What is it?

An Audi TT RS, a car that's on evo's long term Fast Fleet. This one has the firm's seven-speed S-tronic double clutch automatic gearbox, though.

Technical highlights?

The brilliant 2.5-litre, five-cylinder, turbocharged engine can now leap from rest to 60mph in 4.3 seconds (one tenth faster than before) with the S-tronic swapping cogs way faster than mere mortals can manage.

What’s it like to drive?

In manual mode it’s mightily impressive. Flick the paddles to up or downshift and the new gears hit home before you’ve released your fingers. In auto mode it can occasionally be a little clunky when travelling slowly and shuffles up the gearbox far too quickly, so kickdown can sometimes be slightly delayed as it has so many gears to go back down before full thrust arrives.

Other than that, it's the usual TT RS fare. Read our previous review here.

How does it compare?

There’s no doubt that it’s faster, but is it more satisfying? Not for us. I found I was always using it in manual mode because of the auto's limitations. No question it’s lightning fast and efficient, but the manual version is also good in the TT RS and we prefer the extra driver interaction. We could be in the minority, though.

Anything else I should know?

Yes – This is the same engine/gearbox combination that will motivate the RS3. The TT version is 100kg lighter and if you want this drivetrain without the practical five-door body, you’ll need the TT RS. It lists at £46,095.