2019 Audi TT RS
The hotter version of the potent Audi TT RS Coupe is headed for South Africa in Q4 of 2019 with a more dynamic appearance. The range-topping Audi TT RS Coupe is a scintillating piece of machinery and the Ingolstadt-based firm has now revised the high-performance model, giving it a more commanding presence on the road. The front-end has been revised and features the matt-titanium quattro emblem sitting on the lower section of the single-frame grille in matt black while the lateral air intakes are now larger, creating a wider appearance than before. Additional radiators behind the RS honeycomb grille serve to enhance cooling. The edgy look is further accentuated with a continuous spoiler painted in body colour as standard but is also offered in a matt aluminum finish or in gloss black. A gloss black inlay is also now seen in the side sills and the mirror housing can be had in either body colour, matt aluminium look, gloss black or carbon.
The rear-end sports a fixed wing with side winglets as well as an RS-specific diffuser with vertical elements and large oval exhaust tailpipes. LED headlights will be offered as standard while Matrix LED headlights and Matrix OLED reversing lights will be offered as an option. The TT RS will be offered in 8 colours including the new Kyalami Green, Pulse Orange and Turbo Blue. A number of individualisation options will also be available to customers. The driver is cosseted in Alcantara RS sports seats (Nappa leather optional) with the cabin focused on the driver. Audi鈥檚 12.3-inch Virtual Cockpit takes pride of place while the multifunction steering wheel is equipped with shift paddles as well as engine start and Audi drive select buttons. In terms of infotainment, MMI navigation plus with MMI touch, voice control, free text search and WiFi capability will be on offer. The TT RS is also fitted with a 680 W Bang & Olufsen sound system. The TT RS will retain its potent 2.5-litre, 5-cylinder turbocharged engine offering 294 kW and 480 Nm of torque. Equipped with quattro all-wheel drive and a 7-speed S tronic transmission, the TT RS will accelerate from zero to 100 kph in 3.7 seconds before reaching a top speed of 250 kph.
Indeed, the biggest issue I had with the interior was with its navigation screen. Land Rover claims it's an eight-inch display, but it almost feels like they're talking about the total enclosure and not the screen itself. The undersized screen is made worse by the optional 12.3-inch TFT display used as the main instrument cluster - the latter is a delight to use, but kind of shows up the center stack screen. More annoying than any size issue is Land Rover (and Jaguar's) infotainment and navigation software, a touchscreen system that has been confounding users for years now. Even with incremental improvements, it still feels like a last-generation product - the touchscreen is unresponsive, the graphics are unattractive and its options limited. Now, you can get a Range Rover Sport with a supercharged V6. You should not do this. Yes, you'll save quite a lot on gas. Yes, the overall cost of your vehicle will be lower. And yes, I suppose there's an argument for environmental responsibility to be made, but you'll be missing out on so much more.
The availability of 510 hp and 461 lb-ft leads to a raucous SUV driving experience that may only be matched by the pricier turbocharged Porsche Cayenne models. The Sport goes from docile to savage with little effort, although it takes some practice to distribute all that fury smoothly. Throttle tip-in is a bit sluggish and weirdly, it almost feels like a turbocharged mill when trying to aggressively get off the line. The pedal needs to be fed in gradually, rather than just deploying a full boot from a standstill. At speed, though, the throttle feels decidedly sharper and the power is just as abundant. The availability of 510 hp and 461 lb-ft leads to a raucous SUV driving experience. Of course, acceleration is helped by the transmission. I'm sure you're sick of all the talk about ZF's excellent gearbox, but it bears repeating how good this particular calibration is, with snappier, well-timed downshifts and right-now upshifts.
There's not much hunting between gears, either, which is part of what contributes to the Sport's potency when accelerating at speed. While manual mode is quite good - the immediacy of its shifts is complemented by the snappy action of the wheel-mounted paddles - I was totally content leaving the gearbox alone to make its own decisions. Despite all the good things I have to say about this engine's actual performance, there's another reason you should buy it over the V6: it sounds brutal. Remember what my dad said above? Hell, it's probably everyone's reaction the first time they hear the Sport at flank speed. This large, off-road-read SUV, which can ford 33 inches of water, sounds like a Jaguar XKR. That said, the Sport is not a sports car, and therefore, it should be rather quiet when just cruising along. It is, kind of. There is some squatting and diving under hard acceleration and braking, but at this point, it seems to be an almost intentional and intrinsic Land Rover quality. To be fair, the affect those 21-inchers have on the Sport's ride comfort aren't massive.