The Audi TT is known as the west coast little old lady’s two seater ragtop. It has a history of under-performing and underwhelming it’s drivers, and in the looks department many claim it has aged rather poorly.
Enter the 2012 Audi TT RS. A hardtop coupe (no convertible available) ostensibly designed from the ground(ish) up for a track day experience. With a sportier appearance and increased performance, the marketing of this TT is intended to bypass the weekend cruiser crowd and focus on actual performance and driving experience oriented enthusiasts.
Adding 95 hp above the next level TTS, the RS’s 2.5-liter turbocharged, inline five-cylinder engine produces 360 hp and 332 ft-lbs. of torque, and is mated to a 6 speed manual transmission. Claimed 0 to 60 time sits around 4.1 seconds.
The TT RS sports a fixed spoiler as well as modified front and rear bumpers, and comes standard with 19″ rotor-styled rims. The rear diffuser is unique, as is the honeycombed front grill. If they haven’t been removed by the owner, the RS badge is another obvious identity feature.
Just how track-ready can this car be. Standard climate control, silk Nappa leather seating and Sirius satellite radio? Your standard leather colors with brushed-aluminum trim round out the techy internal look. A tech package is also available with navigation, Bose stereo sound, rear parking sensors, and ambient LED lighting. It certainly is no Lotus Elise in the equipment depertment.
All in all, its an interesting choice of a car. No convertible option, so a weekend fun-car it is not, but at nearly $60,000 this may be a bit pricy for lower-end track enthusiasts, and not up to the par of high end trackers like the Nissan GT-R or Porsche 911 GT2. The car works well as it is, but does not seem to fit in quite as well as it works.
The new Fiesta is surprisingly comfortable inside. The Dashboard is laid out a bit like a Japanese robot face, but once inside, it seems fairly easy to figure out your way around. The base model comes with no CD player, but does include an aux-in port for mp3 players. The SE adds the CD player and tilt and telescoping steering wheel, and the SEL and SES trims come standard with the Ford SYNC infotainment system. The storage space in the Fiesta is a bit smaller than similar models like the Honda Fit, but still enough to get most in-city drivers what they need.
The base model 2011 Ford Fiesta starts at $13,320 MSRP, but you won’t get any special offers at a dealership right now. Dealers are selling these at a premium, not even entertaining offers below MSRP. A fully optioned SES will run you about $17,120. Is it worth the price? If you live in a big city where you need to squeeze into spots, you may opt for this baby in front of other similarly priced cars, such as the Mazda3. But it’s real place on American streets seems very limited. Unless young, hip, urban socialites take up the Fiest banner this may end up being a car with a lot of buzz and little bang in the long run.
The CLK cabriolet is heading out into the sunset following its coupe sibling to be replaced by the new E-class cabriolet. This new Mercedes-Benz convertible still feels like a CLK, which is to say a cross between a C-class and E-class sedan. Heavy, rakishly styled, with mediocre power and gas mileage.
Expect to pay over $60k for a base model E550 cabriolet, as the coupe is coming off with a $55k price tag. The E350 will likely come in around the mid-50k’s.