Any combination of hatch and turbo is good. But the tiny Audi S1 hatch has a big turbo, a six-speed manual and looks like a furious yellow thing. Does that make it amazing?
Henry Catchpole from EVO is at the Arctic Circle, which seems to be the norm for testing all-wheel drive hatches lately. Or it's because the S1 is basically the only car of its size you can buy that isn't front-wheel drive.
The S1 is crazy to me because it's based on the smallest Audi you can buy, the A1, and it's still smothered with all the Audi traits we've come to expect these days. Sure, they've tried to add color here and there, but it's not trying to be silly like a Fiat 500 or a Mini – it's an Audi after all.
The S1 has its share of quirks and the inevitable comparisons to the old Quattro (hint to Audi: make it warble like a five-cylinder), but it sounds so likable and capable that it's officially a shame the U.S. doesn't get it.
Of course it would sell here. It has four rings on it.