Two Performance Audi TTs Will Highlight Second-Gen

INGOLSTADT, Germany — It may not yet have gone on sale in North America, but Audi is already preparing two new performance-oriented versions of its second-generation TT.

The TT-S and TT-RS, as the new models will be badged, are currently undergoing development at Audi's Ingolstadt headquarters in Southern Germany. They are scheduled to go on sale in 2007 and 2008 respectively, throwing down the gauntlet to rival go-fast coupes such as the BMW Z4 M coupe and Porsche Cayman S with a combination of improved performance. The pair also has a series of visual upgrades over the standard 200-horsepower turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder and 250-hp 3.2-liter V6 models due to go on sale in the U.S. in early 2007.

Heading the charge will be the TT-S, with the "S" designating Sport. The more affordable of the two, it is planned to run an updated version of the turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine recently launched in the German carmaker's rapid S3.

Exact output remains under wraps, although a high-ranking Audi official has hinted to Inside Line that it will go beyond the S3's already potent 265-hp figure, reaching possibly as high as 300 hp through a combination of increased turbocharger boost pressure and other internal tweaks, such as lightweight pistons to reduce reciprocating masses and provide a more free-revving nature.

Yet while the TT-S is sure to have its backers, it is the even more expensive TT-RS (the RS adopted from the German words Renn Sport, or Race Sport) that is likely to grab the headlines when it lands stateside two years from now.

Rather than the 3.6-liter V6 engine as widely rumored, Inside Line can confirm the range-topping TT is set to become the first Audi model to receive a new turbocharged version of parent company Volkswagen's long running 2.5-liter five-cylinder — as found in North American versions of the Jetta.

Updated to accept the same cylinder head configuration as the 5.2-liter V10 used in the S8 along with the latest direct-injection technology from German specialist Bosch, the new Audi engine is said to deliver in the region of 365 hp. That's some 22 hp more than the Z4 M Coupe.

As with the TT-S, the TT-RS will place its power to the ground via either a standard six-speed manual or an optional seven-speed version of Audi's S-Tronic double-clutch gearbox, with a Haldex-style four-wheel-drive system, which uses a multi-plate clutch instead of Audi's more traditional Torsen-based arrangement, apportioning drive to all four wheels.

Meanwhile, Audi officials have confirmed to Inside Line the open-top version of its new two-door, the TT roadster, will make its world premiere at the Los Angeles auto show next month, prior to going on sale in the U.S. in March 2007.

© Source: original article on insideline