Potential new owner advice :)

[Steve-x]

Hi guys,

Currently an Abarth fan, we’ve got two at the minute, the wife has a 145 and I have an esseesse that has had a few tweaks. I love the little car, sounds great and bags of fun and character, but mine is the s3 without the media system, xenons and other extras the wifes has. I went to look at a new comp and loved it apart from the super hard sabelt seats! Anyhow, a friend told me to try an S1 if I could find one. By chance my local Audi dealer had a 2015 S1 with only 9k on the clock so i did.

First impression is that it looks smart, nice chunky little beast up close with the quad pipes, interior is nice, a bit better than the abarth but much more basic than my mercedes. More boot space, a bit more leg room in the rear. I didn’t test the nav or media system / audio, but it’s the stock system, not the bose, not sure how decent this is? Seats seemed supportive but not too firm.

The first thing that felt odd though was the gearbox and clutch, very light clutch pedal with little feel and the gear stick feels a bit floppy with the gear change a little Notchy although it did get smoother once warm, I wanted to know if this is a characteristic of the S1 or if this is abnormal? The clutch had plenty of bite.

I was disappointed with the lack of sound, for a sports model the exhaust was totally silent, I assume there are sports alternatives available but how do they sound? I want to have a sporty sound but no drone at cruise (the abarth does this great, straight through from the cat sounds superb but doesn’t drone whatsoever, very quiet on a run).

I’ve heard rumours that the clutch and driveshafts are weak on facebook groups, is there truth to this?

Regarding performance it was nippy but not as dramatic as the abarth, the esseesse currently has 240ft lb at 2.5k rpm that hits hard for a 1000kg car, wheras the audi felt like it needed winding up, is something like a revo state 1 safe, and does it improve the torque?

After a quick run and I parked it up there was almost a rattle ticking sound from underneath near the cat? It wasn’t like a hot manifold when you turn the car off, the car was still ticking over, again is this usual?

It had a can of castrol oil in the boot, 1ltr but u opened, seemed a bit weird unless you expect a car to use oil? Someone has also told me to be careful as early tfsi engines have oil control ring issues, I had a nightmare with my mr2 turbo roadster project with oil consumption issues due to sludged up control rings - really don’t fancy that again.

My reasons for considering the audi is that I am switching jobs in a couple of months, and will likely go from working at home to traveling a few days a week. I feel the audi is a more grown up car, not as raw or as fun as the abarth but may be a better choice for munching miles, I’d like to make it fun as well though if I could.

Are there any other things I should look out for or any opinions on long term s1 ownership?

The dealer said it was audi ‘approved used’ which means it will come with a 12 month warranty which is extendable for up to three years. But I assume if the engine had any major issues at only 9k miles there would be some form of goodwill from audi?

Thanks and sorry for rambling, I’m out atm and typing on the phone so hope all this made sense

Steve

 

[Gio G]

Hi Steve,

I own both an Abarth 595 Turismo and an S1.. Have owned our Abarth for around 2 years, which my son now drives. Had the S1 since December. Not sure whether it was the car itself you drove, however the S1 is well built and put together, you do not get a feeling of speed like the Abarth, however it is quick! Also the S1 can come with some serious spec, which makes it a perfect hot hatch and daily driver.. In my opinion they are not really comparable, as the S1 is just more premium. Find a car with decent spec, it is rather nice..

The 595 Abarth is like a toy, with it's high sitting position, thick steering wheel, which is also at a weird angle, scratchy plastics and a terrible clutch pedal. After 1 year of ownership I was quite bored of it, hence my son taking it over.. The S1 is streets ahead, hence why a decent spec S1 was circa nearly £25-30k brand new. Performance wise, even with the 595 mapped, the S1 detroys it.. S1 is the sort of car you can really get up it on b-roads, never really clicked with the Abarth.. If you are serious, I would haggle for a 2 year warranty. This is what I got on mine, also make sure all important servicing is done, including the Haldex service etc.... Great fun little cars and still not too many on the roads..

G

 

[VeeFource]

I've not driven an Abarth so can't compare directly but have driven quite a few different cars over the years so can share some general thoughts.

I'd say the gearshift is probably the weakest part of the S1 driving experience in that it is quite light and sloppy. However if you're delicate with it then it's always quite obliging in going into gear unlike some tighter Japanese gearboxes which are temperamental when cold.

The clutch is also quite light but one upside to the fact the clutches tend to go sooner than later is that I hear an organic SACHS replacement is firmer. Mine is still on the original clutch, is low mileage and hasn't been remapped so hopefully if will hold out, but being a secondhand purchase it's a roll of the dice. I believe S1s had stronger clutches fitted from 2017 onwards but couldn't tell you exactly when or which engine numbers that relates to.

The rear CV joints don't hold up to remaps either apparently but I think they're ok if the engine is left stock (anyone know any different?). Other than that and iffy cruise control programming (something I'm still trying to get to the bottom of with Audi as to whether there's a cure or not) they're pretty robust as far as I understand.

Did you have the car in dynamic mode when you test drove it? It sounds great to me when this is engaged but is pretty quiet otherwise.

On the whole it seems the most well rounded package as a really fun daily I've ever come across and I hope to keep mine a long time.

 

[lfcrule1972]

Hi

I've owned my S1 for three years now and it's hands down the best car I've ever owned. If buying look for the both the Quattro Interior ( you'll wnat supersport seats, flat bottom steering wheel, aluminium gear knob - if you can get Bose as well that's a plus) and Quattro Exterior packs (18" Coke bottle wheels, red elements in the front lights, better spoiler etc).

I never had any issues with the 500 Abarths, even before I had the APR stage 1 map on mine (details are in my footer if interested). The S1 is v assured on the road and whilst it might be less wild that than the Fiat it looks much better and appears to be built better too.

For more noise you can remove the two centre silencers (any sports exhaust place will do this). You can check out Youtube video's of owners who've done this. I haven't (yet) as I prefer the performance, which shocks passengers and other car owners , to the noise. Audi also have a valve system on these cars - I deactivated mine, which allows the valves to stay open fully all the time, but for noise you really need to remove both silencers.

I set aside the money for the the Sachs Organic clutch when I had the map done and this was replaced two weeks later. This is a firmer clutch than OEM and can take the additional power and torque. I've never seen any proof that Audi fitted better clutches to later S1's, as far as I know this is just a rumour. As for driveshafts, I run mine with the electronic aids fully off (hold down the button for five seconds and it will light up as off) and have not (touch wood) broken a shaft yet.

 

[Gio G]

Hi

I've owned my S1 for three years now and it's hands down the best car I've ever owned. If buying look for the both the Quattro Interior ( you'll wnat supersport seats, flat bottom steering wheel, aluminium gear knob - if you can get Bose as well that's a plus) and Quattro Exterior packs (18" Coke bottle wheels, red elements in the front lights, better spoiler etc).

I never had any issues with the 500 Abarths, even before I had the APR stage 1 map on mine (details are in my footer if interested). The S1 is v assured on the road and whilst it might be less wild that than the Fiat it looks much better and appears to be built better too.

For more noise you can remove the two centre silencers (any sports exhaust place will do this). You can check out Youtube video's of owners who've done this. I haven't (yet) as I prefer the performance, which shocks passengers and other car owners , to the noise. Audi also have a valve system on these cars - I deactivated mine, which allows the valves to stay open fully all the time, but for noise you really need to remove both silencers.

I set aside the money for the the Sachs Organic clutch when I had the map done and this was replaced two weeks later. This is a firmer clutch than OEM and can take the additional power and torque. I've never seen any proof that Audi fitted better clutches to later S1's, as far as I know this is just a rumour. As for driveshafts, I run mine with the electronic aids fully off (hold down the button for five seconds and it will light up as off) and have not (touch wood) broken a shaft yet.

Totally agree with this around spec. It is worth spending a little more in getting the extras if you can. I think I can see the car you are looking at - is it the Swindon Audi in Sepang? Full leather super sport seats, seat heating, Bose, flat bottom steering wheel makes the cabin more premium..

G

 

[VeeFource]

Totally agree with this around spec. It is worth spending a little more in getting the extras if you can. I think I can see the car you are looking at - is it the Swindon Audi in Sepang? Full leather super sport seats, seat heating, Bose, flat bottom steering wheel makes the cabin more premium..

G

On the other hand, I love the sleeper appeal of going without the quattro packs (mine also has body colour mirror housings for a bit more stealth) and if you don't need the high volume capability of the Bose then it's a fair bit of weight saved, but I know I'm probably in the minority on those counts.

 

[lfcrule1972]

I looked at a lot of S1's before buying and I didn't like the non-Quattro pack ones as much, looked too much like an A1, which I think is what you like, the stealth/surprise factor

Each to their own eh?

 

[N@deeem]

I came from an Abarth 500c Esseesse with Monza; big Brembo Brakes; Koni FSD and all options except Sabelts.

The Abarth, along with a previous Alfa GT3.2 v6 are probably my favourites, but not much between them and the S1.

As a city car - the Abarth is hard to beat- S1 came to 95% of the Abarth fun factor on a test drive compared to the competition. Nothing, and I mean nothing, big or small ever beat my Abarth to 30 from a red-light, but if you master the much maligned MTA gearbox - it launched with zero wheelspin like a scolded cat. I’ve grown up a bit now!

The stock S1 map is more progressive - but has more turbo lag due to larger turbo. The Esseesse map was aggressive and dumped all its boost low down and kept going 80s/90s hot hatch style. Compared to Abarth Brembos, the stock S1 brakes are average.

The Abarth exhaust sound is one of the best on a 4 cylinder. The EA888 in the S1 doesn’t sound great in any application and most VAG cars have a sound generator. IMHO the best sounding off the shelf exhaust is either Remus or Ego-X. Custom could be another way.

Clutches wear out quickly with remaps, and as said with Stability Control on the inner rear CV joints fail, although they aren’t expensive.

I love the Bose system. The treble is better than Interscope, but given the price difference and premium position it’s unfair to do a direct comparison.

Having driven the Abarth on an 1800 mile round trip to SW France, I have to say the Audi is much more refined and comfortable for longer journeys.

I started out looking for a sleeper with just an armrest and Bose, but came out with most options including Quattro Interior and Exterior packs. I’d recommend both as it’ll help with resale as a more attractive spec; or longer term value if you end up keeping it a while.