Astonishingly great to drive; remarkable value; hallmark Audi ‘S’ style inside and out
Some tyre noise with 18-inch wheel/tyre combo
Back in the days when tattoos were a fashion ‘no-no’ and lycra was never worn in public, Audi’s phenomenal S1 Quattro dominated the World Rally Championship. Appropriate then for Audi to bring the S1 badge back as the all-new high-performance flagship of the A1 range.
It’s easy to forget the incredibly compact dimensions of those turbocharged, five-cylinder Audi S1 Quattro Group B rally cars – like rivals from Lancia and Ford, so fast they were banned from competition. Park the all-new Audi S1 Sportback alongside the original S1 rally car and you get the picture.
The all-new Audi S1 Sportback doesn’t have a five-cylinder engine, but the 170kW/370Nm turbocharged 2.0-litre TFSI engine with Quattro all-wheel-drive and a six-speed manual transmission in a compact hatchback weighing only 1340kgs certainly gets the job done. Lots of turbocharged power, all-wheel-drive, and light weight…the familiar Audi recipe, re-done just right for 2015.
Best of all, with a price tag of $49,900, the all-new S1 is the lowest-price Audi ‘S’ model so far and represents tremendous value. Audi Australia boss Andrew Doyle modestly predicts the S1 could bring some new customers to the Audi brand…more like they’ll be busting the doors down to get hold of this sharply priced, high-tech, high-performance German hatchback.
Audi S1 Sportback Overview
So we have the stylish Audi A1 transformed into the S1 Sportback. Wearing the ‘S’ badge makes it mandatory for the heralded Audi Quattro all-wheel-drive system with a hydraulic multi-plate clutch at the rear axle and electronic differential lock (the only AWD on offer in this segment by the way). Add-in the powerful 2.0 TFSI turbocharged petrol engine, sports suspension with a four-link rear-end, Audi Drive Select, 17-inch or 18-inch alloy wheels and we’re cookin’.
Don’t forget the usual Audi ‘S’ sports interior and body kit.
And we’re going to retail all of this for just $49,900? No, the Pricing Department will never green-light that!
Well guess what? It got approved.
The awesome, all-new Audi S1 Sportback is in dealerships now and www.carshowrom.com.au has given one a caning on-road and on a race circuit.
Audi S1 Sportback Engine
As we know, the 2.0 TFSI engine is all-new – only the capacity of 1.984-litres is shared with its predecessor. Much lighter at only 148kgs and with a larger turbocharger delivering charge up to 1.4-bar, the latest masterpiece from the Volkswagen Group employs interesting technology like and on-demand oil pump and an exhaust manifold integrated into the cylinder head.
All designed to maximise performance and efficiency.
So maximum power is 170kW at 6000rpm and peak torque of 370Nm is delivered from 1600-3000rpm.
Drive is via a six-speed manual transmission and Audi’s latest Quattro all-wheel-drive system.
All of that translates to zero to 100km/h in 5.9 seconds and combined-cycle fuel consumption of just 7.1l/100kms.
Audi S1 Sportback The Interior
The usual top-class Audi ‘S’ interior features in the S1 Sportback. There are the hallmark contours, superb instrumentation and the free-standing centre screen for the satellite navigation and audio.
The S1 adds the brilliant flat-bottom sports steering wheel, sports front seats and stainless steel pedals.
But if we’re buying we’re going for the ‘Quattro Sport Package’ which adds S Sport front seats in Nappa leather with a coloured back section (silver, yellow or red) with matching highlights.
Audio enthusiasts will probably closely consider the optional 465W/14-speaker BOSE system.
Audi S1 Sportback Exterior & Styling
The Audi A1 is a lovely design but the transformation in looks for the S1 variant is astonishing. However you look at it, the all-new Audi S1 Sportback oozes high-performance and European sophistication.
Up-front there’s a meaty bumper with new air intakes and a platinum grey version of the ‘Singleframe’ grille plus all-new lighting.
From the side you’ll notice the side skirts, ‘Quattro’ decals and aluminium-look exterior mirrors. If desired you can option the roof in a contrasting colour (silver, grey or black).
At the back you get the hallmark ‘S’ quad tailpipes, LED tail-lights and we’d recommend the optional ‘Quattro’ roof spoiler which is impressively complex in its aerodynamic shape – reminiscent of F1 or German Touring Car Championship racers.
Wheel choices are 17-inch alloys or sophisticated new ‘facet’ style alloy wheels 18-inches in diameter.
Audi S1 Sportback On The Road
The task for our Audi S1 Sportback was simple – a half day driving on some superb Tasmanian roads from Hobart down to Cygnet and back followed by a few hours at the Baskerville race circuit. Our car was fitted with the ‘Quattro’ exterior package which includes 18-inch alloys (Bridgestone rubber on our car but we noticed another with Pirellis) and the ‘Quattro’ interior package which includes those body-hugging S Sport front seats.
The Audi S1 Sportback runs a sports suspension set-up which lowers the ride height by 25mm compared to the standard A1. Fascinatingly, the high-performance halo model for the A1 also gains a unique four-link rear suspension with three wishbones per wheel, aluminium wheel carriers and separate shocks and springs…very race car like and typical of Audi this attention to detail (others would have just lowered the ride height, fitted firmer springs and dampers and been done with it).
You also get the push-button ‘Audi Drive Select’ system. Three settings – ‘Auto’, ‘Efficient’ and ‘Dynamic’- the latter bringing a noticeable shift to firmer, shaper operations.
We love all-wheel-drive high-performance hatchbacks and the all-new Audi S1 Sportback is one of the very best. Noticeable through the swoops and curves en-route to Cygnet - but naturally more so on the twisty Baskerville layout - was the involvement of the rear-end in cornering.
The Audi S1 Sportback is massively more engaging than even the best of the high-performance front-drivers. Pitching the potent Audi into the high-speed corners at Baskerville we noticed the crisper turn-in and we were able to feed in the full power much earlier and just let this brilliant chassis and all-wheel-drive system work its magic.
And in off-camber corners, where even the best front-drivers would default to understeer early in proceedings, the Audi S1 Sportback turned-in precisely every time with that ‘rear-steer’ courtesy of Quattro. Its brilliance gets us every time and underscores our enthusiasm for these types of cars.
You get the same sensation on the road but, yes, the Audi S1 Sportback in ‘Dynamic’ setting is undoubtedly firm in the ride department. As with vehicles wearing the AMG and M badges.
We did score Hobart’s peak-hour traffic both ways (the afternoon in pouring rain) but the stop-start crawl was easily conquered thanks to light operation of the Audi S1 Sportback’s clutch and six-speed manual transmission.
Audi S1 Sportback Issues
Coarse ship bitumen and meaty low-profile tyres are as compatible as Aussie fast bowlers and English opening batsmen. However the Audi A1 Sportback is quiet compared to some Germans.
Audi S1 Sportback Verdict
Trust Audi. The team at Ingolstadt understands high performance all-wheel-drives better than any other European brand and when it called on their buddies at the ‘S’ Division to weave some sporty magic with the A1, the result was always going to be spectacular and it is.
And tagging the newcomer with a $49,900 is a master-stroke from Audi Australia.
Audi S1 Sportback Review and First Drive 
As the entry vehicle for ‘S’ models, the S1 Sportback is pure genius. This compact hatchback will engage enthusiast drivers and have them hooked for life.
We’re hooked and we’ve driven lots of Audi ‘S’ and ‘RS’ models.
Audi S1 Sportback The Competition
Renault’s Clio RS200 Cup Trophy at $36,790 is something of a benchmark for compact hot hatches but the 147kW/240Nm turbocharged 1.6-litre engine is outpunched by Audi’s 2.0TFSI. The latest Renault Clio is certainly easy on the eye inside and out and the driving dynamics are super-sharp, however it falls short of the all-wheel-drive Audi S1 Sportback.
As for Mercedes-Benz and BMW, the Audi S1 Sportback gives them an uppercut with the German rivals not offering comparable 1 Series or A-Class models.
‘Benz has the rip-snorting, all-wheel-drive A 45 AMG with its 265kW/450Nm turbocharged 2.0-litre engine, but it’s really the next step up priced at $74,900.
For BMW, the rear-drive M135i delivers 235kW/450Nm from its turbocharged six-cylinder engine but it will set you back $64,900.
Thumbs-up: Astonishingly great to drive; remarkable value; hallmark Audi ‘S’ style inside and out
