Styling
Take one standard, for want of a better word,
Audi TT RS and bolt a bloody great bodykit to it, would seem to be the Iconic Edition's
modus operandi. Combine the whole lot with dark-themed detailing, right down to the bespoke design of 20-inch, seven-spoke alloy wheels, and the RS signature shade of Nardo Grey, and you end up with a TT that has simply oodles of presence - if also leaving itself wide open to the classic mocking refrain of 'looks like it crashed into a branch of Halfords' (thanks, Jeremy... we're still hearing that one literally
decades after you first uttered it).
Nevertheless - and you won't ever be given a chance to explain this in nerdy detail to any of the Iconic Edition's aesthetic detractors - the towering, fixed carbon wing at the back, the socking great rear diffuser and those flics on its front bumper all help to generate more downforce for the car, supposedly sharpening its already-excellent handling further. Final touches are black logos and badging, and little 'Iconic Edition' graphics in the smoked rear-three-quarter windows. For what it's worth, we like the deeply purposeful appearance of the TT RS Iconic Edition very much. There; we said it.
Interior
As 25th birthday presents go, the Iconic Edition's interior is pretty damned decent. Granted, the basic architecture of the third-generation TT's cabin has been around for ten years now, but it remains a high-quality piece of work with some nice flourishes, such as the climate controls integrated into the three central air vents.
To this, and the usual accoutrements of any TT RS, Audi saw fit to give the Iconic Edition some lush RS Sports front seats with fine Nappa leather and black Alcantara upholstery, with honeycomb stitching in Calendula Yellow. The same colour is used for the 'Iconic Edition' embroidered logo on the seatbacks, as well as the 12 o'clock marker on the flat-bottomed, Alcantara-clad steering wheel. There are further yellow flashes on the dashboard's upper surface and the floor mats in the footwells, while a numbered badge in the gearlever says which of the 100 Iconics you're sitting in - Audi's press car was number 31 in the run, if you ever find it in the classifieds one day in the future.
Additional toys include a Bang & Olufsen Premium Sound System, the Comfort Key for easy access and start-up, and a rear-view camera, and overall the ambience of the Iconic Edition's cosy cabin is exactly what you'd expect of Audi: upmarket, inviting, desirable. Big ticks all round.
Practicality
You don't buy an Audi TT Coupe for practicality. OK, as it's a German car, the interior is sensibly laid out and there are a few useful efforts at making life easier, like a big cupholder in the central tunnel, a storage area ahead of the gearlever and even adorable little door pockets - aaaw, sweet! Seriously, though, this is designed to be a sports coupe first and foremost, so great big stowage bins were never on the cards. Better to think of the laughable rear seats as extensions of the boot area, which at least isn't too bad - measuring 305 litres as a minimum, it's about the size of a relatively small cargo bay in a Golf-class car. You can raise that figure to 712 litres if you fold the rear seats down, though, so that's something.
Performance
If there are any criticisms to be levelled at the Iconic Edition's motive force, it's that the familiar five-cylinder engine is unchanged from the 2019-on, PPF-equipped TT RS, despite the considerable 40 per cent additional outlay (see 'Value', below) required for this ultra-limited edition. And yet... we don't care. Not when you've sampled said five-pot yowling its way round to a lofty redline, its brawny outputs of 400hp and 480Nm smashing the mere 1,475kg shell of the RS towards the middle distance in a fury of minor-key wailing that makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end.
Scintillating internal combustion engines like this are the ones we're going to lament most when they're finally killed off in the years to come, and while it has been around for a while in this spec and is also used in the supposedly 'lesser'
RS 3, it's still an absolute belter of a powerplant - which is hooked up to an excellent seven-speed DSG and Audi's quick-witted quattro system so that it can operate to maximum, devastating effect. Anywhere, anytime speed is not something for which you'll lack in the TT RS Iconic Edition, that's for sure.
Ride & Handling
We'd have to drive the Iconic back-to-back with an unadorned 2019-on TT RS to be 100 per cent sure of this, but it certainly felt even more alive and sharp to steer than any other Audi TT we've driven before. It naturally still lacks the outright delicacy, adjustability and precision of some of its key rivals, like the Alpine A110 and Porsche 718 Cayman GTS 4.0, but anyone who thinks the TT RS Iconic Edition is all show and no real go has clearly not driven one.
There remains an overriding sensation of point-and-squirt about commanding the TT RS Iconic down a challenging road at pace, yet there is undoubtedly enjoyment to be reaped from taking on such a task. Chief elements in this are the RS Sport suspension with Audi Magentic Ride dampers and some of the best RS-tuned steering we've encountered in any vehicle from this manufacturer. So while the TT RS Iconic Edition remains brutally effective in the kinematic stakes, rather than being the last word in chassis poise and polish, it's a riot to drive it quickly when the mood takes you. And we'd totally understand if you preferred the Audi's sure-footed stance for handling reassurance all year round, rather than going for a potentially more rewarding two-wheel-drive alternative that could possibly spit you into a hedge in winter if you're not careful.
Value
Ah. Now, we've got a confession to make here: it's largely irrelevant what you think of the Iconic Edition's near-£90,000 asking price... because it's no longer available to buy. In fact, neither is the 'regular' TT RS, with only the Black Edition and Final Edition models of the standard cars now on sale in the UK as we head into 2024. For what it's worth, when the mere 11 examples (out of a global run of just 100 Iconic Edition cars) of this ultimate TT came to the UK in spring 2023, they were £25,485 more expensive than the cheapest TT RS with the same 400hp engine. Hmm. Of course, astonishing rarity, the run-out status of the special edition, and that distinctive aerokit plus interior treatment are what you're paying for here, but - as good to drive as the RS Iconic Edition undoubtedly is - the obvious question you'll have to deflect when you're talking about an £87,650 TT is: "Why didn't you just buy a well-specified
Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 instead?"
Verdict
Are we going to pretend the Audi TT RS Iconic Edition is the last word in handling finesse, or without peers in the premium sports coupe sector? No. Are we going to say that an 88-grand TT could ever represent good value, even with its hen's-teeth rarity and model-specific upgrades? No. Are we going to look back on the Iconic Edition as a redefining sports car of its era? No.
But (and we've paraphrased model-turned-'90s-crooner-turned-actress Vanessa Williams before) Audi went and saved the best TT until last. You can't buy the TT RS Iconic Edition new any longer and trying to track down just one of the eleven UK examples is going to be an immense challenge. However, if you do, then what you'll end up with is the Audi TT that, from a quarter of a century of production, delivers the most thrilling all-round driving experience, all powered by a five-cylinder engine that is going to enjoy enduring status that is little short of legendary. Put like that, you can see why the Iconic Edition is such a thoroughly compelling package.
