As exhilarating as it is german!

It isn’t often that an already iconic car becomes, well, more iconic. But that’s the expectation for Audi’s soon-to-be-released TTS.

Audi’s original ‘game changer’ first hit the market in 1998 and the marque hasn’t looked back. The TT’s signature styling and high-end performance quickly established it as one of the most ‘in-demand’ sports cars in Australia. Look out! The newest automotive iteration will bring owners closer to Germanic perfection than ever.

Whilst it’s little brother (the base TT) offers a pretty impressive power plant, the TTS uses clever technology to squeeze even greater performance from under the hood. The turbo boost delivers 228kW of exhilarating power and 380Nm of torque from the same engine! Little wonder there’s a wait-list!

Thomas Moegelin, Dealer Principal of Audi Centre Sydney, says the anticipation for the TTS is palpable with customers.

“I have been with Audi for many years and cannot recall such anticipation and interest in a new model. The TT has a legion of fans but that is only going to grow when people see the TTS. It’s one of the most innovative and exciting looking Audis for quite some time.”

There have been some significant innovations made to the TTS not least of which, is the moving of the centre console screen from the middle of the dash, to the driver’s binnacle (the bit behind the steering wheel). Aesthetically, the TTS remains fairly true to its predecessors, however the Audi stylists have beefed up the front of the car with a significant and imposing looking grill that has obvious links to the R8. Basically, it’s one sexy beast and it’s as impressive to look at, as it is to drive. Claimed performance is impressive, with Audi claiming the little pocket rocket will reach 62mph in just 4.6 seconds with top speed “capped” at 155mph. And it’s in Quattro (four wheel drive) mode all the time, meaning it doesn’t just hug the road, it sticks to it like white on rice.

“We have already taken a number of orders and there hasn’t been word from Germany yet as to how many cars it will release”, gushes Moegelin. “There is huge demand and we expect this car will have Porsche Cayman buyers questing which way to go?”

There is no doubt the TTS will eat into market share of a number of other European brands’ offerings and it is expected to quickly (and substantially) add to the half a million TT cars made since the model’s release.

“We have customers who are telling us they are literally keeping a calendar in anticipation of the TTS’ arrival in September” adds Moegelin.

If there is a criticism of the car, and it’s a real stretch to find one, it might come from the passenger seat. That’s because the TTS is unapologetically focussed around the driver, with all the key instruments pointed decidedly towards the right-hand seat. It simply means the passenger can’t access any information without leaning into the driver’s space, but not too many drivers if any, are going to want to share the pleasure of piloting one of these bad boys! Audi has created an unashamedly ‘driver-focussed’ vehicle. Notwithstanding, both the driver and front passenger, enjoy an increased interior space in the new model, though the rear seating is as much for show as it is for actually ferrying passengers and it’s unlikely, unless they’re very short, that any adult passenger would want to be squeezed in the rear for very long. But that was never the intention, and like so many two door thoroughbreds today, this isn’t a taxi!

In fact, Audi is so focussed on improving the driving experience in the TTS it has invented its own word to describe the marriage of the car’s interior and infotainment system; “simplexity”. Moegelin says the objective from headquarters has been to ‘improve functionality, whilst keeping the interior very simple’ and Audi has nailed it.

It’s also attempted to further appease drivers by increasing the interior space and whilst that doesn’t extend to back seat passengers, it does mean you can pack more in the boot for longer trips. With the seats up, the boot space is a reasonable if not generous 305 litres, but with the 60:40 seats folded down, it expands to a very spacious and usable 712 litres, meaning there isn’t much, smaller than a generously proportioned pony, you can’t fit in.

The car is expected to hit our shores September/October with a price tag likely to come in at $100,000.