-Yeti-

Greetings from the GolfMKVII forums!

I've been in love with the MK3 TT's since their initial release. Last July i "foolishly" purchased a MKVII GTI. While i love the car, i cant get past the Audi allure. I've since gone through a few raises and have been able to really save up. By spring 2018 i'll be completely ready to drop the down payment on a TT. I'm wondering though, what everyone's thoughts here are on the TT vs the TTS. I know the TTS has 290HP vs the TT 230HP, but what are peoples *sensible* opinions. The TTS is a 10k premium over the TT with S-Line competition package i want. I wont be tracking the car. Just want a slick DD.

If HP was my only concern, would it make more sense to simply get the TT with S-Line competition package (roughly $46k today) and get an APR stage 1 tune ($700, ~290HP) or save another 10k and grab the TTS?

Thanks! Looking forward to joining the club!

Hau Phan

Or you can pick up a 2016 TTS and put a tune on it, more HP and torque and better suspension.

Huey52

From a performance perspective you'll be well satisfied with a tuned TT. Even a stock TT. Can't speak to whether or not you would miss the very nice S-line competition package.

As you know, the GTI is a very complete package. As a "hot hatch" it's just a different type of vehicle, and there's always some buyer's remorse. Think of the TT as GTI and TTS as Golf R if that helps.

Honestly I went with the TTS as I didn't want to extensively mod this go around (had a bad experience tuning my A5; antiquated state emissions testing related). Of course now there's the MkIII TT-RS so always a compromise of sorts.

21tesla

I agree. The car is light and spirited. At the time I was TT shopping, I was considering ordering a TTS or not stretching my budget and getting a loaded TT. The fact that the very TT I wanted was sitting on the lot and highly negotiable spread the price difference between the two choices even more.

At 8,000 km, I put a Stage 1+ ECU and TCU tune on my car and never looked back. Over a year later and at 25,000 km now, I've considered a downpipe and Stage 2 ECU/TCU tune with the hope of more responsiveness but I haven't pulled the trigger yet as it's a ~$2,000 upgrade when you factor parts, labour and software. Perhaps, I will consider it again in the Spring.

If you consider styling between the models, I like the fat tailpipes of the TT, the black front grille and the perforated leather on the steering wheel. To give the car a personal touch, I had the front lip spoiler and rear valance professionally painted and plastidipped my mirror caps to match. Other cheap tweaks this year - puddle lights, tow hook plate holder and a clearmount phone mount.

Maybe your dealer has a TT and TTS on the lot and you can compare them and you'll now what works for you unless your budget has already decided it. Regardless, once you get inside, you'll be happy !

-Yeti-

Yeah i definitely had buyers remorse over not getting an R. I just didn't think much about it at the time. I was considering getting an R, but then said why not save a little more and get the Audi i've always wanted. I can afford it, just want to have a slightly larger down payment to keep my monthly payment the same.

That being said, next spring i'm thinking i might be able to find a lightly used 2017 TTS on a steal. I was looking last night and found 2016 TTS's with 5k miles around 45k. Thats pretty good for an otherwise 50k+ car.

What are the main differences between the 2016,2017 and 2018 model years? I know they're all MK3's but what little upgrades did Audi do? Also, what model year has the best reliability or are they all pretty much the same? I know the 2015 MKVII GTI's had lots of issues.

BlackOptic

Where are you located? a) I am pretty sure the TTS was only brought into the States in '17 and '18, and I don't think there was any real difference between them. b) I just sold back to Audi Beaverton my 2017 TTS with only 1,600 on the clock. I see that they are listing it for $49,900 (msrp was $60,325 plus it has a clear bra). It looks as good as the day I bought it (11 months ago). If you are in the West, you should take a look.

And, just to be clear, I am trading up to a TT RS. The TT / TTS / TTRS platform is really fun!

-Yeti-

Midwest. Chicago area currently, although i'd like to relocate out west in a few years after i have a bit more work experience (im only 25)

I could be wrong on the year and could be mistaken for regular TT's at that price point. But yeah if i could scoop a TTS with less than 5k miles for under $50k i'd be hard pressed not to buy it. Im really not looking to spend much over 50K. I'd like to stay around 45K if possible as i'll also be buying a house around the same time and if i get crazy and propose to my GF this winter, a fall wedding (although her parents will likely cover that bill.)

I'm going to see my financial adviser tomorrow to catch up on some investments and other things and discuss my plans. Hes either going to smack me around for just buying my GTI and now wanting to dump it for a 50k car or tell me i've done great saving and do what i want. lmao

Vegas-roadster

When I read the original post I could not believe what I was reading about claimed HP increase. However, the dyno tests that APR has done are impressive. I dissed APR Stage 1 for my 2011 TFSI when I saw the tune only got about 20 HP more and then in a very small RPM range. Why bother risking a warranty over that? But the APR tune for the Mk 3 base TT looks fantastic.

-Yeti-

Lol yeah man its pretty nuts. For $700 you could have the HP of a TTS for ~10k less. Obviously there is a warranty risk here. I guess i need to do more research and find out the differences between the TT and TTS in regards to the engine and suspension. I know the features and looks are different but i like them both. I want to know what im going to miss or gain in regards to power and performance.

JFHughes08088

I just picked up a 2016 TTS (18K miles) and have read a bit on the RaceChip RS. It says it can restore to stock tune. Do I run into warranty issues if I run the car chipped, then re-set it for service, then back to chip status, etc?