Category: Affordable Sports 
Price Range: £25,420 to £42,985
Explosive performance, all-wheel-drive traction, added visual menace, 2.5-litre engine's sound.
Not quite involving enough, concerns over stiff ride, awful rear spoiler, tasteless styling details.
Audi's baby R8 outguns all its rivals against the clock but ultimately misses out on the levels of engagement delivered by competitors.
Press the 'S' button and the throbbing turbocharged engine sounds positively heroic. Once up and running it snarls and pops when coming sharply off the throttle, making the RS an exciting-sounding companion. However, if you're not in the mood for all this excitement you can switch it off and the TT theatrics are calmed, making it a comfortable cruiser on the motorway.
On smooth German roads were we tested the car, we had more than a few concerns over how the hottest TT rides. Our car, admittedly, was riding on larger 19" wheels (£1,200), instead of the standard 18" rims, but the RS lacked the suppleness of the old RS4 - one of the first decent-riding Audis in a long time, even with its sporting pretentions.
One fix for the ride may be found on the options list. The optional magnetic dampers (£1,125) might provide more comfort in its 'normal' setting. We suggest you try before you buy.
As far as standard equipment goes the TT RS is fairly generous. All cars are fitted heated leather seats, xenon lamps with driving lamps, climate control and fortunately that hideous fixed rear spoiler is a no-cost delete option.
Options include a £700 electric seat package, or forget the electrics altogether and fit the more hardcore full bucket seats (£1.665) which are supportive and surprisingly comfortable but sacrifice the side airbags.
An oval sports exhaust adds £850 to the price. Removing the 155mph speed limiter to allow the Audi to run to its 174mph top speed costs an alarming £1,300, but at least it adds lots of lovely carbon fibre bits under the bonnet.
