Audi is unleashing a special edition TTS, with RS looks and lashings of equipment. The TTS Limited Edition commemorates the iconic Audi smashing the 500,000 sales barrier, in its fifteenth year on sale. Priced from £38,860 for the coupe and £42,320 for the roadster, the special TTS costs £2815 or £4115 more than its coupe or roadster equivalent, but Audi claims the cars get an extra £5665 of kit to tempt punters. Only 500 will be sold, with 120 coming to the UK.
Does this TTS live up to its special edition billing?
It’s a regular TTS under the skin, which means a 268bhp 2.0-litre engine, 0-62mph in 5.3 seconds, and 36.7mpg with the S-tronic transmission. The limited TTS comes in two colours: nimbus grey tin-tops and Imola yellow drop-tops. Other cosmetic changes include the fixed wing pilfered from the flagship TT RS, and upgraded 19-inch wheels. The TTS Limited Edition is available as a six-speed manual as well as with the S-tronic twin clutch transmission.
How high’s the gadget count?
The Limited Edition model has a heap of driver aids and extras to upsell you from the ordinary TTS. Audi Music Interface iPod connection, parking sensors and DVD-based satnav are standard on these models, as is the upgraded BOSE sound system. There’s also novel grey and yellow ‘baseball’ stitching, though they look a little like Frankenstein’s monster’s scars to us. A 1-in-500 plaque will eternally denote your decision not to buy an RS or wait for Audi’s all-new, third-gen TT arriving in showrooms by summer 2014.
Should I wait or take the plunge?
The all-new TT will adopt a more aluminium-intensive structure to trim weight by 60kg, power comes from fourpot petrol engines in 178bhp, 222bhp and 296bhp S flavours. A 180bhp turbodiesel, Quattro four-wheel drive, and six-speed manual and twin-clutch boxes round out the range. Expect to pay from £26k for the base 1.8-litre model.