This isn’t a blog about the EU referendum although I am sure the title could work… No this piece is about my favourite subject, automobiles. Recently I joined a new pilot with Audi, a personal concierge service, which has so far been outstanding. I have had concierge services in the past through my bank account but Audi seem to have nailed the personal contact in one go and as well as being able to organise holidays and insurance they also have some great Audi based experiences, which are complimentary. I am thoroughly looking forward to the upcoming Goodwood Festival of Speed day they have organised for me – chauffeured A8 et al. Recently one event they did invite me to was the unveiling of the new Audi R8 Spider in their swish London City showroom. But to our surprise not only was the R8 displayed they also used it for the worldwide launch of the new Audi TT RS Roadster.
Granted the Audi TT RS coupe had already just been revealed at the Beijing motor show but for me this was a welcome treat and ended up with me placing a deposit for one. So it was an expensive trip, and granted this is probably why Audi Concierge will be a great success, but actually I am very excited about this purchase. Hopefully delivery will be before the end of the year.
So why when I have an Audi R8 am I all excited about its baby brother? Well firstly I have owned the previous generation Audi TTS a great car, and one of the few that I actually kept for over three years. I had four-wheel drive, great performance, a usable boot and even back seats for small people (or people without heads). And while it was a special car, it wasn’t so special that I couldn’t drive or park it anywhere and so with its ability to carry my wife and daughter I am hoping this new one will be just as perfect.
I think I have persuaded my wife that this car should be in addition to the R8 but with the new car sporting a new aluminium five cylinder 2.5 litre engine kicking out nearly 400 bhp the car is capable of 0-60 MPH in 3.7 seconds, 0.5 seconds quicker than my R8. So it looks like it is going to be hard to justify the premium especially when the TT has the new virtual cockpit (a screen instead of a speedo) and hopefully will arrive in an even more garish blue. Is less more? I think it might be.
Ok colour me jealous 🙂 . I saved up enough to finally buy a semi-recent mk2 TT last year (I prefer its design to the first run mk3 design) and am loving it, even if nobody except children and my somewhat short wife can actually make use of its back seating.
On the other hand it’s surprisingly fuel efficient for a sports car, beautiful inside and the boot space is way more practical than the other choices, if lacking in depth (not surprising.. the car is very low down).
But I have seen the latest TT RS Roadster that you’ve grabbed and will now start saving up for that one, which I might be able to afford in a few years’ time.. Emphasis on the might.
At one point I did consider the Peugeot PCZ too, but it’s interior lacked the polish and styling of Audi’s offering and in the end the car was too wide for my driveway. I know some trucks that can get into our drive, but apparently not an PCZ 🙂