Used test: Audi S1 vs Volkswagen Golf GTI - costs
The Golf GTI has grown bigger and heavier over the years, so could the feisty little Audi S1 prove to be a better used hot hatch?...
Buying and owning
Costs, equipment, reliability, safety
The rarity of the S1 means it commands a higher price than the GTI. And it will be more expensive to run, due to its higher fuel consumption (40.3mpg vs 47.1mpg) and CO2 emissions that will see you pay £240 in yearly car tax compared with £150 for the GTI.
Both cars get climate control, Bluetooth, xenon headlights, and automatic lights and windscreen wipers as standard, while the S1 has a bigger infotainment screen. However, Audi charged extra for front and rear parking sensors, whereas these came as standard on the GTI.
The GTI outscored the S1 for both adult and child safety in the Euro NCAP safety tests, too, and it comes fitted with a fatigue monitor, automatic emergency braking, pre-sense crash detection and adaptive cruise as standard; none of these features appear on the S1.
According to our latest What Car? Reliability Survey data, the pair are likely to be similarly dependable – hardly surprising given that they use many of the same parts underneath. The Golf did receive a marginally better score than the A1 (the car upon which the S1 is based), though, and Volkswagen as a brand ranked two places higher than Audi in 20th out of 31 car manufacturers.
