This new 2009 Audi TTS goes up against Boxsters and lower-end Caymans. It's more accelerative than either, thanks to its punchy 265-horsepower, 2.0-liter turbo engine, a development of the direct-injection entry-level 200-horse TT unit. The 0-to-62 dash takes just 5.2 seconds, helped by the brilliant fast-changing S-tronic paddle-shift gearbox, formerly known as DSG. It's quicker than the Euro-standard six-speed conventional manual (not offered in the U.S.) and delivers better gas mileage, too.
It's an easy car to drive briskly, always a forte with the TT. The S-tronic gearbox is auto-transmission simple, the steering is light, visibility is surprisingly good for a car that places your backside just a foot or so above the road, and handling is secure in the wet or the dry thanks to the standard quattro four-wheel drive.
By some margin, the 2009 Audi TTS is the most agile, fastest, and most entertaining TT of all, and you can thread together corners with real fluency and verve.