Performance
The last-generation TTS struggled a teeny bit for engagement, but mostly for ride quality. It was harder than a wall and almost unbearable in dynamic mode. Thankfully the 2019 TTS has calmed this down. Yes, it’s still very firm, and this could become slightly irritating on longer journeys, but it’s no longer unbearable. The ride is now more in line with other modern performance cars, rather than feeling like a torture device. That means the car is suppler on a cruise, but also that at speed it feels less terrifying to chuck into a corner, no longer leaving that niggling feeling of uncertainty, worrying about what might happen if you were to hit an unexpected bump.
The Quattro all-wheel-drive system, controlled by a fancy haldex clutch, has been a hallmark of the TT since it first arrived, and it’s in the latest TT that it really comes into its own. Sure, the TT isn’t the most heart-stopping vehicle to hurl into a corner, but it’s one that you can point into a turn and power through. The TTS feels like it’s on rails if the tarmac is smooth, with just a traditional whiff of understeer in the mid corner.
Power delivery from the turbocharged 2.0-litre inline-four is excellent, especially in dynamic mode, with the TT now pushing 306PS (302bhp) and delivering 400Nm (295lb ft) of torque from 2,000rpm.
Moving through the gears the seven-speed dual-clutch ‘box is the very definition of seamless, albeit, like many systems, a bit slow on the uptake in manual mode. The TTS will now hit 62mph in 4.5 seconds, blurring the lines rapidly between sports and super... All tied together the TTS is preposterously fast for something sub-supercar, and makes you wonder what the TTRS’s purpose could be.