Audi TT RS 2009 Review

Audi TT-RS

First Drive

There are people who will tell you there's just no substitute for a V8 engine; that nothing will replace the sheer size of an engine for throttle response and brutality; that V8 engines make music that can't be matched.

But V8 engines are packed with inherent shortcomings. Their sheer size hurts them, because it limits what you can squeeze them into. That means they usually inhabit large cars, which have more space in the engine bay and whose handling is less affected by the extra weight. Of ever greater importance today, though, is that their emissions and fuel consumption are always going to be worse than smaller engines -- even though some now 'turn off' cylinders when they're cruising along.

But there is a substitute for a big V8 engine, but it's not what you think. Audi has big V8s in its stable of engines (it has big V10s and big V12s, too), but it couldn't make any of them fit into its TT coupe. It couldn't safely squeeze more power out of the TTS's turbo-charged four-cylinder engine, either, so it simply built a new motor for the powerhouse TT-RS.

It's strong enough that it effectively replaces it and even surpasses V8s for power, for torque and for the engine's music. It easily trumps 'multis' on fuel economy, too.

And it's a five-cylinder engine -- a turbocharged 2.5-litre five that's tucked across the engine bay and thumps out 250kW of power... Comfortably holding its power peak between 5400 and 6500rpm at the top of its rev range.

But effortless power is not its biggest trick. It's twisting the tyres with masses of torque from very low rpm and, by the time the tacho needle reaches just 1600rpm, it's producing a very V8-esque 450Nm of torque -- and it keeps thumping out the same number all the way to 5300, by which time the power curve has well and truly taken over the heavy lifting anyway.

All that means that the TT-RS (launched at Geneva; more here) is not only fast, sprinting to 100km/h in just 4.6 seconds, but that it's fast from anywhere in the rev range, any time you care to sniff at the accelerator pedal. And it does so with a wonderfully charming, deep and enchanting burble that transforms into more of a fat warble whenever you ask it to work. It's quite unlike anything else you can buy, sort of a cross between a three-cylinder engine and an in-line six, but fattened with a hard-whistling turbocharger.

It's not the first time Audi's Quattro division has built an engine for just one car (it built the twin-turbo, 6.0-litre V12 TDI for its version of the Q7), and it's one more sign that Audi built the TT-RS to set down a marker in fast cars.

While standard cars will run a 250km/h speed limiter, which it will happily strike while still accelerating hard, on a German autobahn our test car ran all the way through to its claimed top speed of 285km/h. And it did it comfortably: its suspension didn't jerk, wobble or cause any heart-fluttering moments; its all-wheel drive delivered confident grip; the massive standard rear wing could actually be felt pushing the tail reassuringly down into the road, and its (optional) carbon-ceramic brakes made short work of avoiding the increasing number of Germans without lane discipline.

But, for all of its chassis surety, it always feels like the engine is the star of the show. There's no turbo lag beyond about 1100rpm and in a straight line, it's quicker than the Porsche Cayman S (its most obvious rival -- more here), BMW's new Z4 (more here) and the new Lotus Evora (more here) -- and not just to 100km/h, either. The TT-RS will sprint through the 200km/h barrier in 15.9 seconds.

From rest, it moves off very easily, with the five cylinders adding gradually to their warble, smoothly filling the cabin. The thing is so crisp and strong and flexible that it's easily capable of taking off in third gear on a flat piece of road.

The standard six-speed manual lever is light to use, but throws are not short and the centering weight of the spring could be a touch stronger. But then again, you don't have to rush your gear shifts, because you know the impressive oomph is always going to be there.

Indeed, if you're not pushing hard, the even-numbered gears are effectively redundant -- except maybe for sixth. Be gentle and it'll return 9.2L/100km (combined cycle).

The TT-RS even rides well -- in a large part thanks to the 'magic' of Audi's magnetically-variable dampers. The car feels beautifully tied down but exhibits a directness of reaction that belies the comfort.

It does everything so well it's as though it doesn't ever need you to do anything -- steering or braking -- quickly. Reassuringly, when you do head for the brake pedal in a hurry, it feels incredibly strong.

Brakes have never been an Audi hallmark, especially on a racetrack, but this one is different. There's no fade in them, much less the abject surrender we've seen on lesser Audis when they have no time to cool down after a hard couple of stops from speed.

Audi hasn't just left it to a belter of an engine to remind you why you spend the extra dollars on the fastest TT ever built. There are visual clues, ranging from a deeper chin, with its nose feeding air to radiators for the engine, transmission and the intercooler. There are unique wheels and there is the RS trademark flat-bottomed steering wheel.

The seats immediately look more intense and aggressive than the standard TT seats and they feel it. They are narrow, with strong thigh and side support and a sharp backrest angle, but they also manage to be comfortable on long drives (though some lumbar adjustment would be handy) and, in corners, they are every bit as supportive as they look.

Yet, somehow, for all of this mighty elevated ability, the TT-RS never quite overcomes its less-specialised underpinnings to rise to the rarified levels of driver involvement offered by the Cayman and the latest Lotus.

It does very, very well and it's a fabulous machine, but sensuous tactile feel is more than a reassuring handling package and a glorious engine note. The clutch, brake and throttle pedals are all light and the steering is meaty in its weight, but its lack of feel means it won't challenge the purebreds.

That said it just might be a better car to drive every day.

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