231 HP in a small car, plus an all-wheel drive that can variably distribute its power - that sounds like a pure and honest guarantee of driving pleasure. Audi is now bringing exactly this mixture onto the road. The 84. Geneva International Motor Show will provide the stage for the small power plane.

AUDI S1 - creating legends

If you read through the euphoric articles on the presentation of the small power cube, the facts seem to be clear. With the S1, Audi presents a personable athlete that everyone has been waiting for.

Audi S1? Does that name ring?

For the younger ones among us: The Audi S1 ​​was a Group B rally vehicle in the 1980s. Categorical for these vehicles was the brutal performance, unimaginable traction and, in the case of the Audi, they provided some successes, many awesome rally moments and great gifts Racing drivers for a legendary creation of a special kind. The Audi PR department uses this story to build a bridge with the name S1, full-bodied in the PR release:

A big name returns ... the quattro permanent all-wheel drive and the extensively redesigned chassis confidently bring the power to the road. With their dynamism, the Audi S1 ​​and S1 Sportback are at the top of their class

Wait and see - that's the motto

If you watch this video, you will ask yourself - how clever was the idea to call the small and certainly sportiest A1 now S1?

The new S1 has nothing in common with the original animal of the wildest rally era. Sure, both have turbocharged engines and both have all-wheel drive, but the similarities stop at the name. I don't want to question the sporty orientation of the Sport-A1. But did it really have to be the “S1”?

The brilliant sound of the five-cylinder engine rings in my ears when you talk about S1. Not a corporate engine, even if it puts 1 hp more on the roll than in the sportiest Golf GTI, the GTI Performance.

Audi A1 - the sporty one

With 231 hp from its two-liter turbo four-cylinder, the new Audi S1 ​​is one of the particularly well-powered ones in its class. No, the other way around. He leads this class straight away. Even the Mini Cooper Works has to make do with less power. And without all-wheel drive. And even at top speed, the little Audi pulls over the track at 250 km / h and leaves everything else behind. It seems as if the technical data - the ingredients for Audi's smallest S sports car - were really well chosen. A powerful motor - with 370 Nm there is enough power available to push properly - plus a variable all-wheel drive.

In 5.8 seconds at 100 km / h

The new S1 is making good progress. Even if I register doubts about the choice of name. So that not only sound and smoke remain from the performance, the little wild man erases all four wheels towards the horizon. The S1 should do this in 5.8 seconds, the S1 Sportback in 5.9 seconds.

And even if a lot of power usually requires a lot of fuel - Audi gives you one NEDC fuel consumption from 7.0 (7.1) liters to 100 kilometers.

The Audi S1 ​​will not be available with the DSG gearbox, but only with a manual six-speed gearbox. This will surprise some people, but will make the hearts of sporty drivers beat faster. At Audi we talk about bringing power confidently to the road. To ensure that this is also possible when cornering and with full use of power, the Audi technicians have massively adjusted the chassis. In addition to new swivel bearings on the front axle and adjusted spring-damper settings (variable), the rear track has become narrower, a trick to stop the vehicle from understeering. Because with the thick four-cylinder turbo with a displacement of two liters, the S1 should weigh a lot of kilos on the front axle. The function of a mechanical differential lock is performed by the electronic stability control ESC, which initiates “wheel-selective torque control”. Real sports drivers might have preferred a mechanical differential lock. In conjunction with the multi-disc clutch for the all-wheel drive, the coordination may not be entirely without problems. Packing the well-known hang-on all-wheel drive and using the ESC as a virtual differential lock was probably much easier and, above all, cheaper to implement.

Nobody should be surprised that the optics were sharpened. On the positive side, the very hard pack - the large roof spoiler, for example, is only available if you choose the optional Quattro exterior package. LED taillights and xenon lights on the front, fat side skirts and 17 inch alloy wheels all get S1 in series.

The Audi S1 will be sold to Audi dealers in the second quarter and will start at 29.950 € for the Audi S1 and 30.800 € for the Audi S1 Sportback.

Quotes about the Audi S1

The response among car loggers is great and it is celebrated everywhere. So will Tom already “weak” after the announcement of the S1 and is happy to take a test drive.  Sebastian is thinking about the electronic differential lock. colleague Rild becomes the pants too tight.