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Having recently graduated college and having an actual income, I started throwing around the idea of moving from the TSX into a sports car. I made a list of cars in the 35k-40k range including the E92 M3, M240i, and Mustang GT. The E92 was ruled out as reliability and preventative maintenance costs pushed me away. I drove a M240i and liked it, but I never fell in love with the way it looked. I liked the Mustang but the overall build quality left something to be desired. The car also just felt too big while driving. Not to mention every high school kid around here has a Mustang.
A few days later I stumbled upon an ad for a 1/5 Viper Green 2016 Audi TTS with 17k miles. The car was advertised in mint condition with a full frontal clear bra covering half the car and 3 layers of a ceramic coating installed, and a year and a half of extendable warranty left. The car had the APR Stage 1 tune to 370hp/380tq and a 0-60 time listed at 3.5s. I never considered the TTS, but this particular car with the color and options intrigued me.
I checked out and drove the car the following week and it absolutely blew away my expectations. I loved the Viper Green (Which is a Paint to Sample Porsche color), and it was one of the hardest launching cars I've ever been in. The exclusivity of the 1/5 was also appealing to me (Viper Green is also a rare Porsche color. There is just 1 918 made in Viper Green). The interior was absolutely gorgeous with the stitched seats, virtual navigation and bang & olusfen sound system. Not to mention 370hp/380tq is insane for a car of this size and weight. The first owner of the car was an Audi Exec who had been given the car. The second owner is also a mechanical engineer and took pristine care of the car and did all the mods I would have done.
I sold the TSX to my cousin to use as his first car, and picked up the TTS last Thursday. The car is fully loaded and has the Tech package, 20" wheels, Bang & Olufsen sound, Audi side assist, and Fine Nappa Leather w/ Diamond stitching.
Current mods include the APR Stage 1 tune, APR DSG tune, clear-bra, color matched side markers, Ceramic Coating, H&R Springs, and 15mm/20mm wheel spacers.
So far I've put around 150 miles on it. The launch control on this car is absolutely bananas. Previous owner said he did the 1/4 in 11.9 and it certainly feels like it.
Here are some photos from the ad:
Checking out the car for the first time (Notice the TSX in the back):
Green is actually my favorite color, but sadly only certain cars can pull it off. I haven't seen one like yours before, I think your TTS wears it very nicely!
Contemporary Audis have this understated aggression. Works very well with that color.
Thank you everyone! I like the HLK SMASH plate too, but in Texas we can only have 7 letters. I did check HLK SMSH but it's already taken. BBY HULK is at the top of my list as of now.
Cool car. More interior pics! What kind of tranny does it have?
It has the 6 speed Audi DSG Dual Clutch. The MK7 has the same transmission. The MK7.5 and the 2019 TTS have the 7 speed DSG. I'll take some more pics soon!
I also came across a RS5 on same Advan GTs.. I wonder how these would look on my car
It's been about 4 months and I've put about 4,000 miles on her so far (21k total), here are my thoughts:
The acceleration in this car is fcking insane. The (virtual) speedometer will jump from 20->30->40 when accelerating and my mind can't quite understand how I'm moving that quickly. I've taken a LOT of cars from digs (Latest gen Scat Pack, a lot of 5.0s, 370s (idk why they try), 5th gen Viper (ahead till about 60ish without using launch control then I got destroyed lol, video on my IG)). From rolls I've only had cars significantly slower race me, but I raced a stock latest gen. Evo which I got, and an unknown modded latest gen. Evo that I was neck and neck with from 70-140. This car pulls HARD up to the top speed (155).
The grip that it has is also pretty insane. Audi Club Houston had a drive last weekend that I did, and I was easily taking corners at speeds that I couldn't believe. I still have to remind myself not to brake when taking corners. For an EPS system the steering is pretty communicative and the understeer builds up linearly so it's very easy to correct with the low weight of the car.
The car doesn't have Carplay but that's fine with me because I really like the virtual cockpit integration. It's super easy to use the maps and change songs with minimal distractions. The seats are super comfy yet grippy, I've done 4-5 hour drives in them with 0 discomfort. I'm still a huge fan of the minimalist design of the interior. The exhaust is valved but I never put it in the quiet mode anyways. The magnetic shocks are nice and there is a slight noticeable difference between the comfort and aggressive setting.
Only mods I've done are I replaced the worn tires with Hankook Ventus V12 Evos and I got a set of extended paddles from DSG paddles that attach to the OEM small ones. They match the other aluminum trim in the interior nicely.
Awesome, makes me want to tune my car...maybe in the spring. The 2.0T R/S3/TTS models are deceptively fast, most people don't even know what they are.
Where did you get those paddle extenders and are they removable in the future?
Definitely go with the APR Stage 1 and TCU tune. I've actually never driven my car stock since it had the tunes before I got it, however from what the previous owner told me, the TCU tune makes a huge difference itself. APR actually has a sale on right now till the end of the year . Your car will feel insane with 380lb/ft of torque lol.
Originally Posted by TylerT
Does that car technically have the same turbo as the MK7 Golf R?
Car looks awesome!
Thanks! Ya it's the exact same engine and trans as the MK7 Golf R. Rides on the same MQB chassis too. It's basically the coupe version of the Audi S3, which itself is a upscale version of the Golf R but is mechanically identical.
Originally Posted by SamDoe1
I thought it was exactly the same thing along with the S3...but I could be wrong. That said, I'm pretty sure the TT is lighter.
Yup pretty much. Only things are its lighter, and I like the design of the TTS interior more than the S3 (no center screen on the TTS). The TTS also has bigger brakes than the S3 I think,
Thought I would finally update this thread. The TTS ended it's journey with a bunch of APR bolt ons and Stage 2 tuning, and ~8 track days. It was totaled in a cross country drive in the end of 2021. Ended up picking up an E92 M3 competition afterwards. Currently has some light mods (Recaro, Catless X pipe, lip, spoiler, etc...)
Thought I would finally update this thread. The TTS ended it's journey with a bunch of APR bolt ons and Stage 2 tuning, and ~8 track days. It was totaled in a cross country drive in the end of 2021. Ended up picking up an E92 M3 competition afterwards. Currently has some light mods (Recaro, Catless X pipe, lip, spoiler, etc...)
E90/E92 M3s have a special place in my heart ... I'd love a white 6 speed sedan one of these days.
Congratulations!
. Your car will feel insane with 380lb/ft of torque lol.
looking car.
