Audi TTS Black Edition

Our time with this sporty coupé is over, so we look back at all the hardships that it... didn't bring

- Darren Moss

DO YOU REMEMBER those adverts for a well-known comparison site that promised to make you feel epic? Well, I've experienced much the same sensation over the past few months, thanks to my Audi TTS.

Looking at my car, with its bright orange paintwork and moody black detailing, you'd expect it to go like the clappers. And it really does; with 316bhp available, it offers the same sort of performance as a Porsche 718 Cayman.

But, while accessing the performance of some fast cars can be a bit, well, intimidating, the TTS takes you by the hand and allows you to play with its substantial toybox while also making sure you don't run out of talent.

I can't recall a single journey in the car when I didn't step out with a big smile on my face. The TTS's combination of accessible performance, agile handling and light, accurate steering are as welcome in morning rush-hour traffic as they are on a country B-road at sunset. And it even felt at home when I took it for a few laps of the What Car? track, during a break in testing.