Given the performance, Audi S1 running costs are quite reasonable. The three-door S1 is claimed to average 40.3mpg, giving the car an estimated range of 399 miles, and the five-door Sportback 39.8mpg.

Insurance grouping is yet to be confirmed at the time of writing, as are predicted residual values although they are likely to be fairly strong.

It’s worth remembering that the standard 215/40 section 17-inch tyres won’t be particularly cheap to replace and the optional 225/35 18-inch ones even less so.

Audi S1 emissions vary depending on whether you opt for the three-door body or the five-door Sportback model. The three-door generates 162g/km of CO2 while the heavier Sportback emits 166g/km – enough to jump it to a more expensive VED band for road tax at the time of writing.

Those figures aren’t bad considering the car’s relatively porky kerb weight, the four-wheel drive system and the level of performance on offer.

A stop/start system, which cuts the engine when stationary to save fuel, is standard as is an energy recuperation system which harvests a small amount of the energy generated when braking and feeds it back to the alternator.

Audi S1 reliability shouldn’t be a great concern. The company has an excellent reputation in this area, with high servicing costs one of the few criticisms. Relations of the engine used in the S1 have already been proven in the Audi S3, Volkswagen Golf GTI and Skoda Octavia vRS while the four-wheel drive system has already undergone plenty of development in the 2013 Audi A1 quattro.