Audi TT RS: PH Fleet
With TT RS stock now 'subject to availability' we consider the comparative appeal of a cheaper alternative - the TTS
Whatever opinions you've already formed about the TT RS, its combination of talents is unarguably hard to find elsewhere. We're not just talking about 400hp and all-wheel drive, either. Desirable two-door coupés with a compact wheelbase and usable boot are not exactly thick on the ground. Sure, there's the BMW M2 and the Porsche 718 Cayman, but most mainstream manufacturers abandoned the segment long ago.
Consequently, one of the more affordable alternatives to the all-singing RS model is the slightly more middleweight in concept TTS. Unlike the Audi Sport version, it can still be configured to your liking, and you can expect a whole heap of change leftover for doing so. For the coupe, with the standard six-speed manual gearbox you can't have in its sibling, it starts at just over £40k - undercutting the RS's original entry-level price by a cool £11k.
Even with the optional DSG dual-clutch gearbox selected, you'll be the best part of £10k to the good. And for that you get the same 305hp EA888 2.0-litre turbocharged engine that makes the Volkswagen Golf R so relentlessly wonderful, not to mention a less aggressive styling pack that does away with the fixed spoiler and in-your-face honeycomb grille. The TT S we borrowed even came in Nano grey, a pleasant shade of incognito not available to the RS buyer. Parked next to each other, the buttoned-down look arguably does Ingolstadt's coupe a favour in the svelte department.
Sure, there are some marginal differences inside - the Alcantara has gone from the steering wheel and gearlever; the drive select and starter button have migrated back to the dashboard; some trim materials are mildly less expensive; and the Virtual Cockpit MMI system is slightly less ritzy - but it's the same basic (as in high-end) experience, and you even get the all-important adaptive Magnetic Ride dampers as standard. Unfortunately, in this instance, they came attached to optional alloy wheels no smaller than those fitted to our RS. Taking the TT S's softer suspension settings into account, the resulting brittleness reiterates what we'd long suspected: you tick the 20-inch wheel option at your own risk.
Still, the blend of amenability, pace and feigned four-pot burble is never a thread less than convincing. At lowish speeds and with run-of-the-mill throttle openings, the TT S is barely any less keen than the RS. In fact, its response to marginal inputs is probably a notch better than in its sibling despite giving away 74lb ft in torque. (Beyond the usual beat of lag, I suspect there's an economy minded accelerator pedal tune to blame for that, Audi being understandably keen for the thirsty in-line five not to rouse itself without reason.) As a result, a commuter - or anyone constrained mostly to town driving - might start to wonder what all the fuss is about. After all, 4.6 seconds to 62mph is plenty swift enough, and the same quick-shifting seven-speed DSG makes it no harder to exploit.
You'll generally be doing better than a 30mpg average too - which you won't in the RS. Eventually, though, side-by-side driving only let's you play devil's advocate for so long. Nudge the accelerator pedal an inch or three closer to the bulkhead and, like all objectively great engines, the five-pot starts rewiring the TT's appeal with each ascending 1,000rpm. Yes, it is partly about raw speed - there's no concealing the best part of 100hp at 5,800rpm - but it's also about tonality: the EA888's chirpy baritone is no match for the offbeat bawl of a 1-2-4-5-3 firing order; not at 2,500rpm, and definitely not at 6,750.
To argue the case for one while driving the other is like trying to recall the benefits of a gluten free diet while eating a kebab. And with the heavier, thirstier, revvier lump on song, the TT's chassis - that immutable, imperturbable, G-meter botherer - makes the best kind of sense. The S's own quattro-fortified setup is hardly any less able, nor any more effort to drive very quickly. But because it can't claim to be rocket-powered, its handling limit (on the public road, at any rate) seems distant to the point of detached. In the RS, the car's ironclad grip on the tarmac doesn't seem so unreasonable when you're provided with the means to test it.
Factor into this effect the implications of its model-specific tuning - a tendency to feel that bit flatter and sharper, and less obviously endowed with meaningless stiction in the steering - and the RS's settings do enough to win you over. On their own, they'd probably be insufficient to justify the enormous difference in price (a very nearly new example being virtually on par with our long termer's sticker price). More often than not though the real distance between the two is no more than half-a-litre in size. And comfortably worth every penny.
FACT SHEET
Car: 2017 Audi TT RS
Run by: Nic Cackett
On fleet since: December 2017
Mileage: 8,811
List price new: £50,615 (As tested £61,080 comprising £550 for Catalunya Red paint, £1,695 for 20-inch '7-spoke rotor' design alloy wheels in matt titanium-look with diamond cut finish, £325 for brake calipers in red with RS logo at the front, £895 for RS Red Design Pack, £945 for Matrix LED headlights with LED rear lights and dynamic front and rear indicators, £250 for Audi Smartphone Interface, £1,000 for RS Sport exhaust system, £995 for RS Sport suspension with Audi Magnetic Ride, £800 for electrically adjustable front seats, £800 for Matrix OLED rear lights, £325 for Audi Phone Box with wireless charging, £1,830 for on the road costs and £55 for first registration fee)
Last month at a glance: Is the TT best as an S Express?
However, in the case of the Audi, i think the TTRS sways it for me, just for the engine and the noise. I'm sure the TTS is more than enough and i do quite like the 2.0 TSI engine. It's surprisingly characterful for a 4-pot but there's no getting round the lack of ear-porn compared to that 5-cylinder rasp.
However, in the case of the Audi, i think the TTRS sways it for me, just for the engine and the noise. I'm sure the TTS is more than enough and i do quite like the 2.0 TSI engine. It's surprisingly characterful for a 4-pot but there's no getting round the lack of ear-porn compared to that 5-cylinder rasp.
The front end looks are a problem for me as well... it's looks heavy. a high cliff face with the lights high up top. No doubt it's a good all round car but there wasn't anything there for me to love. By all accounts the new RS is a bigger step on the previous one but I haven't driven it so can't comment.
I'll stick with my 981 CS.
Now, would I have bought an RS if I had the chance? No. When I bought the TTS, I managed to haggle £7.5k off the list price meaning it came in at around £37k which I thought was a bit of a bargain. There was no way I could have done that with the RS due to the limited availability. Also, in real life, I don't think there is much benefit of the RS. Yes, it is very fast, and makes an incredible sound, and the straight line acceleration is addictive. However, to live with it's much more expensive and given that we bought it as a daily, where most of the time you are stuck in traffic or driving down a motorway there's not much benefit. When we bought it I was eyeing up a cayman, but decided the audi was better all round for it practicality.
I was genuinely surprised by how well the TTS drove, how much fun it was, and how rapidly you could drive the thing. It was actually quite rewarding. Again, not as invovling as my other car, but so much easier to drive and confidence inspiring.
Sooner or later I will replace the Z3M with something else and I'm looking at a Cayman GTS, exige, or second hand 991S. However, I will take a TTRS for a test drive to see how it compares. For a drivers car, I don't think you'll ever get away from the engine being in the wrong place and it being four wheel drive.
Side note on the "it's a Golf in a frock" style comments.
Single minded coupes cost more than hatchbacks...and in the TT's case, you're not just paying for looks and interior. But, a modular platform (MQB) that allows it to be both noticeably lighter than it's hatchback cousins, but also stiffer,with a shorter wheelbase, lower centre of gravity, with a stiffer suspension setup and more rear biased haldex system.
Gone are the days with the MK1 and somewhat MK2 TT where they literally just chucked a different "frock" on it.
That is some fking sentence.
This comes in Audi trim rather than VW too. I'm aware that's not a biggie, but you're buying their most premium car, not the more mainstream.
I could no longer live with Audi telling me the RS's faults were a characteristic of the car.
DSG box. Cruising at 50mph and floor it you have a three second wait, 3 whole seconds before anything happens.
Cold start up, sounds like a rattly tappet for 20 seconds. "Oh that's the cat warm up noise sir"
Also an exhaust rattle every now and then. An anknowledged fault but no fix.
So Pistonheads testers, your car have these faults?
I traded that TTS in for a 66 reg TTRS cabriolet. That car is a different animal entirely.
This car is just stupid fast and a better looker.
The acceleration is in a different league to the TTS and it feels as if there is always more power on tap.
Barely a day goes by when I don't get compliments on the car. It is truly stunning.
Whether it is worth the price difference...HELL YES it is!
The TTS is a very good car. The TTRS borders on super car performance and as such h is actually a bargain.
I traded that TTS in for a 66 reg TTRS cabriolet. That car is a different animal entirely.
This car is just stupid fast and a better looker.
The acceleration is in a different league to the TTS and it feels as if there is always more power on tap.
Barely a day goes by when I don't get compliments on the car. It is truly stunning.
Whether it is worth the price difference...HELL YES it is!
The TTS is a very good car. The TTRS borders on super car performance and as such h is actually a bargain.
I don't think anyone did or could dispute a 90 bhp (30%) power hike. That's more than most very aggressive stage 1 maps on most cars.
I think the discussion is: is 30% more go, and that sexy noise worth 10-20k more... Objectively it's not. But you don't even buy a base model tt with your head.
I'm also betting that because of the car's power and performance, I'll refrain from being tempted by another car in the future.
But then you will always get the VFM argument.
I'm not sure I really like reviews like this; because a car ought to be reviewed against its peers in EITHER price, OR performance (call it fitness for purpose). In this particular review, we see two cars that are not priced similarly, nor are they close in performance either. That lends to an indirect comparison, which then opens up a whole can of subjective whoop-ass.
While it might be good for click-bait, people wanting an informed judgement are left wondering where exactly to draw the ruler across the vehicles in any meaningfully comparative way.
Also, trying writing in a clearer manner. This article is just st.
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