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The 400-horsepower Audi TT RS is the most polarizing sports coupe on the market - and that's what makes it great

The 400-horsepower Audi TT RS is the most polarizing sports coupe on the market - and that's what makes it great

Here's how the Audi TT RS looked when it first arrived at BI's LA office.

The TT RS is a product of Audi Sport, the automaker's high-performance division.

Audi Sport pumps a select few models with extra everything, transforming them into muscular land rockets.

It's powered by a 400-horsepower, 2.5-liter, 5-cylinder, turbocharged engine.

And because this car weighs only about 3,300 pounds, it delivers a mighty gravitational pull when you bury the gas pedal.

So what's it like to drive the TT RS like a normal person, say, in regular LA traffic?

Let's hop in and find out.

Here we have the standard Audi Sport steering wheel, wrapped in Alcantara and leather. Alcantara is a wonderful, grippy material — and also a bit garish. If your car is so equipped, there's an unspoken presumption that the vehicle will thrill you enough to make your palms sweat.

In the TT RS's case — it will.

There's some Alcantara on the interior door panel, too. Perhaps for when the lateral G-forces have pressed you into the side window, mid-turn.

The deep side-bolsters on these quilted black leather seats help, too.

Also, check out these twin oval exhaust outlets. They make a joyful noise, as you will have heard if you watched the YouTube clip a few slides up.

The oval exhaust tips are the signature look on all Audi RS models.

If you're not the type of driver who likes to flaunt your car's go-fast cachet, you can opt out of this rear wing spoiler. To the untrained eye, that bold, red-inflected "TT RS" badge will be the only clue that this car is a troublemaker.

Here's a look at that wing from another angle.

There's plenty of grille work up front. All the better for this car to breathe with.

And these optional 20-inch, seven-spoke wheels add a nice finishing touch.

The verdict.

The Audi TT RS is a fun car, no question. The carmaker managed to engineer a true mini R8 here, because it embodies everything that defines its larger, faster big brother.

The TT RS is brutally quick, and our test car's optional "dynamic plus" package bumps the top-speed limiter to 174 mph. Now, of course we didn't try to reach those speeds on public roads, but it's further proof that this particular TT is not like the others.

Driving dynamics are fine-tuned here in the thoughtful kind of way you would expect from a true supercar.

The turns are flat, precise, and perfectly balanced. The raucous burbles and pops from the exhaust give this car a sense of occasion on each startup. But the real thrill comes during purposeful acceleration; the turbocharged five-cylinder's harmonics soar from a low rumble to a thunderous howl that wakes up all of creation.

Is it worth the $80,000 price of entry for our test car? Yes and no.

Yes, because it's way more car than it looks like from outside.

No, because of its relatively close resemblance to a standard TT. Strictly in terms of appearance, it comes off as ... a dressed-up TT, despite Audi's best attempts to give it some flair.

It looks so normal, an obviously stock Toyota 86 pulled up beside me on the highway at one point and revved its anemic motor. A Toyota 86.

Now, are there better options at this price point? Sure.

You could buy a: BMW M2 Chevy Corvette Grand Sport Ford Mustang Shelby GT350R Chevy Camaro ZL1 Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio Mercedes-Benz AMG C63S Jaguar F-Type R

But unlike most of those vehicles, in the Audi TT RS, you get an unhinged car that manages to hide its crazy. Still, it isn't for everybody, but those who own one know this: it's in a class by itself.