Here is my 1500 mile report; I will make this more of a comparison with the 370Z than a general review respecting the forum that we are in.
First a little Michelin Alpin A4/HRE FF15s review:
They are AWESOME! They seem to have all the grip of the Blizzaks, but when the weather turns warm, you would never know you have winter tires on as they do not get mushy or noisy at all. The HRE FF15s look incredible and feel like they are half the weight of the stock wheels. They will be used with my summer tires when I swap them out.
Now for the TT RS:
This car has a ton of tricks up its sleeve making it an VERY fast and quick car. It is a single turbo, so it has noticeable lag when starting from a standstill, but if you ease into the gas it is more than manageable. I would describe the sensation as lighting a very short fuse; once the real fuel is ignited, the power is explosive. But the power is only the part of the story; that little bit of lag allows the driver to aim at where they want the rocket to travel, and it will go to exactly where you are aiming. At first I felt the steering was as reported, tended to oversteer until I started pushing things realizing that the progressive steering (which is definitely needed) tames the push. It should be noted that you are already up to speed through a turn, where a rear-wheel drive sports car couldn't even think about it without spinning out unless you want to drift on a daily basis and destroy your car. I would say that the TT RS could be a fun track car, but not optimal, but as a daily driver I don't think it can be beat. The AWD, visibility, interior design, compact size and drive adjustability are just not to the level in other cars I test drove, although you are paying a big price. Included in that price is Audi's incredible service and you get an Audi as a loaner! Where the car really shines is in the snow and ice. In a few inches of snow you it feels like a very controlled hovercraft. It is actually a lot of fun when I see the white stuff coming down, and it is superior to any SUV or truck in terms of control and safety thanks to it relatively low weight.
Now for the negatives. The stock 20" wheels are attractive, but they are insanely heavy especially on a FWD biased car causing uncomfortable amount of unsettlement when encountering flaws in the road. Driving it in Colorado makes it a bigger issue since the winter months does a number on the asphalt and concrete alike. There were a couple minor interior defects which were promptly take care of, but 500 miles in a "Malfunction Indicator Light" came on, which indicates a fault in the exhaust system. Audi service told me that this is a known issue in the RS 5 cylinder models and that there would be an update that would address it in the near future. They cleared it, but it came on again shortly after. I am somewhat disappointed that this would be an issue in such an expensive car, but since it doesn't affect performance and doesn't hurt anything, it is more of an annoyance than anything.
Compared to my 2010 370Z Nismo:
Visibility: The Z was laughable in the lack of visibility, where I developed "Z sense", needing to constantly scan and take note where all cars around you were at all times. The TT RS has a laughable amount of visibility, so much so that my "Z sense" made things a bit disorienting at first. Of course, being a 2019 you get all the modern sensors and indicators letting you know exactly where other cars are. The backup camera is great, but having the screen directly in front of you, being obscured by the steering wheel slightly isn't ideal.
Interior: BMWs and Mercedes can't even compete with Audi's interiors. They look like Camrys by comparison, so sadly the Z doesn't stand a chance. Unlike a Lexus all that luxury doesn't seem to add a half ton to the total weight. The phone charger tray is the only thing I am not too keen on as it barely fits my iPhone 11 Pro and you actually have to attach the lightening cable in order to use Apple CarPlay. I bought a Pro Clip which is far superior, but I wish I didn't have to spend that much money. There is effectively no back seats, but they do make good storage as you don't have to reach too far when the contents invariable shift towards the back of the seats. The fastback/hatchback in combination with the folding rear seats make an incredible amount of usable storage space to the point where I could easily fit all four wheels when I swapped them out. No heated steering wheel, but great heated seats. The seat adjustability is endless. I would say that even though the TT's steering wheel is cool and looks awesome, I do prefer the Z's slightly. The infotainment system is a bit complex at first, but it definitely has more functions than you could ever need. Everything is accessible from the steering wheel and center console.
Drivetrain: The Z's standard transmission and normally aspirated engine were great and made driving it very pleasurable, although it suffered greatly in Colorado's high altitude compared to a forced induction engine. It took a lot of cash money and work to get it to even function properly especially in the heat making it an expensive car when it shouldn't have been. Even though it was slightly underpowered, I would prefer it over a dumb muscle car or Corvette. I wish I could have kept it, but it just didn't make fiscal sense. Also I found that with the performance clutch that I installed it wasn't the easiest thing to launch perfectly. The TT RS is a whole different animal in that every function can be tweaked with a press of a button or a flip of its surprisingly functional shifter. When driving by myself (which is the majority of the time) I have all components in sport mode. I sometimes switch the transmission to normal driving ("D") mode as you would be wasting gas due to the sport mode keeping the engine in the higher RPMs. I haven't really had the desire to switch to manual mode as the sport mode is more than aggressive enough and much smarter than me finding the optimal power. The DCT is the real deal compared to even a ZF auto transmission. I haven't time it, but I feel that the advertised 3.6 second 0-60 is a bit conservative. It feels to be that fast at altitude, so I can imagine it is faster than that at sea level. Almost needless to say the TT RS is dramatically quicker and faster than the Z and it is all usable in any weather and driving situation. Muscle cars and Subarus don't harass me like they did while driving the Z because they either know of the speed, or they don't know. VWs invariably will try to race me, but even at 3/4 speed they don't have a chance. Some souped up ones have come close, but to their dismay the TT RS will just continuously outpace them making them mad, and pass me eventually going 100. It's pretty dumb in that yes, the proved to me that they eventually can get up to speed. Well done! Driving in traffic is much better in the TT.
Handling: This is where the Z is superior to the TT RS. The Z feels like a smooth speedboat, being comfortable and precise at all speeds. The standard transmission is just more fun as you lay down the power at your leisure. After few mods the Z just accepts and excels when encountering road defects and is stable at all speeds thanks to its amazing aerodynamics. The TT RS is very capable and precise on the highway, side streets and cramped city streets where its quickness makes it a better passenger vehicle especially considering you can crank down that suspension for the comfort of the passenger. At higher speeds, being used to the Z, I feel a lot more nervous since the AWD is a disadvantage; the FWD bias is a bit too eager and active and high speed turns feel like you need to stay on top of the oversteer, but by now I know it is still stable. It just doesn't FEEL that way. What it gives up in performance driving it makes up in that it REALLY is greedy when it comes to grip. It always wants to keep all four tires on the road at all times and I would be shocked if it ever gave up control unexpectedly. Again, driving in the snow, ice and rain is infinitely more comfortable and controllable.
Aesthetics and sound: Both are subjective, but the Z and the TT have both been my favorite non-supercars when it comes to looks. The Z is a bit more sexy and the TT RS is a bit more sophisticated. Dare I say the TT is more masculine being that it has been described as a "hairdresser's car". The stock Nismo exhaust is Ok, and even with a custom Fast Intentions exhaust and cats the sound of the Z left a bit to be desired. The TT RS's exhaust is downright obnoxious in the way it wants to tell you that it has a unique 5 cylinder engine. It burbles and cracks and I can only imagine how stupidly amazing it would sound with a custom or straight pipe exhaust installed. Of course with a press of a button you can tone it down significantly.
Overall, after 1500 miles I am very please that the Audi TT RS has met and exceeded my expectations as I wanted a fun and capable daily driver. Compared to the muscle cars and Corvette it feels much more nimble and quick much like the Z. I do really miss my Nismo and I do feel I will be owning a Z of some sort again in the future. I am especially impressed by the Audi service department, but I don't think I would feel the same if the car wasn't under warranty or a service contract. With that being said, you are paying a LOT of money for an Audi, but I had been spending a lot on the maintenance of the Z, so it remains to be seen how they compare in value in the long run.
Also, VW drivers are annoying and Audi drivers are a******s. I suppose I am now the latter
What's the difference between an porcupine and an Audi? The porcupine has its pricks on the outside!
