Audi’s fresh sportscar checks in

Audi Australia has revealed its updated hard-charging TT RS flagship sportscar will arrive in showrooms next month, priced from $134,900 plus on-road costs.

Missing in action for more than a year, mainly due to homologation issues overseas, the new TT RS charges in with its familiar fire-breathing 2.5-litre five-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine – a powerplant also destined for the imminent RS3 hyper-hatch – that continues to produce 294kw of power and 480Nm of torque.

As with all hot Audis, the engine’s considerable output is put to the road in collaboration with the brand’s quattro permanent all-wheel-drive system, in this case via a seven-speed dualclutch automatic transmission.

As a result, the 0-100kmh dash is dispatched in just 3.7 seconds, more than half a second faster than the Porsche 718 Cayman GT4.

Despite the ballistic performance,

Audi claims the TT RS will sip a modest 8.0 litres of fuel per 100km on the combined cycle – not bad for a highly strung, low-capacity engine.

The vehicle rides 10mm lower than the standard TT on ‘RS sport suspension plus’ and now features magnetic damping as standard.

As we saw when the update was revealed in February 2019, the facelifted TT RS distinguishes itself from the previous model and its regular counterparts with larger front air intakes finished in black mesh, flared wheelarches, a fixed rear spoiler, ‘quattro’ lettering along its chin and Matrix LED headlights.

Audi Australia product planning and pricing director Shaun Ticehurst enthused that the TT RS’S ‘combination of power and soundtrack provides a rare thrill for enthusiasts’ and exudes Audi’s rich brand heritage.

“The iconic Audi 2.5-litre five-cylinder turbo is one of the most celebrated engines in motoring,” he said.

“Now with even more high-value features as standard, the Audi TT RS has never been more attractive.”

Audi says the new TT RS comes with more than $6500 of additional high-value features compared with its predecessor, with standard equipment on the new model running to the 12.3inch Audi virtual cockpit with bigger RS tachometer, coloured shift lights, g-force meter and lap timer.

Connectivity features include Apple Carplay and Android Auto, wireless smartphone charging, MMI navigation plus system with voice control and a 12-speaker Bang and Olufsen sound system.

Standard safety features include six airbags, active lane assist, side assist, parking sensors, a reversing camera and tyre pressure monitoring system.

For the record, the previous TT RS was priced from $137,240 plus onroads.

The most natural rival for the TT RS will be the aforementioned Porsche

718 Cayman GT4 – priced from $207,000 – even though the secondtier GTS 4.0 is more comparable on price.

So far this year ending April, Audi has shifted just 13 TTS compared with the Porsche 718 Cayman’s 56 sales.