Turbocharger

2018 Audi TT RS Roadster Turbocharged And Intercooled DOHC 20 valve

• Report rights infringement
• published: 28 Sep 2016
• views: 18

2018 Audi TT RS Roadster When, as seems inevitable, somebody creates a computer algorithm capable of writing a convincing online review of a car, we suspect its first use will be to craft a story about a performance Audi. Because any digital analysis of past reviews will confirm that they do tend to follow a very predictable script. We haven’t reached such a level of automation quite yet (for which we are truly thankful), but the new Audi TT RS roadster seems to check pretty much every box on the list. Like almost all of its S- and RS-badged predecessors, the new car is incredibly quick and reassuringly adept at finding more than enough traction to match its potency—and without much in the way of driver-flattering involvement that typically draws enthusiasts to sports cars. The new roadster shares all of its principal mechanical componentry with its coupe sibling that we reported on earlier. That means a new, lighter five-cylinder turbocharged engine with an aluminum block in place of the cast-iron-crankcase powerplant of the last car (and which lives on for now in both the RS Q3 and the RS3 hatchback; neither of those is sold in the States, although we are promised the upcoming RS3 sedan). The new unit is claimed to be 57 pounds lighter than the old engine, with the significance of that weight savings amplified by the engine’s location ahead of the front-axle line. Output has risen to 400 horsepower, and Audi claims a 3.9-second zero-to-62-mph time, just two-tenths slower than the coupe. The expensive reworking of the five-pot is proof of the leverage that Audi still has within the Volkswagen universe, with company insiders admitting that it would have been possible to extract similar performance from the existing EA888 2.0-liter four-cylinder. (Indeed Volkswagen itself was working on just such an engine, although we’ve recently reported that the program was canceled.) Audi has been building turbo fives since the original Quattro launched in 1980, and enough people are still buying them to allow the company to maintain this welcome exception to VW’s policy of shared componentry. Long may it continue. The RS roadster’s obvious gain over the coupe is that—with its roof down—it allows its occupants to better appreciate the soundtrack of its oddball engine. It really does produce a noise reminiscent of the competition Quattros that dominated the early years of the infamous Group B rally regulations, and it can rip through the ratios of the standard seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox with similar alacrity. It’s a much different beast than is the existing TTS, far louder and angrier and with an enthusiasm for operating at the extreme top of its rev range that the lesser car just doesn’t possess. It pulls hard all the way to the 7200-rpm fuel cutoff, with the Virtual Cockpit instrument display changing color in the more aggressive dynamic modes to warn of the rev limiter approaching. Specifications VEHICLE TYPE: front-engine, 4-wheel-drive, 2-passenger, 2-door convertible ESTIMATED BASE PRICE: $63,500 ENGINE TYPE: turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 20-valve inline-5, aluminum block and head, port and direct fuel injection Displacement: 151 cu in, 2480 cc Power: 400 hp @ 5850 rpm Torque: 354 lb-ft @ 1700 rpm TRANSMISSION: 7-speed dual-clutch automatic with manual shifting mode DIMENSIONS: Wheelbase: 98.6 in Length: 165.0 in Width: 72.1 in Height: 53.0 in Passenger volume: 47 cu ft Cargo volume: 8 cu ft Curb weight (C/D est): 3450 lb PERFORMANCE (C/D EST): Zero to 60 mph: 3.8 sec Zero to 100 mph: 9.9 sec Standing ¼-mile: 12.2 sec Top speed (governor limited): 155-174 mph FUEL ECONOMY (C/D EST): EPA city/highway driving: 17/25 mpg