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Quietly, almost reluctantly, Audi is at last introducing us to the true sporty heart of its iconic TT coupe and roadster. Driving-wise, the TT has never been all it could be, though this second-generation TT comes a lot closer to holistic maturity than the schoolboyish original package. This TTS version has been anticipated for some time now, but Audi just slid it in without fanfare at the 2008 North American International Auto Show this past January.

In April of 2005, near the end of the first-generation TT’s model run, we went to Ingolstadt to drive the terrific TT Quattro Sport edition with only the two front seats, a 236-horsepower version of the infamous 1.8-liter turbo engine, and 165 fewer pounds of weight to haul around. This model sadly never came to North America, and it was a small revelation that came a bit too late to rally the attention it deserved.

By late November of this year, however, Audi aims to make up for all of this by importing as many of the new TTS coupes as possible. The very latest-tech TFSI 2.0-liter has recently counted among its accolades the 2008 International Engine of the Year crown within its displacement class. We are very pleased with the way the TTS drives; at last it makes the TT a hot-blooded sports car. It also renders the current 247-horsepower 3.2-liter V-6 engine useless, except if a buyer thinks anything less than a V-6 is for wimps.

We hopped into our TTS tester anticipating something like the former TT’s Quattro Sport, but what we got was a whole new feel we thought we would never be allowed by Audi. North American TTS coupes and roadsters will arrive with 265 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque getting you to 60 miles per hour in just under five seconds flat. This is roughly a second quicker than the old Quattro Sport. Among the many advantages of the TTS is that it weighs almost exactly the same as that former pre-Audi Space Frame car—3120 pounds as equipped with the S-Tronic six-speed dual-clutch transmission. No manual transmissions are scheduled for North American TTS delivery.

The overall behavior of the TTS is staunch, sporting, and nimble. This engine is helpful in getting the TT out of the cute part of our brains. Each time we breathed on the throttle, the response was right there, and not in a jittery fashion. We actually caught ourselves in the rearview mirror having saucer eyes over it all. For the sake of the TTS, the throttle body and software have been modified to create this newfound punch. In addition, the TTS benefits from a more urgently reacting edition of Quattro all-wheel drive, and this permits faster exits from curves where TTs have traditionally pushed through like hippos.

Another special flavor mixed into the TTS is the larger and lighter Borg-Warner KKK turbocharger supported by an equally larger and faster-flowing air-to-air intercooler capable of maximum boost pressure of 17.4 psi (versus the standard 197-horsepower 2.0 TFSI with 10.2 psi max). This, together with the happier throttle, gives us much of the sports-car jump we have looked for. In addition, all steering knuckles have been given better bearings so as to tighten up response, and power assistance is right on the money whether we’re bombing the autobahn or getting dynamic on a B-road.

The normally optional Audi Magnetic Ride comes standard on the TTS, too, so the chassis feedback is just as we would wish it whether in sport mode over smooth roads or in normal mode over anything else, and AMR’s lower ride height (four-tenths of an inch) helps to explain the greater nimbleness we’re feeling. Finally, the TTS has mounted standard the two-stage ESP, which allows a second, sportier mode that can lead to pretty nice tail-out drifts if we locate a barren parking lot big enough.

One more nod to the TTS’s brand of newfound quickness is the crisper shifting S-Tronic six-speed gearbox with sport mode. We’ve criticized the slight sluggishness of either the R-Tronic or S-Tronic shifting in certain Audis, but for this TT-sized package the ECU times it right.

Aesthetics get special in the TTS with the S-line exterior package, standard eighteen-inch wheels with moderately rigid Michelin Pilot Sport tires (nineteen-inch available as an option), and larger front air intakes. Inside, a few handsome top-of-the-line two-tone leather combinations are available, and the specific S-Tronic lever knob is good-looking as well.

This second-generation TT design has really grown on us; it’s good to see a factory-issue TT finally live up to the promise of the design. About 10 percent of total TT production will be of the TTS variety, and the U.S. is expected to be a hot market. Look for pricing to begin at around $43,000.

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Magazine Issue: Winding Road Issue 34