I seem to be developing a rather bad habit. Having just bought my 30th car in 16 years of driving, it's increasingly clear I've become addicted to the process. Usually I'd aim to keep a car for a year, but the past four cars have only been around for a handful of months.
My TT RS, for example - bought in August for £16,250 and sold in March for £15,500. Although partly out of necessity, with my first baby on the way and the need for something more practical, I suspect it may not have lasted much longer anyway. With a mini-me due in the summer, it seems I'm going to need to find a new fix to curb my spending on cars (suggestions welcome). But just like Peter Pan, I don't think I'll ever grow up.
It seemed that as soon as I'd sorted the niggles on GL09 CCU it was nearly time to sell up, but there was one last hoorah in store. Some of you may have already seen our '25 years of the Audi TT' video last month, which featured a car you may recognize. That trip to Wales and back was the perfect opportunity to enjoy the TT RS for what it is.
Because let's be honest, a TT RS is not a proper sportscar. It's more of a mini grand tourer and going into ownership with eyes wide open, it's exactly what I expected it to be. The boring motorway slog from Kent to Wales was effortless; comfortable and peaceful as you'd expect from a GT with all the toys we're accustomed to for covering a few hundred miles as easily as possible (for a car from 2009 at least).
Arriving in a damp and misty Wales is typically disheartening for someone in a front-wheel drive hot hatch, but these conditions are where the four-wheel drive TT RS shines. Off the motorway with the exhaust valve open in Sport mode and a manual gearstick to hand, it was what I'd waited ten years for. The soundtrack from that 2.5-litre five-pot is intoxicating when it's coming back at you from the surrounding hills, alongside the buckets of torque seemingly available from everywhere in the rev range.
There's an enormous amount of grip everywhere, even in the wet. At no point does it feel like it's going to break traction - although, like its older siblings, I expect when it does, it does so in a big way. To that extent, it doesn't feel entirely predictable, nor does the steering provide enough feedback to make it a truly rewarding drive. But am I glad I took the time to drive to Wales to enjoy some of its finest roads? Absolutely, and it will be forever immortalised on the hallowed pages of YouTube, too.
As a great daily driver that's easy to live with, feels special and sounds fantastic, the TT RS ticks the right boxes and lived up to my expectations. But the fact remains - if I was looking for a weekend toy for similar money, I'd turn my attention to Lotus and Porsche. There's no doubt the RS remains an icon in my eyes, though - if only because it successfully modernized a historic engine from the rallying world. That made it one to tick off the bucket ownership list.
With it gone I'm off to join the lost boys in Neverland for a while before I come back with something a bit more sensible and family friendly. More on that next time.
FACT SHEET
Car: 2009 Audi TT RS
Run by: Ben Lowden
On fleet since: September 2019
Mileage: 52,890
Last seen:A costly few weeks for Ben
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