The rest is typical TT; that is until you look over your shoulder to where the kids would usually be sat. Gone are the sardine tight seats of the stock model, they’ve been junked as part of the TT’s diet. In comes a 350Z style strut brace and dividing net that interrupts what would have been decent sized rear loading area. The configuration isn’t ideal, but it certainly makes for greater versatility over the standard layout.

At this point, the Audi script would have us discuss the Quattro Sport’s new found athleticism and sporting prowess, due in most part to the cars stiffer springs, lowered ride height and improved power to weight ratio, yet there really is no point. People never have and never will buy the TT to drive fast. Like the latest running shoes from Nike, it’s about image, not performance.

While the reworked and delicately fettled Quattro Sport isn’t the quickest thing on the market, it does go someway to remedy the ills of the TT’s less than sporting past. More taught and muscular than before, the engine at last offers the effortless pace and turn of speed that should have been on the options list from day one. The only let down is the acoustics. While accompanied by a cascade of turbo chatter, the soundtrack of the Quattro Sport still lags behind the car’s visual display. We couldn’t help feel a bellowing exhaust note, capable of stripping trees of their bark, wouldn’t go a miss.

So which of today’s middle manager coupes should accompany your ascension of the corporate ladder? If it’s a visual feast you crave, the Quattro Sport is certain to satisfy even the most narcissistic of hungers. It’s a million mile from subtle, but there is a certain charm that will be as infectious to some as it is nauseas to others. Dynamically things aren’t quite so rosy. It lacks focus, commitment and red-blooded appeal, with the TT no longer an obvious choice on the team sheet. Does this imbalance of talents matter to the average punter? Well that all depends on which side of the form/function stamp you lick.

The case for and against the Quattro Sport was summarised by a passing admirer. Do I to spend close to £30k on an ageing but still iconic TT, or do I spend an equal amount on a car designed this side of the millennium, with more power, increased driver involvement and with equal exclusivity? The previous paragon of coupes, the Audi TT, may not be ready for retirement just yet, but it’s on Nissan’s glorious playmate, the 350Z GT4, that our money would now go.