Category: Roadsters 
Price Range: £23,915 to £44,885
Seriously quick, excellent traction and grip, sounds fantastic.
Expensive compared to rivals, ride can feel a bit stiff on UK roads, not as entertaining to drive as Porsche Boxster S.
Open-air motoring just got much quicker. TT RS Roadster definitely brings the fight to Porsche but is slightly less engaging than Boxster.
Audi has summoned up the spirit of its iconic Ur Quattro from the 80s with the introduction of the TT RS, a 335bhp five-cylinder-engined version of the popular TT.
But where the TT is a tame, comfortable sports cruiser, this new variant is a very different beast. It certainly looks the part, with deeper air intakes at the front and a large fixed spoiler and integrated diffuser at the rear. And under the bonnet sits a new 2.5-litre turbocharged five-pot engine, a spiritual successor to the powerplant found in the original Quattro.
It makes the TT RS mighty quick, dispatching 0-62mph in just 4.7 seconds before powering on to a limited top speed of 155mph. However, if this isn't enough, for an extra £1,300 you can ditch the limiter to enable it to reach 174mph.
One of the major criteria for this kind of sports car is whether the sound makes you smile involuntarily - a test the TT RS passes with flying colours. The engine sounds superb, with the levels of aural pleasure ramped up by ditching the roof and pressing the Sport button, which opens a flap in the exhaust to increase the mighty roar even further.
This Roadster version adds £2,000 to the price of the coupe: you'll also get 50kg in extra weight, no rear seats and a reduction in boot capacity.
The big question that has to be addressed, however, is whether it can match the Porsche Boxster S, the class-leading roadster. The TT RS is more powerful, has more torque and is quicker to 62mph but it's also £4,000 more expensive, is four-wheel drive and has to match the exemplary driving dynamics of the Porsche.
Our verdict? Read on to find out.
