Was recently on the track and thought i'd share with you my experience. The TT RS appears to be nicely spec'd vehicle and definitely an interesting platform but for the money i'm not impressed. Especially when a 3 year old (stock) Ford Mustang with a live axle suspension is smoking it in the corners. Granted this Mustang is extemely rare and not your neighbors GT - I was still shocked when I later got home and optioned the Audi TT RS out at well over $60,000 USD. Insane!

It was also very comical to have the Audi driver clearly so frustrated by the situation to literally run out of his car after to tell me to "let him pass" next time (I always give point-by's to vehicles in my rear view). Even the little supercharged Miata had no issue getting around me. During my next session when I did slow down for this driver sure enough I was right on his tail in no time and he was giving me the point by to pass a few turns later. I found all of this very funny as i'm just a novice with about 18 track sessions and this driver was clearly an advanced one (assumed considering the awesome racing suit he was wearing) and also slotted in the most advanced run group. Anyway, just wanted to share this with you - pick something else for the bucks.

 

What would be comical would be to compare the TT RS to the Mustang when off the track for everyday driving and pride of ownership. Methinks a bottle of fine California wine compared to a bottle of prison hooch.

 

Rather than subjective opinions based on one experience at a local track with amateur drivers, I use Car and Driver's annual Lightning Lap tests of unmodified production cars for real track comparison data using professional drivers. Based on those tests only a comparably priced Shelby GT500 Mustang beats the Mk 2 TTRS on the track. In fact, even a Mk 2 TTS beats a standard Mustang GT 5.0. Those Mustang numbers were for the last generation as the results for the 2015 edition have not been published yet. Meanwhile, the TTRS beats the much more expensive Porsche 911 Carrera S, Cayman S, and just about every MB AMG. Every professional reviewer of the Mk 2 TTRS said it was the best bang for the buck for a sports car at that time. The "best buy" track car out of the box is the Camaro SS LE1 (under $40K) which is only 1 second behind a Porsche Panamera Turbo S!!!

I don't know where you got your TTRS pricing since the Mk 3 TTRS is not yet available for sale anywhere in the world and the Mk 2 has been out of production for some time.

 

It's the last gen TT RS Lightning Lap 2012 - - Car and Driver

I see now Car and Driver had both of these cars fairly close in competition with the Mustang edging it out slightly - that definitely mirrors what happened on the track in the hands of non professionals. I will say the straight-line performance of the Audi was very good - I was unable to gain any distance on the front straight reaching just under 140mph - it was in the turns where the car would edge ahead.

 

Note that this is also posted in the wrong forum. It has nothing to do with the Mk3 TT.

 

original poster fails to recognize that even if what he/she claims is true about performance - each buyer enters with their own unique set of criteria/opinions/etc.

my own opinion is that american cars, by and large, are just ugly and lack refinement im looking for. i'd gladly take 2016 audi TT (and pay more for it) styling over a mustang that corners better, accelerates faster, etc.

buying a car (for me anyway) isn't a completely empirical, objective decision.

 

... I was smitten with the 2012 Mustang Boss 302 with the Track Package (or whatever they called it). You could get the sticker delete to avoid standing out and it was a hoot to drive. The solid rear axle was a bit of a hooligan tool and allowed for oversteer as desired. Ah, the last of a dying breed. The brakes were stout and even the manual shifted well and the clutch was not too heavy. Plus, if I am tired, the torque of the V8 would permit a short shift and 3rd gear would work from about 20-80mph. Parts were cheap and lots of club action here in SoCal. However, I am tall (6'4") and needed to have the seat all the way back and seat back nearly straight up. That was fine, but the steering wheel didn't telescope. I felt like a mid eighties Ferrari 308 driver with extended arms. That is a recipe for disaster in my enjoyment of canyon carving. Our treks go 140-200 miles and uncomfortable seating won't due over a five hour stint.

So, I also tried the TTRS which was a real snug fit for me and my wife thought I was crazy. She said that watching me exit the car was like seeing a 250 lb butterfly emerge from a cocoon. Yikes! Plus, the TTrs and the loaded S5 were nearly the same price, but a $300/month difference in lease.

So, it was back to the S5 (manual), which is such a fine balance and an S4 (S-Tronic) for my wife. Of course the S-tronic is faster, but the manual was fun. Now the RS5 has joined the family and is a new beast to tame.

I guess the take home point is one that has been nicely echoed before. We make choices based on personal criteria and our own proper balance. I feel as though the track deserves a separate car altogether as your driving philosophy changes as you pass through the gate and don a helmet. A really great track car will be a blunderbuss on the street and likely miserable (See 2014 Camaro Z/28). In order to make them great in both environments, they get ferociously heavy, expensive, complicated and ultimately a straightjacket of compromises (unless you are really wealthy - and then, why not have two cars). Plus, judging track performance by who passes who is profoundly influenced by who is behind the wheel, what is their state of mind, willingness to hammer there cars and driving capacity.

Below is a pic of the older S5 near San Simeon.

Happy Motoring

Eric