Road Review: Audi TTS (2016) quattro

Johannesburg’s weather got its act together during the road review of the 2016 Audi TTS. After weeks of scorching temperatures, desperate prays for rain were answered and chaos on the roads ensued. Muddy torrents carried a litany of sharp debris down the road and deep puddles gave us the chance to test the TTS’ noisy but effective windscreen wipers.  This is quattro weather –  the TTS remained composed and revelled in the challenge despite being the smallest car on the road.

Audi TTS quattro driven in South Africa

Last year we drove the entry level front-wheel drive Audi TT and decreed that the two-door sports car finally possessed the driving talents to reinforce what has always been a beguiling exterior.  At the time we went as far as to say that its leaner frame was more rewarding than the flagship quattro – a belief echoed by our peers.

Primarily because of its limited numbers, the second incarnation of Audi TTS (introduced circa 2008) doesn’t have much of a reputation on the streets of South Africa. This could change with the latest version based on a lightweight MQB chassis, sleek metal pulled tightly over short overhangs and wired with driver systems that are only now finding their way into other models, at a premium price. If nothing else Audi TTS offers further proof of the brand’s bottomless resources to infuse base products with mind-blowing performance week in and week out.

The 2016 Audi TTS with power peaking to 210kW and 380Nm wouldn’t be nearly as effective in front-wheel drive even with the mother of all limited slip differentials. Like in the Audi S3, quattro and S tronic forms the car’s veritable backbone propelling it to 100km/h in 4.8 seconds, marginally slower than the bigger-engined Audi RS3 but with the racy thrill that stems from sitting closer to the ground – 10mm closer in this case. While its smaller cylinder count subdues some of the noise, those quad pipes sound splendid at high revs but TTS won’t tarnish its suave image by producing pops and crackles on downshifts.

Like all fast Audis it stamps out these times consistently and with little fuss, and crucially does so in all conditions without traction control spoiling the fun.  These qualities are hard baked into every Audi recipe, the difference is the TTS brings out a grin through a powertrain that remains a little raw at the extremes. In dynamic mode increased torque is shovelled to the rear axle and while that’s a claim Audi has made far too casually in the past, the TTS won’t give the driver the same outcome to every corner.

Audi virtual cockpit

Audi TTS is fitted with 19-inch wheels, aluminium wing mirrors, new grille, surrounded by larger intakes, and quad pipes. The wing rises up at speed or, as we routinely did before, manually activated from a button alongside the auto start/stop.

Those are about the only buttons in the entire car. TT was the first Audi to introduce virtual cockpit, eschewing the retractable centre screen in the process. Controls for the climate sit within the circular vents and they’re still such a convenient idea we can’t understand why it hasn’t been copied. Audi TTS is fitted with electric seats, sports seats, cruise control, LED lighting, keyless entry and flat bottom steering wheel with Alcantara.

Audi’s plan to group the driver’s information into a 12.3-inch customisable screen which is accessed via MMI and steering controls has one major drawback. The pared-back cabin isolates the passenger and prevents him from having any interaction with the car. Duties are never shared in the Audi TTS and that can be place unwanted demands on the driver.

This segment is on the verge of growing one new competitor. Marching over the horizon is the 4-cylinder turbo charged Porsche 718 (being launched in April 2016) with a similar specification chart to the Audi TTS’, but offered with rear-wheel drive and a convertible option. We’ll be at that launch and with TTS fresh in our minds its bound to get heated. Verdict soon.