With its unique turbo inline-5, 6-speed manual, and Quattro AWD, is the Mk2 TT RS a true driver's car that's worthy of its $30-40K asking price nowadays? / zygrene
I own one of these and I love it. I use it mainly as my GT car. It's a great cruiser. I added a set of billet shifter bracket mounts and it actually improved the shift feel a lot. Out of all the sports cars I currently own this one probably has the worst feeling manual, but I have definitely driven worse as well. As fun GT car, I think the TTRS is great. I also replaced the shocks with a set of Bilsteins and I'm very happy with how it rides (the OEM shocks were blown and cost like $1000 per corner to replace which was a little much. The Bilsteins feel better). Also, the TTRS, to my knowledge, is the only way to get Audi's modern 5 cylinder with a manual.
@kazihossain4344 GT cars are for cruising on the highway. They are meant for long trips. They aren't as fun as drivers cars or sports cars around the race track or curvy mountain roads.
@@judge831 Ah thanks. That's interesting that the og commenter said his ttrs is a GT car for him because I feel like a GT car would ideally have more cabin space and foot room. I guess anything can be a GT car if you try hard enough
Agree 100%. I have a regular 2012 TT DSG bone stock and it’s a hoot to drive. I love it. Like an adult go kart. One of the funniest cars I’ve ever had. I can only imagine how much more fun a RS would be and this review makes it seem ho hum. Like geez how high are people’s standards.
@@austinfrazier7325 Standards are going to be high with an RS car, as it competes directly with the M cars, but Audi's have always been more subdued, and the TTRS is no exception. Still think it makes it a much more livable daily driver, but not as hardcore for those who want a track toy.
Got one of these last year. 2012 Bone stock w/ 16.7k miles. The sport mode exhaust sounds great but coupling it with the stiffer suspension wasn’t a smart move. You literally feel every single imperfection in the road. Great reviewing tone man! None of that over the top eccentric energy. Keep it up man!
I bought one of these after cross shopping with a Cayman S, Focus RS, RS5, and RS4, and one of the biggest factors in my decision, for a mostly daily driven car, is practicality. It checks every box, and still gives me a thrill every time I drive it. Mine is still stock, but I am slowly building my parts list to make it as good as it can be, and it's not very expensive to do so. Shifter bushings to get rid of the slop, stiffer rear sway bay for better rotation, just put on track focused brakes, and will be doing exhaust modifications soon. All in all I would say this car is well worth whatever you pay for it, and I have very few complaints.
As a previous owner of one of these cars I completely agree with the review. One thing that isn't mentioned here is how great the packaging of the car is. You can load a ton of stuff with the hatch and fold down rear bench. In the end, I was glad to be rid of my TTRS since it was all about the engine and everything else about the cars driving experience was mediocre.
@@shotty. Replaced the 2013 TTRS with a 2011 Carrera GTS. Had a few other sports cars since I got the Carrera GTS, but always kept it. Right now I have a 2021 Audi TTS and the same Carrera GTS I got almost a decade ago. The updated 3rd generation TT/TTS/TTRS is quite an improvement in handling. This final generation of TT models will rotate and it's quite a good car to drive now. Would suggest a 3rd generation TTS over a 2nd generation TTRS. Handling is that much improved.
I have a 2020. Steering is still numb but it is fast! Old school turbo lag. Not a track car in my opinion but as a daily, it’s really versatile and enjoyable.
I used to own a 2009 TTRS that I modified for track use. I agree that steering is quite bad, too light in slow speed and no real feel whatsoever. But with som simple mods the gearbox feel was actually really good and with girodisc rotors and PFC pads (+cooling) the brakes were really good both in feel and bite. This TTRS was way faster than both my m3E46 and FK8 all with similar mods and CUP2s on my local track.
@@big-R okay, I see your point. I'm personally not into them either, but I was thinking that as a car to DD or enjoy semi-regularly, $35k isn't too bad given the current options available.
Nice see I used to have a Mk5 R32 with that same VI6 but I wanted a manual, more aluminum, and lower and lighter car. So I test drove a TT VI6 M/T. Unfortunately what I found is the handling somehow wasn't better and the sound was severely worse than R32 exhaust notes (can be fixed I'm sure). The manual wasn't that much better than the R32's hardcore DSG either (DSG today is a softie). Needless to say I didn't trade in my R for it.
Interesting take. I drove a friends MK3 TT-S last year and was blown away by it. I’m a manual snob, so I knew if I had the handling of the MK3 with a third pedal, it would be the perfect combination. As a result, I assumed that this car would be similar to the MK3, and I’ve held it on a pedestal for the past year. I’ve never been able to see one of these cars in person or ride in one though, so maybe it’s one of those situations where you don’t want to meet your heroes. I’d assume that the braking and shifter vagueness issue could be fixed with bigger pistons or a short shifter, but needing to modify the car to get more engagement feel isn’t exactly ideal. Great video. Does your friend who owns the car have his own channel?
This TTRS needs a rear sway bar, real pads, and that clutch throwout bearing needs to be replaced. Small things make a huge difference…I’m biased though.
Not everyone appreciates a 90db engine drone right behind their head. The cayman is loud! And impractical. The TT is a hatchback with lots of room for luggage and no engine drone in your ears.
I think I concur with your assessment about the engine vs "the rest". But what if the price was $21k(currently for sale in Vancouver area: $29,500 cad). That leaves a lot $$$ for lighter wheels, better brakes and suspension. I think that would make for a very decent track experience.
I had 2 cars with a squeaky clutch like this. We tried everything to fix it. Even replaced the CMC on one & it came back fast. Giving me flashbacks lol
It's a fast, nice-looking car with a very special engine note. But I could hardly tell it was AWD. The driving dynamics is somehow similar to the GTi (front biased, under-steer).
I love the sound of the 5 cylinder, but at the end of the day it's a really nice Golf. I mean that in the best possible way, but it's not the right car for someone who wants a sports car.
Disappointing to hear about this model's manual. I wonder what you would think about the newer gen models with the dual clutch? These are on my short list of daily drivers I would like to own one day. The 5 cylinder sounds amazing paired with the right exhaust and a bolt on intercooler and tune can easily see north of 500 HP. Just don't tell anyone else 'cause I want one for myself 😜
@@kaijchen5894 I see your point, but if someone already owns two manual cars, what's wrong with having an easy and fast auto for daily driving and traffic duties?
Think of it as a two door European WRX. I sold my well modded WRX to get into one of these and like the WRX, it needs some loving attention in the aftermarket to get it feel sorted for sporty or track driving
I'd be very interested to know, out of everything you've driven, what top 3 or 5 cars tick that cohesive package box the best. That could make an interesting video, given your vast driving experience!
Tbh not totally. I own one and use it as a dailydriver. Love it and it fulfills what i want from a (daily)car, relatively cost efficient and super powerfull, but the handling is just too easy. That sometimes make me drive it like a maniac, because under 2xx KMH it doesn’t give that extra feeling…. And ofc i just don’t want to drive like a ticking bomb, even though I am in the wild eastern europe :D
Strange conclusions unless the car you were driving is broken. I used to have a Toyota 86 and replaced it with a base model TT and the performance difference was staggering. Left the 86 in the dust and that was a 2 litre. The RS is a proper weapon and it looks like you don't no how to drive it. Probably not as good as an 86 if you want to go drifting.
It's an ancient PQ35 platform, it does not worth a shit. It's impossible to do any updates there, so forget about installing lane assist, travel assist, side assist, 12 parking sensors, digital cockpit, signs recognition. 3rd gen on the MQB platform is a kick ass one, you can update it like Lego 😂
I love experiencing different cars, so short term trades make sense for me.
Год назад
Loved the review! I currently own this exact car and I totally agree with your statement compared to the other cars I have. I heard you rev match pretty easily. How easy do you think heal and toe is on this car? I personally can't do it (brakes are too sensitive) and can't rev match from 3rd to 2nd well either. 90% is probably my fault but wondering what your experience was :) Keep up the good work!
Based on a hand full of sour models over the past few decades and shared platforms with VW hatches and sedans, Audi earned a bad rep for their "sports car" brand. For all it's badging and upgrades, the '13 TT RS still sits on a 35 yr old design Mc-strut front suspension, and is fundamentally the same PQ45 platform as the VW Golf, Jetta, and Beetle. If I were spending $40K on a 10 yr old sports car, I'd want a better return on investment, and would go with an F10 M5 for $30K and do a KW coil-over suspension kit.
Maybe the Focus RS, at 30-35K, seems like a better overall package. I drove a TT-s the other day and was very disappointed with it. I haven't been in a TT-RS, but if the difference is only a better engine.......that isn't enough.
im driving a friend's 2wd dsg TT 2.0 tfsi with a body shift adjustable shocks and xyz's 6 port bbk for almost a month now, put aside the negative points, all i can say at best the car feels like my 1995 proton satria or known as mitsubishi mirage cyborg which was made in japan then assembled in my country as a rebadged, let's ignore the powerplant in my car because i've also driven other proton satria in many other engine configurations and personally i prefer the lighter ones mainly for its handling & front heavy bias nature. so talking about this mk2 TT with its stiffer chassis compared even to a stock mk1 4wd TT, its a tiring car to daily, its lazy in D and confusingly harsh in S with stock factory tune, rolling on 19/30/255 wrapped all around, it is plagued with torque steer & wheel spins as well, with plenty of down low power all the way to the top, its wrong to compare this against a cayman even without a pdk, not even with a mitsubishi evo3 stock or modified, or my proton satria, period
Same conclusions for me too, drove a APR Stage 3 manual with AP Race Brakes. Fast…but disjointed. Laggier than I expected with drop off near redline. Point and shoot weapon though. I will say the interior experience as a road car combined with that motor is special. It’s just not a real sports, and that’s okay!
I'd love to review a Z4M on the street. I've tracked a Z4M ST4 racecar but curious how a stock or lightly modded example feels, especially compared to E46 M3.
@@pchae1 Imagine if he bought one... now THAT would make interesting content 😎 Not a car you see a lot of RU-vidrs build, since it needs a couple things to go from GT to proper sports coupe. If I had my way with one though... in my mind you could build one of the finest modern sports cars out of it. And they're gaining in value rapidly... Just saying Zygrene
This is a tuner car just like any other, it needs a ton of mods as much as it's vw counterparts. A simple dog bone mount is a disservice to the amount of changes it needs to become truly alive. The one benefit I think the RS had was the dampers. They were pretty amazing from stock. But everything else desperately needed modifications.
So it's not a real quattro, no TT model or generation is. It's not the same all wheel drive system that other Audi Quattro models have (which is full-time AWD with a torsen differential).
