Audi Still Testing New TTS Coupe on the Nurburgring

At a glance, the car looks ready, but wheel, tire and suspension settings are still up for scrutiny. They say that a mile on the Nurburgring is as harsh on a car as 10 in the real world, which means just four laps are equivalent to a long road trip from Berlin to Brussels. That's why, on the track, tires only last about a day and lightweight aluminum wheels can break at any moment. We don't want that happening, now do we?

7:50, because 310 HP

But there's another reason why Audi could still be taking to the ring in the TTS – that all-important ultimate lap time that ensures bragging rights. Last time this silver prototype took to the track, it was wet, so conditions were not ideal for setting good times.

One time they could be targeting is that of the old 340 horsepower TT RS, set at 8:09 back in 2009. Using the same platform as the new TT, SEAT has set a 7:58.40 with the new 280 hp Leon Cupra. But the Audi uses aluminum construction and has 310 hp, so round about the 7:50 mark is our estimate.

Audi has announced that power for the new TTS comes from the same engine as in the S3, but the 2.0 TFSI makes 310 hp for a 40 hp increase over its predecessor and a 10 hp increase over the S3. With S tronic fitted, 0 to 100 km/h goes by in 4.7 seconds, which makes it faster than a Porsche Cayman S.

However, we don't consider this to be a fun track tool like the Porsche is. Comparing the two is like guns and samurai swards: one takes more skill and look beautiful when handled correctly, but both kill you all the same.