Lusting after something green and gorgeous with plenty of kick? The Audi TT RS Coupé is your lady.
Styling
The TT, in RS guise, gets massive 20-inch wheels with fire-hydrant red brake callipers. Audi's iconic single-frame front grille in matte black, swept-back headlamps and sloping coupé roofline forms a striking, desirable picture that had neighbours and onlookers knocking at my window to sneak a peek inside and start a conversation about it. Our test model was specified with the Black Styling package with black Audi Rings and badging (R16 200) and black mirror housings (another R 1 650).
At the rear, the cheeky but purposeful fixed wing with side winglets and two large oval exhaust pipes add some functional drama. The Kyalami Green body paint (R2 790) takes some getting used to. This would not be my first choice, though - I think the TT RS will look its sleekest in Myth Black Metallic (which costs the same). LED headlights are standard, while matrix LED units that can perform all kinds of high-tech illumination tricks, can be specified.
Interior
It all remains very driver-focused, which is typical of Audi’s RS products. I love the fact that there’s still no central touchscreen to distract you from the road ahead; instead, Audi’s virtual cockpit replaces a traditional instrument cluster setup and you can choose between a selection of views. This is standard equipment on the TT RS.
Our test model’s seats were clad in black leather with a honeycomb design (you can specify matching interior trim bits to match the exterior for R15 050 - see photo), RS Lettering and ‘Carbon Twill’ decorative inserts (R 14 250) atop the centre tunnel. This allows the beautiful, brushed aluminium RS gear shifter to shine as the centrepiece. Just below it, a rotary dial with a writing pad function allows you to access various MMI functions if you don’t use the steering wheel buttons on the sport steering wheel. I plugged my phone into one of 2 USB ports up front (thanks to the Audi Phone Box, an R4 880 option with wireless charging) and let Siri do my bidding via Apple CarPlay. Easy! And it lets you concentrate on driving, which is why you opt for a TT RS in the first place.
Space and comfort
The standard sport seats are electrically adjustable, but seat heaters are a R6 090 option. The TT's cabin is a delightful place to spend many happy hours, as the seats hug you in all the right places. Taller people won’t feel cramped and shorter persons can adjust the seat and steering wheel in every which way until it all feels just right. Adjustable lumbar support is part of the package.
The second row can hardly function as seating - it’s more like a shelf for jackets or handbags. My 12-year-old managed to squeeze himself in behind the front passenger seat after my 14-year-old had moved it more to the front. Thanks to the long (but shallow) boot, both their large schoolbags could easily be transported and there was space left to spare. (My youngest exclaimed that he’d rather lose a leg than miss out on the chance to be seen getting out of the TT RS at school!)
An ISOFIX child seat can be easily installed if you’re not ready to give up the quick coupé lifestyle just yet, and there’s even space for a compact, designer baby stroller and a nappy bag or two.
The drive
It’s always entertaining to drive sports cars on the alternative coastal road instead of the N2, but the TT RS is a very special machine and it attracts plenty of attention, especially in bright Boomslang Green, as I’d like to call it. As always, there are a few ego-driven individuals on our roads who feel they have to challenge people who drive new, fast, expensive cars. Mostly it’s younger men in some form of pimped, chipped or dropped performance car who feel they have something to prove. In this case, the boy-racer in question clearly didn’t do his homework, because if he had, he would have realised that it would be impossible to compete with a car that has supercar acceleration abilities.
As he keeps tailgating me, I eventually hit the drive mode select button and switch to Dynamic. Immediately the steering stiffens, the inline 5-cylinder engine clears its throat, and the suspension hardens.
The TTRS feels taut, focused, raring to go. I floor the accelerator pedal and we leap forward, leaving the Volkswagen GTI Mk6 far, far behind very quickly. He tries to catch up and I allow him to catch up easing off the accelerator a little, only to plant my foot again when he gets too close, putting multiple metres between us within milliseconds. Then he tries to catch me on the twisty parts, but to no avail. Thanks to quattro AWD, the TT RS has mammoth grip on the tarmac and that rorty five-cylinder engine, ensconced in a light, rigid chassis, make it oh-so-easy to shimmy into (and out of) tight corners without a care in the world, as wheel-selective torque control makes handling even more agile while also keeping you out of harm’s way.
With 294 kW and 480 Nm, the 2.5-litre TTRS will sprint from 0-100 km/h in only 3.7 seconds via a seven-speed S tronic transmission with steering-wheel-mounted ‘flappy paddles’. The TT RS is just 0.5 seconds slower than the impractical R8 (from R3.4 million), so why spend all that extra money? These were my thoughts as I fell more deeply in love with the Green Mamba as each kilometre rolled by.
Our test model was also fitted with optional RS sport suspension plus and adaptive dampers, controlled via the drive select system. Yes, it’s a hard drive on those large wheels, even just driving over the reflectors in the road when you’re carving corners, sends thuds through the sporty cabin. If you’re going to drive this TT RS fast, there’s going to be significant road noise. Fortunately, the canorous 1-2-4-5-3 soundtrack of the five-cylinder engine, amplified by pressing a button on the centre tunnel, makes you forget all about it. The Bang & Olufsen Premium Sound System (at R10 170) is hardly a necessity.
Safety
With more electronic nannies than an android factory in Japan, you’d have to be downright stupid and reckless to get into trouble in this car. The usual ABS, EBD, traction and stability control, and six airbags are on the standard spec sheet, complemented by navigation, rearview camera, park distance control and front fog lamps. There are extras available such as self-parking and blind-spot monitoring, but the semi-autonomous stuff like adaptive cruise control is not on the menu.
Fuel consumption
As the engine burbles and pops enthusiastically with each downshift, I can guarantee you that the last thing on your mind will be fuel consumption, but here goes: Unless you drive the TT RS Coupé in dynamic mode every day of the week, and rather leave it in Auto mode instead, you’re looking at an average of around 10 litres per 100 km, which is exemplary considering its blistering performance. It’s so good that in 2018, Audi Sport received the International Engine of the Year Award for the 2.5 TFSI engine for the ninth consecutive time. Fast, frugal, and nearly turbo-lag-free… it deserves the award over and over again.
Pricing
The Audi TT RS is Audi’s flagship TT model. There is no new normal TT for sale anymore, so you can either spend R846 000 and buy the TT S or splurge on the TT RS Coupé quattro (R1 083 000) or Roadster quattro at R1 134 500. I think those prices are fair - we’re looking at power figures and excitement that can thrill and excite like few cars under the R1.5 million rand mark can manage. Also, Audi’s stated that they're going all-electric soon, so sports cars like the TT RS and R8 (R 3 400 000 for the R8 Coupé V10 Performance quattro) will soon be but a distant, pleasant memory. I think the TT RS has future classic potential, so there’s another excuse to buy one!
Verdict
The TT RS is the most user-friendly sports car I’ve driven in a very long time. You’ll fall for it because it’s fast, it looks ferocious, it sounds sensational and will probably make you feel a lot better about your life in general. It sure beats bawling your eyes out in the psychologist’s chaise longue week after week! Feeling low? Go for a drive. Did the dog die? Go for a drive. Got dumped by your girlfriend? Go for a drive. It may indeed be instant, superficial happiness, but it’s happiness that is regularly accessible! If you can afford it, this is one sports car that deserves a place in your heart as well as your driveway.
The numbers
