FIRST REPORT
WHY WE'RE RUNNING IT
Audi's everyman sports car is bowing out after 25 years and its five-pot is on borrowed time. Let's celebrate both
It's the noise that will get you first. Rasping and raucous from cold, it evolves into a reassuringly mean-sounding thrum as the temperature builds, echoing obnoxiously but hilariously off the car park walls as you nudge towards the exit.
Whereupon, should you have sufficiently warmed the engine through and the road ahead is clear, you might see fit to liberate the entirety of this five-pot's vocal range, which becomes ever more boisterous and unruly with each ascent towards the redline. It grunts and growls with increasing alacrity as the revs build, the turbo whistling to announce its presence as pressure builds, towards a crescendo that puts you in mind of some of the greatest rally cars to ever pound this earth - and then you get to shift up and do it all again.
I like it, basically. Really like it. Even were it not for the commemorative, eulogistic nature of our time together, the snorting, thumping TT RS would have already got well under my skin for the sheer viscerality of its accelerative behaviour. Such as it is, I'm basically looking for any excuse to fire it up, put the exhaust in Sport mode and enjoy the soundtrack wherever I can. I can't vouch for the neighbours' mutual appreciation.
This story is from the August 30, 2023 edition of Autocar UK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the August 30, 2023 edition of Autocar UK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
THE ONE WHEN PEUGEOT GOT ITS SUPERMINI MOJO BACK
The 208 marked a return to form for a maker renowned for its small cars
READY TO TOFF
Gordon Murray's grand new HQ is now nearing completion, with T50 production already in full swing. MATT PRIOR and STEVE CROPLEY drop by and go for a ride
This humble chip will change cars forever
Nvidia, the £2.7 trillion US tech giant behind it, has the power to shape motoring's intelligent future. JAMES ATTWOOD learns how
MERCEDES-BENZ V-CLASS
Interior upgrades make the MPV worthy of shuttling Merc's CEO himself
Sharing is caring
One successful motor trader has opened up his car collection for the benefit of his home town.JOHN EVANS meets him
When trains would take your car across the UK
The Channel Tunnel's Le Shuttle service is a marvel, saving drivers hassle and several hours on a ferry, and even after 30 years it's still something of a novelty to drive your car onto a train carriage.
MG ZS
Dacia Duster-chasing crossover joins MG's hybrid powertrain push
LAND ROVER DEFENDER OCTA
It's a 4x4 that thinks it's a supercar. But does this 627bhp V8 flagship offer the best of both worlds or just compromise each for the other?
Matt Prior
To nobody's great surprise, the other day the Renault 5 and Alpine A290 jointly won the 2025 Car of the Year award (the original and still the best of the big international car awards thingies).
DS WANTS TO BECOME 'LOUIS VUITTON OF CAR INDUSTRY'
It's aiming to follow Bentley into the luxury space, says design director