No matter, for the TT S-Line (or TT Le Mans as it's known in mainland Europe) is a cracking car. Based on the range-topping 225bhp quattro, the TT S-Line sits 20mm closer to the tarmac on re-rated springs and dampers with nine spoke RS4-style alloy wheels (hopefully these won't buckle). The only other changes are an optional pale grey or brilliant red leather interior and subtle TT S-Line badging. Though hardly extensive, the overall visual effect of the changes is impressive, for the TT S-Line's stance packs far more aggression and attitude than the standard model's stylish but somewhat sterile look.

Dynamically the changes have both harmed and enhanced the driving experience. First impressions aren't brilliant as almost immediately you sense the TT S-Line's less yielding suspension. Never a particularly supple car, low-speed bumps and imperfections now send sizeable shocks and shudders through the car's structure, lending it the unyielding feel of a typical modified car. A fairly predictable side effect, but mercifully not one as detrimental to the TT S-Line as it could be.

The 225bhp TT has always delivered effortless, boost-beefed performance with plenty of early response, mid-range thrust and six well-spaced gears to maximise its accelerative effects, so the fact that the S-Line whistles up the road with equal vigour is only to be expected. All the benchmark figures are unchanged with 0-62mph dispatched in a smidge over six seconds and 150mph entirely possible on a deserted stretch of motorway, er, sorry, autobahn. It's a quick car, no doubt about it, although the deadpan engine note still disappoints.

Pitch it into a corner, however, and the S-Line springs a significant surprise. Despite those bigger tyres generating a deal more grip than the already clingy standard TT, the S-Line feels much more alive and pointy as soon as you turn the steering wheel. There's more front-end bite, a trait that encourages you to turn in with more commitment, which in turn gets the tail working harder and earlier than the standard car's. The net result is a TT that adopts an entertaining all-of-a-piece cornering attitude that makes you feel more involved in the action.

Even with the excellent ESP stability control switched on you can enjoy four-wheel drifts; switch it off and you can barrel into corners, feel the tail drift, then let the four-wheel drive pull everything straight again. It's particularly entertaining in the damp, slimy conditions we've been experiencing of late, and I have to say my commute to and from work was more fun than I ever remember when driving evo's long-term TT. That's not to say it's the last word in feel and tactility, but at least now the TT feels a little less wooden.

Couple this enhanced handling and sexier stance with all the usual Audi build quality, interior architecture, excellent Bose stereo and relative exclusivity (only 200 are coming to the UK, in Misano red or Avus silver) and it's easy to see why the S-Line is hot property in Audi showrooms. At ΂£31,100 fully loaded it's a not inconsiderable ΂£4350 more than the regular 225bhp quattro, but considering that it looks and drives better than the standard car, it's a price worth paying.