It’s hard not to advise the Audi TT RS Roadster, for its sheer audacity to dare to be what it is.Let’s face it, the Audi TT RS Roadster is a functional car, an extremely appealing convertible that appeals to such a small sub-segment of buyers, it’ll likely remain more exclusive than the exotics with which it shares a few components.
Wearing the stunning Nardo Grey colours with 20-inch gloss-anthracite black Audi Sport wheels.It’s a truly intimidating looking car that turns heads wherever it goes, and for all the right reasons.
With the most powerful Audi TT ever scores a re-engineered version of the well-loved 2.5-litre, five-cylinder turbocharged unit we’ve all come to admire in the RS3. The new motor uses a bigger turbo (rated at up 500hp but detuned here to about 400hp as to not compete with the base model Audi R8), which provides the sort of torque you expect from a naturally-aspirated V8, but with the associated downfalls of more lag than before.
With 294kW of power and 480Nm of torque, our Audi TT RS Roadster manages a claimed 0-100km/h run in just 3.9 seconds thanks to its all-wheel drive setup, which is within the new Porsche 911 Carrera S territory. If you pick the hardtop TT RS, that sprint time comes down to an insane 3.7 seconds, supercar territory of just a few years ago. It also makes it quicker than a C63 S, M4 and even Audi’s own RS5.
But here’s the thing, while the figures suggest sub-four second acceleration times, it’s almost all made up of Audi (and Porsche’s) amazing launch control system, because in-gear – say from 40-100km/h – it doesn’t feel like a sub-four second car should. It doesn’t slam you back into your seat; it’s fast, but it doesn’t feel as fast as the figures would suggest.
