Intel Report: Audi TT RS
SUBJECT: Audi TT RS
QUICK BACKGROUND:
Confirmed for launch at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show and expected on the European market by fall 2009, the Audi TT RS will mark the top of the TT range at Audi. This new model will expand Audi’s RS line of cars even further, and push the aluminum-bodied TT to near supercar performance levels.
At the heart of the TT RS is a turbocharged 2.5-liter turbocharged FSI 5-cylinder engine – a return for Audi to the iconic force-fed 5-pot configuration. Early official information from Audi confirms power at “above 300 hp”, though Fourtitude has heard at least 350 hp from senior Audi executives directly involved in the car’s development. That’s enough to move the TT RS from 0-62 mph under 5 seconds… “nowhere near 5 seconds,” according to a quick blurb in the official teaser info from Audi. A supposed leaked German dealer document published back in October claimed 0-62 in 4.5 seconds and a consumption of nearly nearly 24 MPG (“under 10 liters”).
That same document listed a few more important points. For starters, official power figures should be 340 hp and 332 lb-ft (450 NM).
Styling for the TT RS is in line with Ingolstadt’s RS formula - hexagonal weave of the grilles and inserts, standard satin silver trim on mirrors and the like and large oval exhaust tips as seen on other RS models. Early teaser photos show a new 18-inch 5-spoke wheel design and what looks like an optional familiar RS-looking wheel with titanium paint and a machined face and probably in a 19-inch diameter. The rounded lines of the TT RS forego the box fender treatment seen on the RS 6 and expected on the RS 5. However, the TT RS breaks tradition and does receive a trunk-mounted rear wing.
Inside, information from October’s alleged dealer document suggests the TT RS will get several interior upgrades as well. Sport seats will feature alcantara, contrasting pipe seams and a TT RS embossed logo. The instrument cluster’s multi-function display will also get readouts for boost, oil temperature and a laptimer. Perforated leather with silver stitching will complete the look, adorning the flat-bottomed steering wheel, shift boot and more.
CHANCES FOR NORTH AMERICAN SALES:
Audi of America is staying coy about the TT RS for now and that’s probably prudent. Sources inside Audi’s Herndon, VA offices tell us the car has yet to be officially signed off for America, but that hardly means it’s not coming.
One indicator of the TT RS’ status is the recently-launched TTS model. Essentially a replacement for the 3.2, a model due to be phased out, the replacement TTS only came with Audi’s dual-clutch S-tronic transmission, skipping the manual 6-speed gearbox. In today’s environment of slimming down drivetrain proliferation, this makes sense if a TT RS is in bound or the decision has yet to be made. If the TT RS were not imported, we’d guess a TTS with a manual would be added. Its absence bodes well for the North American future of the 350-hp RS.
As for pricing, this has not been finalized either. Given the car’s place in the Audi lineup though, you can expect the TT RS to slot in between the TTS that can stretch into the $50,000 range and the out-of-production RS 4 that based around $62,000.
WHAT’S IN A NAME:
This website has been reporting that this model would wear the TTR badge. Initial rumors out of Ingolstadt said Audi’s new owners at Porsche were comfortable with the RS prefix being used by Audi (as with the RS 4, RS 6, etc.) but not as a suffix that might be confused with the 911 GT3 RS. By all accounts, this went back and forth several times, and we now know the TT RS badge won out.
WHAT WE ARE STILL WAITING TO SEE?… SPORT DIFFERENTIAL
Those who’ve been following the new B8-generation S4 are likely well aware of what Audi is calling its Sport Differential. For those who aren’t familiar, the new S4 uses a rear differential actuated by a hydraulic clutch to apportion torque between the right and left rear wheels. Proactively used, the Sport Differential can improve safety and stability in a way similar to ESP. However, where ESP apportions the braking system from wheel to wheel to stabilize the car, the Sport Differential can apportion torque in a similar fashion to further keep the car under control.
Of course, the Sport Differential has more hooligan value as well. Switch off ESP and the controlled right-to-left throttle makes the S4 a very driftable car and catapults it to one of the best handling Audis we’ve ever driven short of the R8.
In the S4, the Sport Differential is paired to Audi’s Torsen-based quattro system used on all cars with longitudinally-mounted engines. As the TT is transverse and uses the Haldex all-wheel drive system, the coupe is thus a wholly different animal. However, Haldex also offers a similar rear differential, dubbing the entire all-wheel drive and rear diff setup as XWD and this has already seen production in the Saab Turbo X.
In a conversation with Audi AG’s head of development Michael Dick, Fourtitude inquired about the XWD system. Mr. Dick would not confirm whether the TT RS had such a configuration or not, though he did say that Audi had been testing this sort of setup. It is our hope that hardware like this makes it into the TT RS. Whether it does or doesn’t remains to be seen, but some contacts at Audi have hinted that the RS’ all-wheel drive system has been improved in some way.
fourtitude