes, there’s an even more expensive A1 – which makes you wonder who’s buying them. Audi’s impressive new A3 starts from £18,900 for the 104bhp 1.2 TFSI with an equivalent 1.4 TFSI version priced at £20,200 – or in other words, £400 less than the smaller (less accomplished) A1.

The Style Edition package includes metallic or pearl effect paint in a choice of four colours – Glacier White, Phantom Black, Ice Silver or Misano Red. 17-inch ‘five V-spoke’ alloy wheels with a bi-colour finish replace those on the standard S Line, while all models come with Xenon headlamps with LED daytime running lights and LED rear lights. A bi-colour ‘five-arm’ design is also available as a no-cost option.

A Black styling package is fitted which features a gloss black finish for the contrasting roof on three-door versions, and a fully gloss black contrasting roof on Sportback models. The gloss black theme continues to the exterior door mirror housings, while an additional black styling package adds a gloss finish to the single frame front grille surround and a matt black finish for the grille, fog light surrounds and number plate holder.

Inside you’ll find the part-leather sports seats and three-spoke sports steering wheel of the S line, plus more gloss black trim (for the striking propeller-style air vents) if Ice Silver or Phantom Black is chosen for the exterior finish.