Recently driving the
Audi TT, we wish it
were radically entertaining instead of merely very fun, it's nevertheless a
sharp coupe that vaults ahead of its predecessor with an inspired interior and
eager handling. That car will be precursor to this
TTS when it gets here a year
from now, with the
TTS adding
adjectives like "more" and "better" to just about
everything found on the base coupe. With the standard car having already put on
such a fine edge, we wheeled the TTS on Spanish roads and at the Ascari race
track to find out how much better and higher-performing the S will be.
Driving Notes
- As of this writing, today's TTS commands an $8,350 premium
over theTT. Assuming a
commensurate gap is carried over into this next generation model, that
supplemental dosh will get you 310 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque
instead of 230 hp and 273 lb-ft in the standard TT. That would mean more for
your money, too, since the gap between the current TT and TTS is 54 hp and zero
lb-ft of torque. To achieve the new numbers, the 2.0 TSFI engine from the TTS
benefits from upgrades like sturdier valves, revised aluminum pistons and
stronger connecting rods with new bearings, a reinforced crankshaft and a
high-performance intercooler. The amplified brawn rips 0.7 seconds off the 0-60
mile-per-hour time, getting you there in 4.6 seconds.
- But wait, there's more: The TTS comes standard with Audi magnetic ride and S sport
seats with air-filled adjustable bolsters, gets lightweight aluminum brakes in
front, is lowered by 0.4 inches (the S-line package does the same for the TT)
and sits on 18-inch wheels as standard, with 19- and 20-inchers as options. If
the badging alone doesn't do it, twin pipes at each rear corner identify it as
a top-of-the-line model, as do the TTS-exclusive colors like Sepang Blue
metallic and Panther Black Crystal Effect outside and Express Red
leather inside.
- We aren't against buttons on a steering wheel in a
sporty-minded car, but we often appreciate it when they're not there. However,
button-laden spokes (there are 14 functions among all the glyphs) make the most
sense in the bare, pure interior of the TTS; they bolster the impression of the
driver-oriented cockpit because they aren't merely convenient redundancies,
they're necessary elements of the only command center in the car. The TTS dash
also gets what Audi calls a "honeycomb-like," "innovative
technical laser texture" – what looks to us like dimples. They work,
helping visually dilute the scope of the wide, black dashboard.
- The Sport Layout, exclusive to the TTS, further buttresses
the sports car vibe.
It fills the center of the 12.3-inch gauge binnacle screen with a tachometer,
places a digital speedo inside of that and pushes supplemental information to
the left and right. This helps the pilot focus on swapping cogs just before the
6,800-rpm redline when it's time to drive angry.
- That's exactly what we did around Ascari, forced to focus on
the tachometer for the first few turns. The 2.0-liter four, a little boar of an
engine, refuses to stop pulling until the digital red needle dips into the
digital red numbers so we kept hitting the limiter until we learned the engine
note. The TTS does everything just remarkable enough to prick the senses: its
acceleration gets your attention, its brakes are good for both going deep into
a corner and bailing you out of one, its steering (in Dynamic mode) combined
with the proactive, adaptive Quattro software and the coupe's dexterity mean
you can choose to put a wheel on the kerbing or on the inside of the white line
next to the kerbing. Anvil-flat cornering stays almost as anvil flat through
quick doglegs, and if you turn off electronic stability control, slight drifts
are possible when you really push it. It's fun around a track.
Our opinion, however, is that the TTS is not $8,000-or-so
more fun than the TT around a track or on the road. Unless you really just
gotta have that badge, that Sepang Blue paint or that unique dash layout, we
think you'll be plenty pleased with the regular-strength TT. Even though the
standard model is down a not-insignificant 80 horsepower, it's got plenty of
torque and it knows how to use it – we had such fun blasting around Spanish
backroads in one that we never wished for more. The TTS is quicker, harder and
better, sure. You won't go wrong choosing it, but by the same token, we'd be
hard-pressed to find the need to splash out for its extra cost.
source: autoblog
by Jonathan Ramsey
Image credit: Jonathan Ramsey
