The dynamic duo of Audi TT RS coupé and roadster get supercar firepower

Supercar firepower from Audi TT RS

With the crispy new Audi TT now settled in, offering TT, TT quattro and brisk(er) TT S models, it is time to bring out Audi’s big guns:  the TT RS is seeing its 2nd incarnation, and this time it packs supercar firepower.

The new TT RS is stronger than ever – in fact, stronger than most others – with its 2.5-litre 5-cylinder TFSI engine.  This is good news for those who enjoy the 5-pot rhythm, and believe a sports car sound is a non-negotiable emotion – the poor 4-cylinder sounds (sadly occurring more and more, as V8 and 6-cylinder sports cars are toned down to 4-cyl’s) are a deal-breaker for any true sports car enthusiast.

The first Audi TT RS was not exactly a slouch, whipping 250kW and 450Nm from its 2.5 turbo, and the RS coupé with S-tronic auto could run a 0-100 time of 4.3 seconds.  For the new TT RS, Audi has upped the firepower to 294kW + 480Nm.  It sees another manual sports-car casualty as it keeps only the 7-speed S-tronic automatic, but it does benefit rapid performance:  the TT RS coupé can now do a supercar-matching 3.7-second 0-100 and the TT RS roadster a 3.9-sec time.  Both are speed-restricted to 250km/h, or 280km/h upon pay-for request.

quattro drive for best traction and plenty of driving pleasure

As with all high-performance Audi cars, quattro plays a big drive part.  As such, the TT RS will only be offered in quattro.  Wheel-selective torque control makes handling more agile, and safer.  Using the Audi Drive Select system, the driver can influence the TT RS quattro drive and other components such as the steering, S tronic (auto gearbox), engine characteristic and exhaust flaps.  The 4 available modes for this are Comfort, Auto, Dynamic, and Individual (custom setup).  The optional Audi RS sport suspension plus adaptive dampers in magnetic ride technology can also be controlled through this system.

Ventilated perforated steel discs are in action behind the standard 19-inch or optional 20-inch alloy wheels, with abrasion-resistant carbon-ceramic discs an option for the first time on an Audi TT, indicating Audi’s serious sports car intentions.

Matrix OLED taillights – a new feature

The race to see who can put into production the latest headlights (mostly between Audi with their matrix LED and BMW with their laser headlights) is on, and now the race for the most high-tech taillights is starting:  for the new Audi TT RS, OLED taillights is a new feature that will feature for the first time in a series-production Audi.  OLED is short for Organic Light Emitting Diode, and will (to date) be available on BMW M4 GTS and Audi TT RS.

Audi explains:  the OLED emits an extremely homogeneous, high-contrast light, which can be continuously dimmed – it does not cast any shadows and does not require any reflectors – this makes the OLEDs in 3D design efficient, light and visually impressive.  Each Audi TT RS OLED taillight contains 4 wafer-thin units which become smaller from the inside out.  The biggest bears the TT logo and the 4 Audi rings.  See images enclosed.

Athletic aesthetic

The RS version of the TT, as is the character of Audi RS models, differentiates itself by extra-large air inlets, a newly-designed honeycomb grille (with quattro logo, of course), a fixed rear wing on coupé and even on roadster, and big-diameter oval exhausts.

Cockpit inspired by race cars

The Audi Virtual Cockpit all-digital instrument cluster is standard on the TT RS, allowing a configurable selection of displays including navigation right in front of the driver, and a choice of other items including Audi RS displays.

Another first in the Audi RS portfolio and thus for this new Audi TT RS is the steering wheel with 2 satellite buttons – 1 for switching the engine on/off (just like in a race car, and as in the new Audi R8) and the other for the Audi Drive Select (which is great as the drive mode switches in most cars are on the console – this means the driver’s hands and eyes stay where they need to focus).

TT RS in SA?

The European sales will start in the northern-hemisphere autumn, so expect it to arrive in SA during our summer. 

Pricing for SA has not been determined, though as a guide, the previous Audi TT RS which went off the market 2 years ago priced around R850k and the current Audi TTS sits at R 743 000, so the new TT RS duo will be nearer/over the R900k mark, sitting right against the new Porsche 718 Cayman S, with the TT RS out-accelerating any other sub-million Rand coupé or roadster.