Is this the most punch you can get for your pocket?

This is Audi’s first proper pocket rocket.  Sure, there have been a few Audi S3 which represent Audi in the hot hatch sector, but not this small size car with a high-performance engine.

Based on the Audi A1 (Audi’s smallest car) the Audi S1 was thought up to create a consistent thread of S performance cars throughout the Audi hatch/sedan/Sportback range.  Also, to give some competition to other small pocket rockets, which Audi missed out on, like the MINI John Cooper Works.

The Audi S1 is available in 3-door or Sportback 5-door guise, using an engine that seems quite large for its size: a whole 2 litres of engine, plus a turbocharge, tucked in snugly under the small clamshell bonnet.  It had to be reigned in from the S3’s outputs, so the S1 produces a segment-best 170kW at 6000 on the rev counter combined with a full 370Nm dosage of torque from 1600-3000.  The new MINI John Cooper Works now also has a 2-litre (like the new Cooper S) and matches the Audi’s 170kW, but torque is 320Nm.  Claimed acceleration to 100 is 5.8 for the S1 3-door and 5.9 for the Sportback tested here, which can be achieved no doubt, without any struggle for grip, thanks to quattro.

The S1 also debuts as the only small compact car with 4-wheel traction.  On the road, the torque and quattro make this little hatch a lively get-up&go boy racer.  Just as well it has quattro all-wheel traction (clearly labeled on the rear doors in bold typeface) as a front-wheel drive would have struggled for tyres grip, as its MINI JCW rival does, needing traction control to cut back engine power.  The quattro also means, though, that the sporty driving style of getting a bit of tyre-screeching wheelspin off the line (which is what pocket rocket drivers enjoy, which makes it sound powerful and gets some attention) is not part of the S1 street-cred.  Getting off the line without a fuss will let you and your S1 see off many others, now gaining street-cred. 

The S1 is helped along by a slick short-throw 6-speed manual, which is the only gearbox available for Audi S1 worldwide (unusually for this company which made famous the DSG/S-tronic dual-clutch automated gearbox).  The manual with its short gear lever only adds to the driver’s-car feel, and the gear ratios are stacked closely for that semi-racecar feel.  Considering the all-new John Cooper Works will be offered in manual or auto, and cars like the Clio RS are offered in automatic, the S1 sticks to stick-shift, so may lose some sales, not least because the S3 bigger brothers are manual or S-tronic auto for the 3-door, but S-tronic only for S3 Sportback, S3 sedan and S3 cabriolet.

This is one Audi S model which does not have the trademark Audi S/RS matt silver mirror housings, though counters with silver diagonal air inlets in the aggressive front bumper for a get-out-my-way presence.

The 4 exhaust outlets are previously unseen on a car this size, and make for clear performance communication, both visually and aurally.  The engine also has a gravelly sporty sound, which entices its driver to enjoy the throttle input and mid-range acceleration, to the delight of driver, passengers and pedestrians.  Audi claims figures of 7.1 l/100 km and just 166 grams emitted from those 4 exhausts… but that is probably if you give it to a slow driver.  Expect closer to a 10 average (in testing we got 10.3 l/100km) which, for this performance, is acceptable.

The Audi A1 was launched to the SA market in January 2011, and in May 2011 a hotter 136kW S-line model was added to form a sporty range-topper… but it looked like a normal A1 with the S-line body kit, and lacked some proper sporty looks and personality so crucial for desire and success in this car segment.  Also, the non-descript name meant people didn’t have a name to aspire to – A1 S-line hardly has any exciting connotation to it (think John Cooper Works or S3).

The Audi S1 was added to the A1 line-up in November 2014, arriving fresh with the new-look headlights and taillights which the A1 range received as facelift in May 2015.  Smart-looking lines in the standard-equipped xenon headlights with LED rod daytime and park lights complimented by horizontally-structured LED taillights create a distinctive high-tech look.

The Sepang Blue pearl paint test car also came with the optional contrast roof colour in Daytona Grey metallic, which is part of showing how one can customise one’s S1.  Tyres of 215/40 R17 in a 5 parallel-spoke are standard, though the test car was fitted with striking-looking 5-arm S-design wheels and 225/35 R18 tyres.

Instead of the usual Alcantara-leather combination or black leather seats in most  Audi S/RS cars, the S1 keeps it simple with a coarse black cloth decorated and sportified by 3 red parallel lines inset lengthwise, and black leather seat bolsters.  Red stitches feature strongly on the seat and headrest outlines, handbrake, gear lever boot and steering wheel.  The gear knob has a red ring, while silver-and-red S1 badges are applied to steering wheel and instrument cluster.  Nappa leather is an option.

The fit, finish and materials, and pleasant controls like the precision-click-click climate control adjustments give a sense of attention to the finest detail, endowing even this baby Audi with a high-quality solid feel… which cannot be said of all other compact cars.  The centre section, housing controls, is angled slightly towards the driver, creating a special feeling for the driver, along with the sporty flat-bottom steering wheel.

The Audi S1 3-door is priced at R 452 500, while the Sportback wears a round R 460 000 price tag.  The new MINI John Cooper Works (3-door only, for now) is priced at R 422 000 for the manual.  These 2 brands have the only premium pocket rockets, outpricing, outclassing and outperforming others like Renault Clio RS, Peugeot 208 GTi, Ford Fiesta ST and Volkswagen Polo GTI.

Strangely some expected-to-be-standard items like cruise control is an optional extra at R 3 520, auto-dim interior mirror is R 3 080 extra, and park distance control rear or front+rear (no camera or park assist here) costs more.  The navigation pop-up screen comes as part of the MMI 3G Plus Navigation grouped option, costing R 24 700.

This is a compact car, remember, so not ideal for family use, though suited to a young guy/girl or couple with maybe toddlers… but getting 5 adults on board is a tight fit.

The Audi S1 is a lively drive, making for easy entertainment.  The 2-litre turbo engine is punchy, and the compact dimensions and sense of urgency makes this a bundle of joy. 

It might be dear on the pocket, but, oh dear, is it a little rocket.