Taking the 2019 Audi TTS back to its spiritual home

I can't really lie. When the TT first came out, despite what everyone else had to say about it, the styling of it left me a little bit cold. Sure it was a great handling sports car with a cracking interior, but the exterior didn't really do it for me. Then the third generation came along and all of a sudden my mind was changed. I felt completely in love with the TT. And now for this year, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the TT no less, They've made a few more changes to the exterior styling and a few adaptations to the drive train, to make it even better than the car I fell in love with before. TT is for the Tourist Trophy, it's for the Isle of Man. And that's where Audi have taken us today, to the home of the TT, to experience the new car, have a bit of fun, and fall in love all over again. [MUSIC] The car I had at my disposal on the island was the new TTS, which I got in the competition spec. Which amongst a few other trim touches, added a nifty fixed rear wing. And if there's something that gets this boy excited, it's a fixed rear wing. Those subtle changes are mainly around the front and rear corners where some of the edges have been smoothed out and the addition of front and rear vents give an overall great look even if they are unfortunately fake. The front fascia has completely reshaped the front split Has this continuous line which gives a brother stand on the road. [UNKNOWN] it feels more balanced than it ever had. Interior as well is typical Audi feel. Although the screen right in front of you on the steering wheel has all the bells and whistles you might want, the rest of the cabin is kept clean, apart from the three really prominent vents right here in the middle, there isn't much else to distract you from what's dead in. Sensor in front of your eyes. It's not just some subtle tweaks of the styling that separate this car from the outgoing model. The new TTS has itself a new two meter turbocharged four-cylinder engine could for just over 300 horsepower and 295 pounds feet of torque, zero to 62 is four and half seconds. And you can go up through the seven speed S tronic gearbox To a limited to speed of 155 miles an hour. If I was well short of the perfomance of the top of the line RS version of the TT but it's certainly enough to get you off the line and up to some pretty entertaining speed swiftly. We've got the astraunic gear box here, which you can use to shift yourself, but it's very eager to get back control. Control itself and several times would have been going up and down this straight at speeds. I lamented the fact that it's grabbed a higher gear when I wanted to hold on just that little bit longer. Even though it says I'm in manual mode. The paddle shifters on Audis are always something to complain about. These little plastic things here Don't really give you much of a sensation of anything. You never really feel you've pulled it properly, and it doesn't give changing gear any kind of drama whatsoever. But the shifts are quick enough and responsive. And if you can around the fact that the car is trying to second guess you, it can still be a lot of fun. Even if you keep it in the automatic mode, it will pick the right gear for you most of the time in dynamic mode Responding to your foot and dropping where needed. Handling wise, the TT still provides you with everything the package has always wanted to deliver. The wheel push right out to the corners. And then, short wheel base give you the brilliant handling that out here on the mountain roads on the island That meant really coming in to their own. That name TT really starts to make sense right here on the island. The driving modes allow you dial this in to exactly what you want it to be. Personally, I prefer everything in dynamic with the exception of the suspension. It isn't too firm in it's most dynamic setting, but softening it up just gives you a more pleasurable drive and allows you to feel the way Weight transfer just that little bit more, drive on the throttle a little bit more carefully. And it's a little less unforgiving. [MUSIC] Now Audi is actually Latin for listen. And in the terrible choice you're listening might not necessarily be the [UNKNOWN] the most fulfilled, but you still get that nice hollow, throaty roar, deep in. In the background, but you have to keep your foot buried to hear it. [BLANK_AUDIO] The latest version of Audi's Quattro all-wheel drive system keeps you pretty planted through the twisties, and when pushing it through some tight mountain bends, I didn't experience any under steer issue. Which is good because even though the car gripped really well, the steering felt a little numb. Where I would have preferred a lot of communication coming back through the wheel, it felt more detached than you would want when pushing the car. Even in its most dynamic mode, it didn't quite sharpen up enough for my liking. Equally, the throttle response was slightly hesitant when planting your foot, coming out of corners. But neither issue was enough to take too much away from the overall experience. The brilliant grip and ample power were certainly enough to keep the smile on your face from drooping even a tiny bit. And isn't that all a sports car really has [UNKNOWN] Today, put a smile on your face and maybe allow you to skip a heart beat or two. I'm driving the TT, on the TT circuit, I'm the [UNKNOWN] of man. Sometimes, things just makes sense. So the changes in the new TTS are small but frankly, it didn't need to change much to still be a great car. Although I haven't fallen in love all over again, it's been a great reminder of how brilliant the TTs always was. [BLANK_AUDIO]