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.