Now, as they say in marketing-speak, let’s
walk up the price points to the Audi S1: our aspirational choice. It’s the
smallest Quattro you can buy, and – in name, if not true bloodline – recalls
the quick ’n’ grippy Eighties rally car that blew others away with its
four-wheel drive and big turbocharger. The idea is much the same here. The S1
might be dinky, but it makes room for a 2.0-litre turbo, a four-wheel-drive
system with all the necessary shafts and diffs, plus independent rear
suspension, for which Audi had to entirely rework the A1’s rear end in order
for the new struts and springs to fit between its slim hips.
The
VW Golf R's well-appointed cabin has a classy feel
That’s a lot of engineering for your
$41,560. And it’s not just making do with hand-me-downs from higher up the Audi
food chain. Certainly the S1 benefits from all the R&D of the senior stuff
– the RS4s and RS6s – but mostly it stands on its own feet. It’s a proper
junior quattro, and the most fun an Audi’s felt for ages. And where most other
S and RS cars use their 4WD to batter the road and flatter the driver, the A1’s
Haldex system is there to lend a hand when you need it, to boost confidence on
slippery surfaces. Proper manual ’box, too.
To the Golf R then, our dreamy hot hatch of
choice. Although at $53,360 for a three-door DSG without options it’s hardly a
lottery-win fantasy. In fact, that’s within range of the plain old GTI, which
for so long was the benchmark of this class. But after years of quietly working
on its reputation and building a bit of a cult following, the R is now the
go-to choice over its little brother.
The
S1’s front cabin is spacious enough
This year, we’ve driven it on frozen lakes,
on wintry roads, and on a scorching Spanish racetrack. Each time it demonstrated
something a bit different. Firstly, the ability to hold comedy slides and dish
out torque to the most appropriate wheel without pausing for thought. Secondly,
an impressive amount of grip and go – the official figures say the R will do
0–62mph in 4.9 seconds: we timed it to 60mph in 4.5. Thirdly, the sort of
character you might not expect from a straight-looking VW. In Race mode, the R
even does a good impression of a muffled V8, thanks to a sound symposer that
amplifies induction noise for the 2.0-litre, four-cylinder engine. An
impressive repertoire, eh?
Once
you’re inside, the Fiesta ST starts to shine as it has one of the nicest,
user-friendly cabins in its class
This is what makes it the finest hot hatch
on sale right now. One of the finest ever. What about the Focus RS and Astra
VXR and Megane RS, you say? As good as they were, they arguably turned the
hot-hatch game into a silly sport by firing too much power at the front wheels.
And their various scoops and wings probably took the superhero costumes a bit
too far. The Golf R puts an end to that with more grown-up styling, and proves
that – if we’re honest – 300bhp is best handled with a mild dose of 4WD.
You can take it to the garden centre too.
