It’s a great noise that’s hard to replicate with words, but it brings a smile to my face every time it happens. Bruuup! Every time the 2.0-liter direct-injected inline four shifts up under power – courtesy of the standard dual-clutch gearbox, the same gearbox VW calls DSG but Audi refers to as “S Tronic” – the sound comes out of the exhaust pipe. Depending on how much load the engine is under, it varies from relatively quiet to insistent, but never loses its ability to delight. Bruuup!

At their very basic, sports cars are elemental vehicles designed to go quickly whether the road is straight or, preferably, twisty. Nothing else really matters. In the TT you get the feeling that the car is fully capable of doing the things sports cars do – as long as you compensate for the drive orientation, more on that later – but that there is almost a level of deprivation if you don’t add on the extras. And in my book at least, things like the bi-xenon adaptive headlamps and iPod interface should not be extra-cost in a car that starts on the other side of $35,000.

About that drive orientation. Purists say rear-drive is the only drive orientation for sports car as it leaves the front wheels free to do one thing: steer. Add power through the front wheels and – at best – you muffle the message that comes through the steering wheel. In addition, the weight over the drive wheels makes understeer a given and placement of the car on the road less than optimal. This is magnified as the power going through the front wheels increases. However, reducing the understeer percentage at the rear wheels – where understeer begins – can have a remarkable effect on the ability of a front-drive car to turn in and track through a corner. In a car like the TT, however, where there is still a decent percentage of understeer dialed into the rear suspension, altering your cornering technique – making the entry more gradual and shallow with even braking tapering off as you reach the apex of the corner – can take care of most of the problem, but it will never give you the ultimate feel through the steering wheel. Is this a problem? No. At least not as long as you remember that the front-drive TT is not a full-on sports car, but a very luxurious sporting one. (The 3.2-liter V6 Coupe with quattro, on the other hand, is still a bit numb at the helm, but can rip through corners with the efficiency of a good broadsword.)

The new Audi TT is like that. You think you know it from expectations created by its style leading predecessor, but it continues to surprise you with little nuggets of personality you hadn’t expected. Take the interior, for example. The more time you spend with the new TT the more you realize that the interior is more grown up and subtle. The materials have a nice tactility and cohesiveness to the grains, and – if you really want to spend some money – you can order from a contrasting color palette that makes the interior pop. The next thing you’ll notice are the bright metallic adjustment rings around the air vents – copied on everything from sporty cars to SUVs at other automakers – that are the only true direct connection to the previous car’s interior. They match the splashes of metal on the glovebox door, door pulls, center console, steering wheel, and twin roll bar hoops to brighten an interior that can be dark and foreboding in basic black.

Order the Premium Package (power folding top, Homelink, multi-function steering wheel, 10-way power sport seats with heating elements, auto-dimming interior mirror, and up-level radio with in-dash 6-CD changer for $3,050) and the top switch is paired on the center console with a switch for the standard electrically powered glass wind blocker. Press and hold the switch for the top – up to speeds of 25 mph, if you wish – and everything is done for you, including latching and unlatching the top. Of course this one package will bring the $36,800 base price to nearly $40,000, so you have to ask yourself how important these items are versus their effect on your pocketbook.

You might well find yourself checking the box on the order form anyway since the TT has an upscale air about it, and no dealer is going to let you out the door without it – especially if the car is leased. All of which goes against the sports car nature Audi is so keen to cultivate with the TT. Which means the TT isn’t a true sports car in the purist sense, but rather a two-seat personal luxury car with strong sporting intentions and one hell of a neat exhaust note.