Audi TT RS: Performance Car of the Year 2018 6th Place

We all know ‘That Guy’.

Up at 5.30am for a quick 50km bike ride and a swim, knocks out 50 push-ups before swilling a wheatgerm smoothie and pouring himself into the most perfectly cut suit ever to go to his glass-walled office. And yet, no-one really knows who he is.

Audi confirms the Audi TT is dead

On paper, it’s got the wood on a lot of genuine performance cars – 0.4sec quicker to 100km/h than a Mercedes-AMG C63 S, anyone? – for less money, but it’s almost like it wears a cloak of anonymity. It stands out in the 2018 PCOTY field a bit, though… but then again, without Lambos and Ferraris cluttering the place up, that’s easier to do.

Once regarded as Audi’s design enfant terrible, the TT moved ever closer to A4-esque territory with the launch of the third version last year, and in so doing gave away some of its charm.

Around the track, it typically leads with its Haldex AWD-equipped nose, but it handles direction changes very, very well. There’s lots of mumbo supplied with gusto, too, from the latest version of Audi’s amazing 2.5-litre straight-five, complete with alloy block.

What a motor – urgent, angry, seamless and so, so strong around the short chutes of Winton. On the road, though, it comes over as very clinical, despite that fabulous five-pot soundtrack frightening wildlife into sterility.

So despite its potential, sixth place is the best it can muster, with judges marking it down for liveability across the board, and a couple (Morley, Newman) hammering it for a lack of dynamic ability to match that powertrain.

It’s a somewhat surprising result given its stats, but while everyone likes the TT RS very much, it’s too hard to love it.

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2018 AUDI TT RS SPECS: Body: 3-door, 2+2-seat hatch Drive: all-wheel Engine: 2480cc inline-5, DOHC, 20v, turbo Bore/Stroke: 82.5 x 92.8mm Compression ratio: 10.1:1 Power: 294kW @ 5850-7000rpm Torque: 480Nm @ 1700-5850rpm Power/Weight: 204kW/tonne Transmission: 7-speed dual-clutch Kerb weight: 1440kg Suspension: struts, coil springs, adaptive dampers, anti-roll bar (f); multi-links, coil springs, adaptive dampers, anti-roll bar (r) Brakes: 370mm ventilated/drilled discs, 8-piston calipers (f); 310mm ventilated/drilled discs, 4-piston calipers (r) Wheels: 20.0 x 9.0-inch (f/r) Tyres Sizes: 255/30 ZR20 (f/r) Tyres: Yokohama Advan Sport Price: $137,611

0-100km/h: 3.59sec (3rd) 0-400m: 11.75sec @ 191.89km/h (3rd)

Morley – 8th The hottest TT is still a TT for me – I just couldn’t own it.

Campbell – 10th Like a baby R8, in speed and noise. Just a bit bit one dimensional to drive fast.

Newman – 6th Crazy fast, lots of character, but the Cayman shows what it’s missing.

Robson – 7th Weird mix of emotional and clinical. That engine is ace, but chassis doesn’t allow much fun.

Reynolds – 6th Great engine, go-kart feel, would be almost perfect if it didn’t look like a TT.

JUDGES’ SCOREBOARD