Big shoes

The new Audi S1 Sportback - big shoes, confidently filled.

The name evokes the halcyon days of world rallying, when the competition trembled and the crowds were thrilled by the spectacle and the performance of the mighty Audi S1 quattro and the talents of those behind the wheel. Now, the new Audi S1 Sportback brings the famous name back in a performance car for the modern era.

Story by James McRory

Photography Chris Benny

10 October, 2014

Once upon a time, in the world’s most fiercely contested and celebrated motorsport arena, there was a car that became legend and swept all others before it. Years later, the very mention of its name would evoke images of inspired drives through forests and deserts, with heroes at the wheel of these flying (literally, on many occasions) automotive beasts.

In fact, the time was the 1980s and the boiling cauldron of world motorsport was the famous Group B World Rally Championship – and the car was of course, the Audi S1 quattro.

Here was a car that couldn’t be matched and quite literally left all others in its wake. The Audi S1 quattro was simply without peer and stamped its authority all over the Group B World Rally Championship class in some of the most memorable performances in world motorsport.

To introduce a new model then, wearing that same proud moniker was no small thing, but the new Audi S1 Sportback, released in Australia in 2014 more than lives up to its family name. Just as was the case with its famous forebears, the new S1 is a true performance specialist. It is literally without competition in its class, with a combination of 170kW of power and 370Nm of torque produced by its 2.0-TFSI engine, giving it thrilling performance credentials of zero to 100km/h in just 5.9 seconds. Mated to a six-speed manual transmission and the unrivalled road holding of quattro permanent all-wheel drive, the combination is irresistible.

The performance/handling package continues with sports tuned suspension that includes a four-link rear suspension arrangement and adjustable dampers that are controlled via the Audi Drive Select. Naturally, adequate stopping power is an essential part of a serious performance car package, and the S1 Sportback’s larger brakes with electronic brake-force distribution (EBD) on standard 17-inch wheels are more than up to the task, even when put to the acid test of hard driving on the race track.

The combination is every inch a driver’s car, and yet the level of standard equipment is equally as impressive as the performance and very much in keeping with a vehicle in the premium segment.

It is literally without competition in its class, with a combination of 170kW of power and 370Nm of torque produced by its 2.0-TFSI engine

Beautifully balanced and composed at high speed, the S1 responds instantly to steering and throttle inputs

Xenon plus headlights and LED daytime lights are standard, as is the MMI Navigation plus with 20GB of hard drive and twin SDHC card slots. Light and rain sensors allows you to keep your hands on the multi-function wheel when the sun goes down and the heavens open, sport seats embossed with the S1 logo hold you snug in the beautifully finished cabin.

Boasting an outstanding array of standard equipment, the S1 Sportback is every inch the premium conveyance around town, but it is when the open road, or better still, the race track beckons that the S1 Sportback absolutely shines.

Beautifully balanced and composed at high speed, the S1 responds instantly to steering and throttle inputs, providing plenty of feedback to the driver of what’s going between the tyres and the blacktop. Unflappable is a word that springs to mind, the composure of the S1 providing the driver with the reassurance to brake later and accelerate earlier out of corners, with nary a hint of bodyroll. The acceleration is impressive and the superb exhaust note provides the perfect accompaniment as you work through the gears, the gear lever ‘snicking’ confidently into place with each fast change.

Braking too is perfectly matched to the S1’s performance credentials, continually pulling it down from high speeds at the track with no sign of fade even after continuous hard applications lap after lap. Again, ‘unflappable’ comes to mind – even a deliberate lift off the accelerator mid-corner, easily corrected without the S1 Sportback missing a beat. This is serious fun!

The Audi S1 Sportback is impressive by any standard, wherever it’s driven. Even with the optional quattro exterior package the styling is subtle, but it’s still a car that catches the eye of passersby. To be able to drive sedately around the city in absolute comfort – then drive to a race track and have the time of your life – and then drive sedately home again, marks the S1 Sportback as something special. A new performance legend is born.

Big shoes

The new Audi S1 Sportback - big shoes, confidently filled.

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