Audi has just revealed the most powerful TT ever, the TT RS, at an event at the Audi City London showroom in Mayfair, London.
The Audi TT has been laughed at in the passed for being anything but a proper sports car, but this particular model should dispel, make that obliterate, such a notion.
It has a 2.5-litre five-cylinder TFSI engine that produces 394bhp (400PS) and 354lb/ft (480Nm) of torque, the latter available from just 1,700rpm. In Coupe form, 0-62mph takes 3.7 seconds – half a second slower than the R8 V10 Plus and an eight of a second faster than the BMW M2.
In its Roadster guise, the 0-62mph is 3.9 seconds, while both models share a top speed of 174mph if you ask Audi to undo the standard electronically-limited 155mph.
Audi has used a seven-speed S tronic dual-clutch transmission to change the gears, with the lower gears deliberately kept short and the seventh gear made lazy to improve fuel consumption. Quattro all-wheel drive feeds power to every wheel.
Launch control can be specified if you want to really embarrass other cars at the lights. Or you can make use of the four in-built driving modes – comfort, auto, dynamic and individual – to make it more or less lairy.
Revisions to the spring and damper settings are said to make it better in the corners and 19-inch five-arms cast wheels and 245/35 wheels giving the rubber something to hold onto. 20-inch forged lightweight alloys with a 7-spoke rotor design and 255/30 tyres are optional.
Braking is taken care of by perforated 370mm steel discs at the front and eight-piston brake calipers with aluminium brake chambers to help heat dissipate more quickly. Carbon ceramic stoppers are available for even more stopping oomph (once warmed up, of course).
Audi has made the TT RS Coupe and Roadster more aggressive, with larger air inlets, a singleframe grille and aerodynamically-shaped side sills. There’s also a fixed wing or, if you pay more, an automatically extending spoiler. At the back are OLED rear lights, a first for Audi.
Inside is a 12.3-inch display that sits behind the steering wheel, providing the driver with details of when to change gear, tyre pressure, torque and G-force. Navigation is optional, as is a WiFi hotspot and a Bang & Olufsen sound system.
No word on a price, but Audi says first deliveries will begin by the end of 2016.
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