I was feeling pretty stressed and fed up by the time I got to the launch of the latest offering from Audi this week.

Two nasty accidents and monsoon-like driving conditions on the way had delayed me.

What should have been an easy trip was not, but the stress just melted away when I got into the new kid on Audi’s block – the fabulous Audi TT RS.

 See more pics of the new Audi in our gallery below.

Frown lines were replaced by a beaming smile and the tension in my shoulders magically disappeared as I dropped the top on the roadster, selected first gear and hit the road.

OK, the top couldn’t stay down for long because the rain had follwoed me down the motorway, but it was down for long enough to get a taste for exciting topless driving.

There was little buffeting and no need for a hat and, with the top up, it was very quiet – even on the motorway.

This is a car with a split personality. It will quite happily tootle around busy streets, but get on to the open road and it unleashes its claws and roars with its silky five-cylinder turbo engine which gives 340PS from 5,400 – 6,500rpm.

And, perhaps more importantly, 450Nm of torque at 1,600 – 5,300rpm. No wonder I was smiling!

And nothing is sweeter than having the car behind practically in the boot trying to get round you as you observe 30mph speed limits – only to leave it standing still as you hit the gas when the national speed limit sign applies.

And that’s because it will get you from 0-62mph in 4.6 seconds.

With its permanent four-wheel drive and all the gizmos you would expect, this car sticks to the road like a gold-digging blonde does to an elderly rich man.

If you want to up the ante in driving dynamics, select the sport button for more direct throttle response.

And also say goodbye to getting anywhere near the 31mpg combined fuel figure. But then you don’t buy these cars to worry about how much petrol you’re using!

On the plus side, it has the lowest CO2 emissions in its class and only emits 214g/km, which equates to road tax currently of £215.

As for space, the boot is good for the size of the car, with 290 litres in the ocupe (and you can fold down the rear seats to get 700) and 250 in the roadster (but no rear seats to fold down).

Finish is top quality and standard spec isn’t bad, but you really do need to add on a few bits and pieces such as 19in wheels, so ignore the £42,985 tag for the coupe and £44,885 for the roadster.

In reality, you need to spend around £50,000.

By Sharon Walters