Audi TT RS fires in

Since the first TT garnered a reputation for being far more a posing chariot than a driving tool, Audi has gradually chipped away at it with ever sharper versions - culminating in this: the TT RS.

What's all the fuss about?

This is the first TT to wear the coveted RS badge; the first TT was never a good enough basis for the treatment. There's coupé and cabriolet versions, powered by a 2.5-litre five-cylinder engine pushing out 335bhp and sprinting to 62mph in 4.6 seconds (0.1 more for the drop-top). It gets quattro four-wheel drive as standard and is built on an aluminium space frame to keep weight down, which means it will achieve 30.7mpg if you drive like a saint.

Anything that stands out?

It's also the first RS badged Audi to get a five-cylinder engine since the Quattro coupés of the '80s. That's very nice and everything, but of more tangible interest is the 'Sport' button that sharpens up the throttle response and 'enriches' the exhaust note (Audi's word, not ours - we'd say 'turns up'). Owners can also de-restrict the 155mph speed limiter to raise it to 174mph, which is of course more a bragging right thing than anything else.

When can I buy one?

From late March. A coupé will cost £42,980 and the Roadster an extra £2,000. That's serious money, but then this is a serious car; Audi has gone to great lengths to make the TT RS a proper performance car. Heck, despite it's power you can sill turn the ESP off fully for some proper four-wheel drifts, if you're into that sort of thing. We can't wait to drive it.

(Extra images by United Pictures)

Mark Nichol