Audi TT RS Heading for Geneva

by
Canadian Auto Press

We were in Austria for the debut of the recently updated TT, and were blown away with its performance then. No doubt, the

Audi's new TT RS takes a great sports car and makes it better. (Photo: Audi)

new TT RS is worthy of another arduous flight across the Atlantic, as this one sets new standards for Audi’s compact sports car.

And as appears to be the case so far, to get your hands on one you’ll have to travel across the big pond too… or at least Audi’s North American operations have yet announce it for US or Canadian consumption. Then again, they haven’t announced much about the top-line TT.

A short press release accompanied some new photos, in which the Ingolstadt carmaker states its 2.5-litre engine makes “well above 300 bhp” and resultantly “delivers explosive acceleration, driving delight, and unrivalled sound.” Wow! Pretty heady verbiage from the

Sweet upgrades give the TT RS a customized look. (Photo: Audi)

company that already makes one of the most enticing mid-engine sports cars on the market, the R8, let alone a couple of Lamborghini V10-powered sedans.

Speaking of the V10 that comes in the S6, RS6, S8 and now the R8 V10 5.2 FSI quattro, the new TT RS features half of that engine’s count of cylinders for five arranged inline, a configuration that brings back fond memories of Group B rally cars, UR quattro coupes and the brand’s first S4, amongst others. This new iteration on the theme is turbocharged like the latter batch, but now direct-fuel-injection is added to the mix for better fuel optimization, or rather more power with better fuel economy.

Of course, quattro permanent all-wheel drive is part of the standard package and complements what Audi

Coupe gets the treatment too. (Photo: Audi)

calls a “sophisticated chassis,” while the German brand states “stupendous brakes keep a tight rein on the power.”

Like the regular TT, Audi utilizes lightweight construction methods based largely on the brand’s Space Frame principle in creating its new RS, a car that features a significant dose of aluminum components.

Light weight, tenacious traction and gobs of power result in a car that should perform very well, and to emphasize this point Audi teases us prior to the car’s Geneva unveiling with a press release quote that tells us the new TT RS “needs nowhere near five seconds to reach 100 km/h (62.14 mph); overtaking is child's play; and 250 km/h (155.34 mph) is the limited top speed only on paper.”