2009 Audi TTS Review (video)

It no longer looks like an overturned bathtub, and with the 'S' badge now available fixed to the Audi TT, no one's going to be dissing its numbers, either.

The new TTS has both its looks and performance cemented in place. It's cheaper than a Cayman, more useful than an SLK, and even more urgent and energetic that its similarly-priced cousin, the S5.

The new TTS has both its looks and performance cemented in place.

TTS is also the only one of its direct competitors to offer all wheel drive-- so you don't have to give it a painful 'bye-bye' at the end of every October you own it.

Grab the camera phones
One could gush about the TTS's lines and shapes as easily as they could reference its potentially humorous name. Here's an example, instead.

Driving through some mid-afternoon gridlock on the 401 near North York, no fewer than 4 drivers slowed beside the TTS to take photos with their camera cell phones. Words like 'sick', 'wicked' and 'phat' were tossed around, as were thumbs-up and approving nods.

Snottier brands don't get this sort of reaction. Maybe folks thought (rightly) that the TTS was a baby R8. Regardless-- the big wheels, tiny body and wide, planted stance attract the eyes of other motorists like a flaming train wreck.

This is a four?
If you don't like attention or having your picture plastered all over someone's MySpace, a huge gap between you and the offending photographer is a mere throttle-jab away. Click up a few downshifts from the dual-clutch gearbox and plant the go pedal, and TTS scrambles away like someone jammed the business-end of a tazer into its left buttock.

Things get moving furiously after just a touch of first-gear turbo-lag. The intoxicating sound, lightning gearchanges and associated exhaust burps thereafter suck up all your attention. Good luck trying to wipe the smirk off your face after a romp through first, second and third.

Drive gently, and mileage frequently dips into 'impressive' territory. The tester often required only about 10L /100km of high-grade during my mid-February test drive.

The intoxicating sound, lightning gearchanges and associated exhaust burps thereafter suck up all your attention.