Road test: 2017 Audi TT RS

The Audi TT RS Roadster, also available in coupé form. Courtesy Audi

There are few things more sacred in Audi's annals than the five-cylinder turbo motor, which propelled the hallowed Ur-Quattro to two World Rally Championship titles in the 1980s. So no pressure, then, when it comes to rolling out an all-new, high-performance five-cylinder turbo coupé (and roadster).

On paper, all the ingredients are promising. The basis for the newbie is the capable third-­generation TT, but where the RS stands clearly apart from its lesser brethren is in that five-pot turbo engine. The motor in question might share its layout with the previous-generation TT RS, but it’s an all-new unit that’s not only 26 kilograms lighter than the oldie, punchier to the tune of 60 horses, for peak output of 400hp.

There’s also a fat dollop of torque – 480Nm from 1,700rpm. Just the thing with which to slingshot out of tight hairpins, using the full tractive capabilities of the all-wheel-drive chassis and quick reflexes of the S tronic seven-­speed dual-clutch gearbox, which comes with flappy paddle shifters.

Visually, the RS drips with menace, its angry face made all the more so by gaping air intakes and a thrusting front splitter. As if to remind you of its ancestry, ­“quattro” lettering is emblazoned across the lower edge of its hexagonal grille.

There’s also a fixed rear wing, large oval tailpipes and a purposeful-looking diffuser to differentiate the RS’s derrière from the standard TT.

A push on the red starter button on the steering wheel fires the engine into life and it settles into the distinctively lumpy idle that’s typical of five-pot motors. I initially leave the transmission in auto, and it only takes a kilometre or two to glean it has a propensity to shift up at the earliest opportunity in the chase for fuel economy. This makes the car feel lethargic, so slot the transmission into manual and work the paddles if you fancy livening things up.

Once out on sinuous Spanish back roads, it’s time to up the ante. Cornering limits are impressively high – the chunky footprint (especially with optional 20-inch rims) and firmer, lower suspension (adaptive magnetic-ride dampers are also optional) ensures the car sticks to the tarmac with the tenacity of a bulldog attached to your trouser leg.

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The specs

Price, base Dh291,900

Engine 2.5L five-cylinder turbo

Gearbox Seven-speed dual-clutch auto

Power 400hp at 5,850rpm

Torque 480Nm at 1,700rpm

Fuel economy, combined 8.2L / 100km

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The warbling engine provides wonderful vocal accompaniment, but there’s something missing. And that something is the tactile feel you get in a ­Porsche Cayman or Boxster, which seemingly become an extension of your body.

By comparison, the Audi feels a little remote and uninvolving. It gets the job done in that efficient German way, but there’s little emotion. Audi is at pains to identify the BMW Z4 sDrive35iS and Mercedes-AMG SLC 43 as the car’s rivals, steering clear of any mention of the Boxster/Cayman.

That said, its supercar-rivalling 0-to-100kph split of 3.7 seconds puts all Porsches bar the angriest 911s to shame, and the grip and handling are sharp enough to see off most upstarts.

Other USPs include its whizz-bang organic light-emitting-­diode tail lights and an exquisite Bang & Olufsen sound system. The sonorous TT RS isn’t without its charms.