Audi TT (Mk3, 2014 - 2023) – performance and 0-60
All TT variants are quick, with even the lowliest model hitting 62mph in 6.6sec
Although the base-model TT feels and sounds a little flat, it delivers impressive acceleration figures, with the entry-level 40TFSI reaching 62mph in 6.6sec, and the 45TFSI quattro in 5.2sec.
As with most Audis, you can adjust the demeanour of the car via the Driver Select menu. Pre-defined Comfort, Auto and Dynamic modes tailor the dampers, steering and engine in the usual fashion, or you can have it your own way and mix-match the various settings to your individual taste, something we’ll come back to later.
The range-topping TTS is next quickest. Some 50kg lighter than the previous model, its 2.0-litre TFSI engine puts out 316bhp and 295lb ft of torque – good enough to enable the car to sprint to 62mph in 4.5sec and on to a limited 155mph top speed.
The acceleration figures are certainly quick enough to put the TTS ahead of its closest rivals (a Porsche 718 Cayman takes 4.7sec even with a PDK ’box and Sport Chrono pack) and while the Audi’s four-pot isn’t stirringly musical, there’s a pleasing edge to its voice under load and you do get a crackle of aural fireworks on a trailing throttle. The engine pulls cleanly and strongly, with a linear delivery for a turbocharged unit.
The TT RS is by some margin the quickest TT, reaching 62mph in just 3.7sec. It's a fantastic engine too, with a spine-tingling whip-crack soundtrack that elevates the RS to another level above the TTS.
Performance might even exceed Audi's own claims, with a brief test on the RS's launch revealing a 3.4 second sprint to 60mph. Either way, the engine and gearbox is a potent combination, delivering near-supercar performance in the TT RS.