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Get fired up with the new Audi TT RS
publication date: Jul 18, 2009
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author/source: Robin Roberts & David Miles
| | | A decade after it shook up the sports car market, the
Audi TT is not going soft but preparing for a game of hardball with the latest
addition to this super successful series, the RS versions.
Joining the 75,000 TT
models currently on UK roads as the largest world-wide market for the car, the
RS also comes as a coupe, which is popular with about 80pc of buyers, and a
fabric topped Roadster.
It gets the new 340ps
2.5 litre five-cylinder turbo engine, six speed box and permanent
four-wheel-drive which means of the TT gives a massive 234PS of power per tonne
but being all-wheel drive just 85PS of power at each wheel so traction is
guaranteed.
This year Audio
expects to sell around 7,300 TTs in the UK and 160 units of the RS Coupe and 40
of the RS Roadster will be available but 90 customers have already placed
orders out of a total of 120 units currently reserved by Audi dealerships.
In 2010 there will be
320 TT RS Coupe and 80 TT RS Roadster units for sale in Britain. Current prices are £42,985 for the TT RS
Coupe and £33,885 for the TT RS Roadster, plus added cost options.
Audi has also added
1.8-litre TFSI 160PS petrol engine option to the TT Roadster range and
introduced a new 2.0-litre TFSI 200PS petrol engine for Coupe and Roadster
models. TT coupe prices start from
£25,420 and Roadster soft top models from £23,915.
Jon Zammett, head of
Audi's UK Public Relations said at the media launch of the TT RS quattro
models, "Despite the downturn in the new car market we are not having a new
model drought. We have seen an avalanche
of new models, 17 new or revised models, engines or transmissions in 2008 alone
and last year for Audi was our 13th record year of sales worldwide
with an increase of 4.1pc to 1,003,469 cars sold".
It is this growth in
adding new and additional models and model ranges to the Audi line-up that has
seen them become the number one German premium car brand in the UK this year
talking over from BMW. Audi's UK market
share of new car sales is now over 5pc with nearly 47,000 new car sold. Audi
have moved from 15 to 31 model ranges in 10 years and this will rise to 40 by
2015.
Describing the new RS
versions of the TT is all about figures, power, torque with the 155mph top
speed, derestricted at extra cost by a dealer, going up to 174mph for track
use. In normal road use the 0-62mph time is just 4.6 seconds. The combined fuel
economy is 31mpg, the CO2 emissions 214g/km and there is a 6-speed short throw,
close ratio manual transmission.
Clever engine and
exhaust tuning gives the Audi TT RS a distinctive throaty sound, which
intensifies in Sport mode, but visually it is different to the rest thanks to
revised front air intakes, side sills, different wheels and larger ovoid
tailpipes. The fixed rear spoiler can be replaced with a more discreet version
which raises and retracts automatically.
Inside, the TT sports
interior is finished exclusively in black, with brushed aluminium inlays and
aluminium footrests and pedals providing contrast and RS logos adorning the
heated Silk Nappa leather sports seats, the thickly-rimmed flat-bottomed
steering wheel, the rev counter and the door sill trims. True to Audi RS form,
the standard Driver's Information System has additional displays for boost
pressure and oil temperature, and also includes a lap timer for circuit use.
Customers looking for
maximum designer tweaks to suit their image can add 19-inch wheels, bucket
seats with folding backrests, black or matt aluminium styling packs and even
Ibis White or Phantom black painted interior inlays at extra cost, in addition
to the latest navigation and multimedia options. |
FIRST IMPRESSIONS |
At its launch a
decade ago, the original Audi TT impressed with its simplicity and style, its
speed and subtlety and to these attributes you now get additional agility and
ability to eat up the miles over any type of roads.
The Audi TT RS is not
only more eager but also calmer covering distances and it is possible to press
on or switch off and enjoy the varied personality of this highly sophisticated
sportster.
I briefly drove both
Coupe and Roadster and discovered what I lost in visibility in the closed car I
did not have to sacrifice when it came to enjoying the open-topped version. The
hood opens or closes very quickly and simply and you can even raise or lower
the windbreak at the push of a switch.
In convertible form
it is very composed and there is no noticeable scuttle shake or rattles while
the bootspace is modest but usable. In a sudden heavy shower it never leaked
but felt snug and benefitted from the standard climate control to maintain
clear windows.
The powertrain is
excellent with immediate power pouring out, gearchanges are silky and the
steering and brakes are both sharp and responsive.
For a sports car, the
ride is good although some bumps can be felt but overall it does a good job at
absorbing the regular ripples and bumps. Road noise is there but wind noises
are very low.
Whether or not an
owner would ever explore the Audi TT RS to the fullest extent must be doubtful,
even on a track outing, but it is immensely enjoyable on quiet country roads
and if you can say that about a car in today's traffic it has its own inner rewards.
It always feels safe
and surefooted and instils confidence and contentment as one.
| | © Images Steve Belasco Location courtesy of Goring Thames Sailing Club |
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