Paul Acres

Out

tail pipes that flank the large rear diffuser. Air intakes are larger than on the standard car, as are the side sills, and the honeycomb lattice grille is new.

The interior is dark, sombre even, but if you can live with that – and you can, trust me – then you’ll enjoy what is a very, very classy cabin.

The layout is beautifully simple and the fit and finish impeccable.

There’s no screen in the centre of the dashboard and there are no analogue dials in the instrument binnacle. What you get instead is Audi’s Virtual Cockpit. It’s a full-width high resolution full colour LCD screen that displays digital gauges – that can be minimised – along with the sat nav or any other information that the driver requires.

You also get an additional screen beyond what you would see in a lesser TT that puts the rev counter and digital speedometer right in the centre of the instrument binnacle,.

Audi’s multimedia interface infotainment system, found here in MMI Navigation Plus configuration, provides access to the excellent sat nav and Audi Connect services with Google Maps and Street View destination input.

Performance is nothing short of sensational. It would be easy to describe the TT RS as frighteningly fast but, the truth is, it isn’t. Not frightening at least. The truth is, the way it puts down its power is sublime, so linear, so controlled that it can disguise just how rapidly speed is being accumulated.

And it is rapid. Keep your foot to the floor and 100mph will arrive in just 8.4 seconds.

You’ll swap ratios using Audi’s S Tronic seven-speed dual clutch automatic gearbox and it’s an absolute delight.

The TT RS feels compact and agile. The electrically-assisted steering with its varying ratio – faster on lock than straight ahead – is direct and precise.

Audi’s Drive Select lets you choose the mode to suit your mood. There’s four to choose from – Comfort, Efficiency, Dynamic and Individual – but aside from a brief foray into comfort and efficiency territory I spent most of my time in Dynamic mode.

The ride is firm, even in Comfort mode – why would you expect anything else – but despite that firmness the TT RS deals with smaller imperfections with aplomb. It’s only when things really start to get rough that its limitations are exposed.

The TT RS is not perfect – perfection is overrated anyway – but it does so much so well that it’s impossible not to forgive the minor flaws that it does have.