2012 Audi TT RS Quattro

It is no different with people who produce automobiles, especially those in which performance trumps price. Thus we have cars like the 2012 Audi TT RS, an all-out driving machine that is as comfortable on a race track as it is on suburban streets and rural freeways.

It's not as if the German manufacturer did not already have high-performance coupes. There's the TT with a 211-horsepower four-cylinder engine and a dual-clutch automated manual gearbox that can hit 60 miles an hour in 5.3 seconds, according to Audi's specifications.

And there's the TTS with its 265-horsepower four-banger and automated gearbox that can get there in 4.9 seconds. Like the TT, it comes standard with Audi's Quattro all-wheel drive.

So what's not to like? Nothing, except there's that old imperative making its persuasive powers felt in the new TT RS. This one can do the zero-to-60 romp, according to Audi, in 4.1 seconds with a top speed of 174 miles an hour while also delivering EPA city/highway fuel economy numbers of 18/25 miles to the gallon.

2012 Audi TT RS Quattro