I'm not going to bore you with all kinds of numbing facts and figures on Audi's new TTS. The platform for Ingolstadt's newest hotrod was launched well over a year ago in tin-top guise, and the roadster you see here not long after that.
What's new here is that the two-litre turbo engine has had a deep whiff of smelling salts and now pushes out 195kW.
Take off all the bits and bobs and the four-pot engine block underneath the dual overhead cam cylinder head, turbo pipes and other stuff, is the exact same as in the 147kW Golf V GTI. From there it migrated to Jettas, other Audis including the "normal" TT and the 188kW S3, and even Seats such as the 177kW Leon Cupra.
But this is the most juiced version yet. It makes me wonder how far that turbo volume knob hidden someplace where only the Germans can find it, is turned up. Surely it's maxed? Or will we get a 210kW TT RS or 214kW GTI-R one day? I wouldn't be surprised.
Anyway, with the hottest TT ever available at my disposal I wasn't going to potter around Jozi's streets like I would with the latest Corolla or other potential rep-mobile. Straight to the Big Zed, otherwise known as Zwartkop Raceway in Pretoria, for me. I wanted to see Audi put their money where their "S" is, and evaluate this tuned TT under extreme pressure.
Wednesdays at the track are open to anything with four wheels, so on that day I was sharing the circuit with a 1960's LDS Formula 1 single-seat race car, a pair of whale-tail Porsche 911's and a handful of GTI challenge Golf's and Polo's with slick tyres and coil-over racing suspension.
Now, unfortunately for my blue test subject, I'm not the kind of guy who will stay off the racing line and let these helmet-clad boy racers past at the flicker of a headlight. I was there to push the TTS to the limit and if it meant making a block pass or stuffing it up the inside of turn two, so be it.
I drove this Roadster ten-tenths hard that day and it held its own. Straight-line power was enough to fend off the eight-valve Challenge cars and the quattro all-wheel drive meant that I could pull them out of the turns, too, while they struggled to get to grips with wheelspin. Some of its body panels have been lightened, shaving off around 25kg, so an improved power to weight ratio also helped the cause.
The massive wallop of turbo boost comes with a compromise though. The power isn't ready and waiting for you every time you plonk the pedal. It takes a second or so for the impellers to spool up, so if you want to start feeding power at the apex of a turn you would need to apply gas ahead of time. You have to plan ahead of every turn's exit, a knack to get used to.
BRAKES IMPRESSED
For the most part handling is neutral, with only a touch of understeer as is the case with most all-wheel drive cars, but that's only if you take it past the limit. Hold yourself back from McEnroe temper tantrums and the TTS will negotiate the turns with the perfect amount of four-wheel drift.
The brakes impressed the most. I know they were working past their ideal operating temperatures because between sessions I had to cool them off with slow drives around the pits or else they filled the stables with pungent blue smoke. They never faded, though, and in fact it was under braking where I made the most time on my pseudo-competitors.
The single Polo Cup car that proved my most formidable opponent would leave me in the bends but I'd be right back up his rear end again entering the next one. Excellent binders.
A convertible isn't ideal for on-track shenanigans but I hardly noticed chassis flex. Audi's obviously done its homework with unibody stiffening and with the roof up you'll be hard-pressed to say otherwise. Especially while concentrating on the bumper in front of you at 140km/h through turn five at the Big Z.
WELL-SORTED
The back roads home to Johannesburg from the track through Erasmia, though, are known for being quite neglected by the relevant agency and if any would induce scuttle shake it would be this one - the R511 any roadster's nemesis. But, low and behold, nothing.
This is one of the most well-sorted drop-top chassis I've experienced.
Verdict
It's a pity there are cars like BMW's 135i and Nissan's Z-cars out there because they absolutely murder the TTS in price for performance ratios.
Sorry, but the lone 'S' after the TT moniker will never justify the outrageous R563 000 price, even if it is the most powerful four-banger in the VW/Audi stable.
That said, the TTS is a hardcore and capable track-day machine and I know around eight or 10 local racers who will back me up on that.
Price: R563 000
Rivals
Alfa Romeo Spider (191kW/322Nm) - R550 400
BMW 135i Convertible (225kW/400Nm) - R468 800
BMW M Roadster (252kW/365Nm) - R619 500
Honda S2000 (177kW/208Nm) - R399 400
Lotus Elise SC (163kW/212Nm) - R599 000
Mercedes-Benz SLK 350 (224kW/360Nm) - R655 000
Nissan 350Z Roadster (230kW/358Nm) - R487 000
Porsche Boxster 2.7 (180kW/273Nm) - R595 000
Saab 9-3 Convertible V6 Aero (184kW/350Nm) - R483 280
SPECS
Engine:
displacement 1984cc, output 200kW at 6000rpm, max torque 350Nm from 2500-5000rpm.
Performance and fuel consumption (Coupe with S tronic):
0-100km/h 5.2sec, top speed 250km/h governed, fuel consumption (combined) 7.9 litres/100 km
Drivetrain combinations:
4x4 with six-speed manual transmission or six-speed tiptronic.