Overview Limited-edition compact all-wheel-drive sports coupe
Pros Excellent handling, quattro, far less expensive than a Porsche 911
Cons Dated interior, paint job a police magnet
Value for money Good
What would I change? New 2016 TT should address any concerns
Well, you might as well have painted a target on my back. The local constabulary is having one of its semi-regular crackdowns on scofflaws, including more radar traps than dandelions on my lawn, and here I am driving an Audi TTS, one of my favourite sports cars. And not just any TTS, mind you, but the limited edition — only 500 produced for worldwide consumption — Competition, one that is as yellow as that annoying weed, complete with a fixed spoiler on the rear deck that could double as a snowboard. Since stealth is out of the question, I actually have to soft-pedal the car. Major drag!
The Competition is Audi’s unofficial farewell to the current TT and TTS — being replaced next year by the all-new 2016 model — and more officially a tarted-up special version supposedly celebrating 500,000 TTs built since the original debuted in 1998. Along with the Imola Yellow paint and rear spoiler, the car sees a wheel upgrade to a 19-inch five-arm design. Inside, special grey leather upholstery with “baseball” stitching in yellow and a “1 of 500” plaque in the door insert are the most obvious cues. This is not a car for shy and retiring types.
2014 Audi TTS quattro Competition
Handout, Audi
The TTS has always struck me as a sports car for people who, for whatever reasons, don’t want to drive Porsche 911s. Indeed, the Audi is basically a backwards 911 Carrera 4, with a front-forward engine position instead of rear-biased and quattro all-wheel-drivetrain. No, the TTS doesn’t have the same panache as its corporate sibling, and the Carrera 4’s 350-horsepower 3.4-litre boxer six-cylinder punches out a substantial 85 more ponies than the TTS’s 2.0L direct-injected turbo four, but, then again, the $63,300 Competition gives you about $40K to spend on something else. And, whatever you might think of its styling, there’s no denying the rounded TTS is as distinctive as the 911 — both of them with designs that have roots in the VW Beetle.
Besides, though not quite as fast, the lightweight TTS isn’t slacking when it comes to acceleration and a sporty ride. It’s a little lazy off the line until the revs build and the turbo spools up — and then it takes off with a rush — and a throaty little pop with each upshift. Oh, I would much prefer the joy of a proper stick shift, but such a mechanism is foreign to the coupe. Instead, the very sophisticated S tronic automatic — with its two clutches, two input shafts and two independent gear clusters — takes care of things with jiffy quick efficiency. And, should you feel the urge to engage the Sport mode and self-shift — via the gear lever or the steering wheel paddles — get it all hooked up right and the coupe will hit 100 kilometres an hour in a tick more than five seconds.
Choosing Sport mode changes the car’s nature in other ways, too, the most obvious being a stiffening of the ride to that very fine line between firm and harsh — depending on road conditions — but enabling the TTS to corner at speed with negligible body roll. The magnetic ride suspension continuously adapts the damping depending on the driving situation, doing so by means of an electronically controlled magnetic field. Normal is more comfortable — although by no means cushy.
2014 Audi TTS quattro Competition
Brian Harper, Driving
Additionally, when Sport is selected, the engine “soundtrack” becomes throatier and the steering feel is more direct.
Naturally, assisting in the TTS’s cornering abilities is Audi’s renowned quattro system. With the ability to send 100% of the drive torque to the front or rear wheels, it can instantaneously adjust to the driver’s needs, depending on road and weather conditions.
As someone who has played softball all his life, I absolutely love the uniqueness of the yellow baseball stitching in the Competition’s seats, along with the complementary regular stitching in the centre console and around the instrument pod. It’s a perfect match for the car’s extreme disposition. The rest of the cozy cabin, though, needs updating. There’s no centre console storage, the navigation screen is on the small side and the Bose audio system has poor AM reception. My daughter also had less than kind words for the front passenger seat, saying she couldn’t find a comfortable sitting position. As for those two rear seats, which makes the TTS a 2+2, treat them as receptacles for whatever won’t fit in the trunk.
None of the above detracts from the fact this TTS is one of the great sports cars of its time. I can’t say I will mourn its passing, though, because it looks like Audi has made the necessary mechanical and cosmetic upgrades with the 2016 model to ensure a continuation of the superb driving experience this version delivers.
2014 Audi TTS quattro Competition
Brian Harper, Driving
The Specs
Type of vehicle All-wheel-drive sports coupe
Engine Turbocharged 2.0L DOHC I4
Power 265 hp @ 6,000 rpm; 258 lb-ft of torque @ 2,500 rpm
Transmission Six-speed manumatic
Brakes Four-wheel disc with ABS
Tires P255/35R19
Price (base/as tested) $63,300/same
Destination charge $1,995
Natural Resources Canada fuel economy (L/100 km) 10.1 city, 7.4 hwy.
Standard features Automatic climate control, Nappa leather seats, power front seats with lumbar adjustment, heated front seats, auto-dimming rear-view mirror with compass, Bose audio system with 12 speakers and satellite radio, power windows and door locks, driver information display, navigation system, Homelink, rain and light sensor, cruise control, adaptive xenon headlights, headlight washers, fog lights, LED tail lights, heated exterior mirrors, rear parking system
Competition Edition: Imola yellow paint, fixed rear spoiler, contrast yellow stitching, 19-inch cast aluminum wheels, multi-function sport leather steering wheel, “1 of 500” interior badge
