The new 2016 Audi TT is quite competent and good fun to drive, but 220 horsepower just doesn’t cut it for most enthusiasts in today’s performance environment. We’ve become spoiled rotten by affordable coupes and sports cars, many of which pack at least two more cylinders than the Audi. It’s a good thing, then, that Audi is once again offering a TTS model, perfect for aesthetes with a speed fetish.
To be launched in America in mid-2015 as a 2016 model, it gets an estimated 292 horsepower and 270 lb-ft of torque from its EA888 turbocharged four-cylinder. (European models, such as the one we drove for this review, have slightly more power.) But while it brings no additional cylinders to the table, the 72 additional horsepower and 22 extra lb-ft are extracted from the turbo four without sacrifice. Just like the TT, the TTS’s EA888 is very responsive by turbocharged-engine standards, and it emits a slightly more pronounced variation of the same well-honed, mischievous soundtrack. When upshifting under load, for example, the exhaust lets fly a sweet popping sound.
Claimed performance is impressive, with Audi saying the run to 62 mph takes just 4.6 seconds, 0.7 second quicker than it cites for the regular-grade TT. Top speed is governed at 155 mph, and the only available transmission is a six-speed dual-clutch automatic. The TTS also is all Quattro, all the time. All-wheel drive in an Audi is fine with us, but it is a shame that the company won't offer the slick six-speed manual in the U.S.
Although it is based on the VW Group’s MQB front-wheel-drive platform, the TTS exhibits almost no understeer and turn-in is impressively quick. It’s also a bit easier to induce some playful oversteer here than it is in the TT. We’re impressed by the electrically boosted power steering, which is accurate, weighty, and responsive enough that only the hardest-core purists will wish for a hydraulic setup. The TTS also stays nicely planted on undulating and heaving roads, offering more than enough grip for mortals to exploit. (Okay, so the photos prove the TTS isn’t always planted and can be jumped. But it remains entirely unfazed by such an exercise.)
As long as you go in knowing the TTS is a two-seater with cargo shelves masquerading as rear seats, the interior is easy to love. The dashboard is styled to resemble an airplane wing, and the TTS’s dash is grained with a more technical and futuristic pattern than in the entry-level TT. The materials are of high quality and feel upmarket without trying to mimic traditional luxury, and the centerpiece of the whole shebang is the instrument cluster. Like the TT, the TTS is fitted with a TFT display in front of the driver that includes the navigation screen; no central display is therefore needed—or even available. Another neat feature: The heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning controls, as well as those for the heated seats, are integrated into the design of the vents, which minimizes clutter. It's all truly contemporary and rich-looking, the main downside being, well, a massive risk of distraction; it also essentially excludes the passenger from the proceedings, but we’ll let you decide if that’s a net win.
READ MORE: 10 Things You Need to Know About the 2016 Audi TT
With its additional muscle and virtually the same curb weight, the TTS has no trouble distancing itself from the TT, nor is it likely to be walked by many other sporty coupes and hatches. When it hits our dealers, expect the price of entry to sit around the $50,000 mark. Later, there will be an even more powerful derivative: The next-gen TT RS, which will arrive packing a 2.5-liter five-cylinder good for more than 400 turbocharged horsepower. Until then, though, the TTS works just fine for us as a credible and accessible sports car.
