Audi TT RS: A well-balanced sportscar

The Audi Quattro quite simply changed the face of rallying history. It was based on a mundane saloon and boasted a Golf engine with an extra cylinder slapped on one end. It looked as spectacular as a kettle, but could hit the hundred in just six tick tocks. And then they took it to Monte Carlo…

Birth of a legend

Hannu Mikkola destroyed the competition on day one of the Quattro's debut before going off the road, but the rivals were duly shook up and traumatised at the relatively big car's potency.Walter Röhrl, handling a rear-wheel drive Opel at the time, was one of the rivals whose eyes bulged at the realisation of the all-wheel drive Quattro's speed.

In pictures: Audi TT RS

"The main thing I realised at the beginning of the year is that the challenge would come from new technology; a new car with four-wheel drive that shows the way into the future. Probably I will lose against it, but I can't see anything bad with that," said the Human Computer.

In fact, he didn't lose, thanks to Audi lady driver Michèle Mouton's now infamous 11th hour disaster.

But never mind that, because what Röhrl rightly dubbed the "Audi advantage" shows what the Quattro really was at the time: a new dawn. But with the vertical climb in power and the death toll in Group B rallying, the Quattro met an end and made way for smaller, less powerful and less exciting machines. An era was over, although a deep mark was left.

And then, nothing.

The Quattro was gone for good, the last one rolling off Ingolstadt's line in 1991. For 15 years after that Audi churned out repmobile after repmobile. Back to the grind, I guess. Sure, there were a few piping hot saloons, but we all know that what really tickles petrolheads' fancies is something with two doors.

And then came the R8. Just writing that makes me quiver — what a car. Audi was back!

Resurrection

And now the TT RS is here, and Audi is back all over again. Only of course it never left for the second time, so what I'm trying to say is that the original Quattro is back. After a week with the TT RS, I'm convinced the Quattro's spirit lurks somewhere within the blue bodywork and turbocharged 2.5-litre inline five of the gleaming example you see posing at Yas Marina on these pages.

So over the next few pages, I'm going to attempt to convince you that this car is even better than the phenomenal R8.

Argument one

The V8-engined R8 isn't all that powerful really; its 4.2-litre FSI makes 414bhp and the whole job weighs over a tonne-and-a-half. The TT RS manages a healthy 355 horsepower thanks to TFSI tech, but tips the scales at 1,450kg. So… drop that, yeah, carry one, that makes two, OK… So, what we have is 265bhp/tonne for the R8 and 246 for the TT RS. But, you'll need Dh1,027 for every one of those R8 horses and just Dh707 for each TT RS pony. Peanuts really.

How am I doing so far, convinced yet? Never mind, let's keep going.

Argument two

To drive, the TT RS is surgically precise, clinically responsive and sublimely well balanced. All-wheel drive usually equals a hesitant turn in and understeer at full power mid-bend, but the TT RS's chassis is set-up as close to perfection as I have experienced this side of a Scuderia.

Chances are that you simply cannot push it as far as it will go, which means things never get lairy. This doesn't mean it's a party killer. A race car doesn't drift, but it's real quick and just as fun. With 335/50 19in tyres (four rim styles are available from 18 up to 20in) the TT RS manages to stick to the road until there's no more road basically. A sports chassis 10mm lower than a standard TT coupled with magnetic ride damping helps out, but I feel sorry for you if you have to trek a couple of hundred kays on a highway, because your eyeballs will pop out. So, it's not a TT then, it's actually a proper sports car this time, and the first time the TT delivered on its promise.

Plus, with its five-pot — the first since the Quattro — hitting maximum bhp at 5,400rpm, you know you need to keep the right foot planted if you aim to get anywhere. This is because of the old-school flavour evident in the masses of turbo lag. There's no current turbocharged car that I've sampled with more hesitation than the TT RS. Which is not a criticism in my opinion, just a characteristic.

Since it's all-wheel drive, to get the perfect launch in order to reach 100kph in 4.6 seconds (same as the R8, coincidentally) you basically mash the rightmost pedal to the floor and dump the clutch. No fine-tuning or tap-dancing required.

There's a sport button too, which sharpens up the throttle and makes even more noise out back; as if the rasping and popping of the twin pipes isn't addictive enough in normal mode.

But, let's say you're attempting a rolling start in second gear. Foot flat, and nothing, nothing, nothing… Still nothing… finally 3,500rpm and then ­— WHOOSH! — the entire 335-strong cavalry gallops in and blasts you to kingdom come.

Best of all, the TT RS isn't spoiled with a lifeless e-gear or DSG. No matter how much cash you wave at the salesman, the only one you can have is a six-speed manual. And it's a phenomenal, crisp gearbox, if only because pleasuring myself with a manual is such a rare treat these days. But it is, in fact, the only aspect of the car with a few niggles (uh oh, almost forgot the super hard ride). Sure, it directs pretty much all of the torque rearwards, though the throw isn't all that short as the brochure promises, with the lever slipping through the H-gate only as quickly as it would in a manual Golf GTi. It's not as light as a V-Dub gearchange, thankfully, which means it still feels like it controls all that power. My quibble is with the final slot into gear, when the stick drops into its spot with a hollow thud and an empty echo, whereas it should really be a sharp, mechanical snick.

It's still a joy to move through the six gears and you'll find yourself down-shifting for the heck of it. You won't even skip gears — why waste the moment?

Verdict

I haven't said anything about the looks, because I was hoping I'd get through the entire feature without having to moan about this facet. It's only a TT in that respect; it doesn't look nearly as revolutionary as the Peter Schreyer-designed original, although at least this one's not another silver one… You do get a nice steering wheel, an aluminium gear knob (which will sear your palm in summer), great sports seats, and aluminium pedals (the middle one could be placed better, in case you want to practise your heel-n-toes). The rest is typical Audi; sturdy and boring. But the red RS badges add a bit of colour and the sound system is awesome — in fact the entire infotainment/sat-nav system is one of the best. Obviously, a major drawback for stubborn regional buyers is the manual gearbox and choppy ride. I'm not going to hold that against it, because the TT RS is a pure sportscar and sportscars don't ride like Lexuses and don't come with CVTs.

I know it's only the first quarter of the year, but we pretty much know what to expect for the rest of 2010 and I can't think of anything at the moment that could oust the TT RS from its warranted spot as wheels' Best Sportscar of 2010.

The "Audi advantage". Walter was definitely onto something. Only this time, even the great Walter — once voted as the rally driver of the millennium — would lose against it. Even the R8 does.

Specs & rating