Parked alongside killer sports cars such as the Chevrolet Corvette and the Porsche 718 Cayman, the 2023 Audi TT RS looks appropriately aggressive and expensive. Its 394-hp turbocharged five-cylinder has the punch it needs to compete, too. Inside, occupants are treated to a tech-forward cabin with Audi’s signature flawless build quality, but the TT RS lacks a luxury flavor that buyers of the Jaguar F-Type or that BMW Z4 will enjoy. The Audi’s handling is also less charming than other sports cars in this class. That’s not to say the TT RS isn’t fun to drive—it is—but its effortlessness lacks the drama we crave when driving near a car’s limit, and there’s not the same level of agility that makes cars like the Cayman really sing.

Parked alongside killer sports cars such as the Chevrolet Corvette and the Porsche 718 Cayman, the 2023 Audi TT RS looks appropriately aggressive and expensive. Its 394-hp turbocharged five-cylinder has the punch it needs to compete, too. Inside, occupants are treated to a tech-forward cabin with Audi’s signature flawless build quality, but the TT RS lacks a luxury flavor that buyers of the Jaguar F-Type or that BMW Z4 will enjoy. The Audi’s handling is also less charming than other sports cars in this class. That’s not to say the TT RS isn’t fun to drive—it is—but its effortlessness lacks the drama we crave when driving near a car’s limit, and there’s not the same level of agility that makes cars like the Cayman really sing.