Thoughts on the Audi S1

I have titled this post with the word "thoughts" because I have not actually driven the Audi S1, but that doesn't prevent me from reviewing it. Oh no.

Audi has been quite busy when it comes to releasing hot versions of it's cars. Namely the horsepower battle between the Audi RS3 and the Mercedes A45 AMG has been especially entertaining. With this evidence Audi definitely has a fixation on the HP figure. So it shouldn't come as any surprise that the A1's hot version, the S1, is the most powerful hatchback of this size. The engine bay has been crammed with a 2.0 litre 4-cylinder turbocharged power plant. It develops a mighty 231 horsepower which in true Audi S-car fashion is transferred to the road through Audi's Quattro four wheel drive system.

Audi S1 (2015) in Vegas yellow with Quattro exterior styling pack

 This sounds excellent, but it has caused some problems. Because no other A1 has Quattro 4-wheel drive the entire rear needed to be remodeled so that all the mechanical components required would fit. As a result the load space of the S1 is smaller than that of a normal A1. So if the key word you use when buying a car is "practical" then you're in the wrong market. Even though Audi has gone to great lengths to give the S1 a Quattro layout, I don't think it was altogether necessary. This is proven by the fact that in most drive modes the S1 is almost completely front wheel drive. At maximum, 50% of the power will be sent to the rear wheels and even this happens at rare occasions.

This is the 5-door Sportback version.

It even says S1 on the break calipers.

Then we come to my largest complaint about this car, you guessed it, the price. Here in my country the price is a breathtaking 45 000€ and thousand euros more for the 5-door Sportback model. If you want it to look different with Quattro styling cues and other small features the price will be around
50 000€. That is the same as a brand new VW Golf GTI, and it just isn't worth it. The S1's largest competitor the Mini Cooper John Cooper Works is 5000€ cheaper and is equally as powerful. And I can say this with certainty that the Mini is probably more fun and lively to drive than the Audi.

That's way too many exhaust pipes and just makes the car look like it's trying too hard.

The Audi S1 is certainly a hot piece of kit. But I feel it is too much. Not only the price but also the trick Quattro system. A hot hatchback should be all about fun and on the face of it the Audi S1 seems to take itself too seriously.

Test Drive: Audi S3 Sportback

Another hot hatchback? You're damn right it is. And I've been driving this one.

The Audi S3 has been with us now for 16 years and from that day on been at the top of the hot hatchback game. Remember, this was a time where the Golf GTI (the hot hatchback to beat) had a frankly miserable 150 HP and Audi came along with a 210 horsepower speed and agility machine.

Years pass and today the current Audi S3 has an amazing 300 HP from a 2.0 litre TFSI engine. I can report that that power flings the car forwards at quite a nice pace. Around five seconds is enough to achieve 100 km/h and if you keep your ankle fully extended it will keep on going to a limited top speed of 250 km/h. With these performance numbers the S3 is challenging some serious sports cars. As in the previous S3's it has the quattro four wheel drive system to keep everything under control. Add to that the optional Audi Magnetic Ride suspension and brakes that stop the car so fast that when it has stopped you immediately check if your eyeballs are still in your head. You are going to have a hard time crashing the thing.

Audi S3 Sportback in Monsoon Gray metallic with the traditional silver side mirrors.

And this feeling of safety is apparent all the time. Even when your going at full speed it feels very controlled, like a German health and safety person monitoring everything you do from the passenger seat. Even though the speed is impressive and the handling is very well balanced it lacks a sense of danger. But most depressingly it lacks a sense of real joy, which in my view is the essence of a hot hatch.

The three door version looks better. This looks a tad bloated.

To help you have the fun the S3 has Audi's drive select system. Here you can choose the driving mode and the characteristics of the car. You can choose between efficiency, comfort, auto and dynamic. Obviously I chose dynamic first which makes the car more racy in many different ways. Throttle response becomes quicker as does the gear changes but most importantly valves open in the exhaust to make it louder. The S-tronic gearbox also keeps on moderately high revs for that ready to race feel at all times. In this mode the car also lets out a sort of burp noise when changing gear.
The driving mode most people will choose is the comfort mode, which is rather nice. Some of the sportiness is evidently lost when engine quietens down. If you make the change from dynamic to comfort while driving the gears go up by one or two for efficiency. It becomes a normal hatchback.

Four exhaust pipes are not really necessary. But it does look good.

Finally the interior. It's one of the best interiors for a small car money can buy. It's stylish and of great quality. The buttons are laid out perfectly and the display is the correct size and easy to use. But for heavens sake don't use it while driving it's just as bad as texting while driving, just don't.
The seating is good too. Sporty seats but not too hard or cramped. And as it has five doors it's easier to jump in the back. I have to report that the leg room is poor, so I wouldn't recommend the backseat for adults.

It's a very nice place to be, no complaints here.

The new Audi S3 Sportback is a great car, which it should be since it costs with the S-tronic gearbox and some other optional extras over 60 000€.  Even though it packs an overwhelming amount of technology in a 1,500 kg package, in my opinion that's too much money for a small car. But then again it's a serious price for a serious car.

Surprising turn of events

I while back I wrote about Audis whole RS range. And it was a bit of a rant to be honest. But I've had a change of heart of one particular RS powerhouse.

The change of heart happened when I saw the Audi RS7. In short. It was impressive. The massive but sleek body had been lowered and given some extra muscle and flare. The car also sits on big 20' rims that will not go unnoticed. All of this of course is typical RS stuff. Let me explain why this is different. The A7 is the more sporty version of the A8, as the CLS is a more sporty version of the S-class. So it is obvious that the A7 would get the RS treatment. The fact that the RSQ5 could exist is just because the Audi engineers may some day have some spare time. The RS badge is meant to go on sporty cars to make them a bit more naughty.
To the specs. The RS7 has a twinturbo 4.0 litre V8 developing a neck strengthening 560 hp. And obviously it has the Quattro four-wheel drive system.

Look how the tables have turned. At first I thought that the A7 was only made to compete with the CLS. But what Audi has accidentally done is to make the sad faced A7 into an aggressive businessman's road attacker. And made the Audi S8 completely unnecessary.

I like the big quattro sign. 

Somehow Audi have managed to turn the tragic rear end into an aggressive one. 

The SUPERmini

Audi has been quite loony lately of the confidence boost that the R8's success has brought them. They've made S this and RS that and it doesn't seem to have an end.

This car though has to be the craziest of them all, the Audi A1 Quattro. By putting a 2 litre turbo pumping out a very super 256 hp in a car the size of a desk fan is absolutely diabolical. The A1 was created so that Audi could compete with the VW Polos and Ford Fiestas but only 5000€ more expensive. It was the richer choice in the supermini wing of cars. This made me hate it almost immediately. Why create a small car that isn't in the price bracket of 80% of the potential buyers? I guess it's because Audi can do that sort of thing. 

What they also can do is stick a powerful engine in it, give it 4-wheel drive and price buyers (here at least) 80 000€ for it.  Lets keep in mind that the big brother called the S3 that has 40 more hp and costs 20 000€ less than the A1 Quattro. Luckily Audi have only made 333 A1 Quattros, because there are not many more mad people in the world that would buy such an overpriced car. 

The A1 Quattro has obviously been made because Audi had some spare parts spread around the factory, which then lead to the question; Which car could we make less sensible? 

Only exclusivity would make me buy this car, and even then, who would notice?

The detailing is quite nice though.

And yes. One of the 333 A1 quattros was found in Monaco

That massive wing is the cars way to say; Hey! I'm special!

German hot hatches

German hot hatches are the best kind of hot hatches and now there are going to be two more. Last year Mercedes-Benz launched the new A-class and already then there was a rumor going around that the people at AMG would be going to get their hands on it. And they have. So welcome everyone to the cheapest, and in my oppinion the oddest, AMG Merc yet. The Mercedes-Benz A45 AMG.
And directly to the numbers beacuse that's the thing AMG always impresses with. The A45 has a 2.0-litre turbocharged engine developing an astounding 360 horesepower. All that power is going to all four wheels with Merc's 4matic system. And that's why i think it's an odd AMG. No massive V8. No wheel spinning action beacuse of the four wheel drive. It almost seems grown up, until you notice all the traditional AMG aerodymaic lunacy.

The other new german pocket rocket is the new Audi S3. It shares the same body as the new generation Audi A3 but obviously with some flared wheel arches and alot of S3 badges. As for the engine it's also 2.0-litre and turbocharged. But with 300 HP it's obviously a bit less powerful than the hottest small Audi the RS3 but let us not call it slow as it gets from 0-100 kph in a bit over 5 seconds. It also has Audi's Quattro four wheel drive system which is a given. And what about the styling? It hasn't changed much in appearence to the outgoing A3 so it still looks boring and conservitive as a german mid-ranged car should look.

So these two cars are quite evenly matched. The S3 is less expensive than the mad Mercedes but it still packs alot of punch. So? Which one do you want? The accountant or the accountants dog?

Mercedes-Benz A45 AMG

Audi S3