Less than a year away from its official reveal, the 2017 Audi TT RS is expected to really up the ante as far as power goes. According to the Aussies from Motoring, who recently chatted with some Audi->ke14 sources, the next-generation TT RS->ke3038 will develop more than 400 horsepower, which would make it more powerful than both the 2012 TT RS Plus and the recently unveiled 2015 Audi RS3.
Don't expect this amount of power to come without some mechanical hurdles though, as the General Manager of Quattro GmbH, Stephan Reil, says that turbocharged, five-cylinder engine in the RS3 and TT RS is already at the limit from some perspectives. "If you look at the performance curve, there are not many engines out there that can deliver this much torque (465Nm) at such a low (1,625) rpm," Reil said. "But to do that the car is at the limit of the speed of the turbocharger now. The turbocharger is a relatively small one, for reasons of throttle response, and the performance in the RS 3 is at the limit of the rpm the turbocharger wheels can do in production," he continued.
In other words, the new Audi TT RS will probably get a larger turbocharger, meaning that the increased power will go hand in hand with a bit more throttle lag. Usually, that goes with the territory, but if the model will switch to a lightning-fast, dual-clutch transmission exclusively, than the lag may appear less obvious.
Note: Standard Audi TT pictured here.
Continue reading to learn more about the next Audi TT RS.
2015 2016 Audi TT RS To Seriously Outgun The RS3
- Make: Array
- Model: 2015 2016 Audi TT RS To Seriously Outgun The RS3
- Engine/Motor: inline-4
- Horsepower: 493
- Torque: 539
Why it matters
Over 350 horsepower in a compact->ke140-based sports car was only attainable by a few aftermarket tuners a decade ago, so seeing hot-hatches->ke304 like the 2014 Mercedes-Benz A45 AMG and the 2015 Audi RS3 pushing well over that limit is downright insane, but wonderful. The next-generation Audi TT RS, like the facelifted 2016 A45 AMG, may take that insanity even further. Combined with a much lower weight, thanks to its use of the MQB platform, the new TT RS could have a 0-60 mph time of under four seconds, or about as much as a supercar->ke177 from the 1990s. It sure is a good time for attainable performance-car->ke506 enthusiasts.
2017 Audi TT RS
Read our full review here.