by Liz Turner
I hate the word ‘icon’. Like ‘awesome’ and ‘decimate’, its true meaning has vanished. But if we’re going to use its current meaning, then the Audi Quattro is an icon. Think Philip Glenister roaring around in Ashes to Ashes.
The original Quattro brought four-wheel drive to saloon cars, and behind its wheel, Michele Mouton became the first woman to win a World Championship Rally, and came within a whisker of snatching the World Rally Championship in 1982.
These days when you see that quattro badge (only the original Quattro is allowed a capital Q), you know this car is a little bit flash, it’s powerful and, of course, it has four-wheel drive to give more grip on the road.
It’s a surprise, then, to see the quattro badge on Audi ‘s baby, the A1. A limited edition of 333 A1 quattros were made in 2012, but now we’re given a production version.
This time it’s not an A1, either, but an S1, meaning it has had Audi’s S performance and trim treatment – the smallest car ever to do so.
Audi has a habit of introducing journalists to some splendid places, and this time we met the new S1 and S1 Sportback at Thyme at Southrop in Gloucestershire. It’s a restaurant in a beautifully converted historic barn, and as we tuck into salads made with fresh ingredients and amazing desserts, there’s an original Audi S1 rally car in the middle to remind us of the new car’s heritage.
A row of new S1s are lined up outside in white, red, or a vibrant sunny yellow. The features that most obviously mark an S1 out from its humbler cousins are Xenon lights with an LED daytime-running light strip at the front and LED rear lights, indicators and brakes lights at the rear, the platinum grille and shiny aluminium backs to the wing mirrors. The S-design wheels look pretty sporty, whether you choose the 17-inch or 18-inch, and at the rear, the exhaust’s twin exhaust pipes give away the potent engine, shared with the Golf GTI, under the hood. You can order a bigger spoiler if you wanted to be more obvious.
My first impression of this baby is that it’s cute, but fierce. Not like a yapping small dog pretending to be fierce, but like the tiger cubs at London zoo, hissing and spitting at their keepers: make no mistake, there’s no bluff; there’s power and bite.
The S1 engine is a super-efficient 2.0 litre, which punches out more power than a John Cooper Works Mini, Ford Fiesta ST3 or Citroen DS3 Racing. It sounds lovely, too, as it fires up.
Luxury in a tiny package…
The interior is very plush, as if Audi have taken one of their luxury models and fired a shrinking ray at it. The plastics are classy and there are plenty of tasteful polished or painted metal touches to brighten the cabin. A screen for the sat-nav and Connect services rise from the dashboard and sinks again when you switch off.
I tried two models, both Quattro, one with three doors, one with five, to make it easier for the rear two occupants. Both accelerate like a pinball when you release the spring, and the handling is great fun, helped by the four-wheel drive grip, but the steering didn’t make me feel as connected with the car as my Mini’s. The ride is rather firm, too, and felt more so in three door.
Reading the press kit, the amount of technology involved to keep you the right way up on the road and enjoying the corners is state of the art and beyond.
This car is a marvellous weekend toy, but not the most practical car for every day: the boot is a little smaller than the usual A1’s, having lost space to the four-wheel-drive system, and the rear can only seat two. It’s pretty economical though, delivering 40mpg.
And it’s cute!
Cars driven…
Audi S1 quattro 3dr £24,080 (as tested £29,545)
Engine 2.0 TFSI 231 PS, 6-speed manual
Max speed 155mph (limited)
0-60mph 5.8 seconds
40.4mpg (combined)
CO2 166g/km
Audi S1 Sportback Quattro £24,700 (as tested 33,480)
Engine 2.0 TFSI 231 PS 6-speed manual
Max speed 155 (limited)
0-62mph 5.9 seconds
39.8mpg (combined)
168g/km