Automotive Spot

BY JENS MEINERS, ILLUSTRATION BY YOSHI G.
Source : www.caranddriver.com


Five-cylinder engines have long been an Audi trademark. First used in 1977 in the Audi 100/5000, five-cylinders took Audi upmarket and clearly differentiated the brand from the competition. The Audi 200 Turbo, with its 170-hp inline-five, became the world's fastest four-door in 1984; the 315-hp, Audi 80–based RS2 Avant of the mid-‘90s was the most extreme station wagon of its time; and Audi won several rally championships with the five-banger Quattro—the S1 Pikes Peak had almost 600 hp.




In the mid-‘90s, Audi dropped the five-cylinder engine and its characteristic, subdued growl in favor of more conventional four-cylinder and V-6 engines. Brand aficionados howled in futile protest, and engineering guru Ferdinand Piëch, who had developed the five-cylinder engine but later moved on to become head of VW, said he never quite understood why the engine had been dropped.

It’s Back!

As of March 2009, a five-cylinder will be back in Audi's range in the form of a 2.5-liter unit with direct injection; it is based on Audi's modular engine architecture. The transversely mounted engine is force-fed by a single turbocharger and will make 330–340 hp. Torque is rumored to be around 330 lb-ft. That's enough to significantly set the TT RS apart from the lesser TTS with its 265-hp, 2.0-liter TFSI four-cylinder engine.

The TTS coupe is claimed to run from 0 to 60 mph in 4.9 seconds, and the fixed-roof TT RS—which will be built as either a 2+2 coupe or roadster—should jet to 60 at least a half a second quicker. If customers request it, top speed will be raised to 174 mph; the TTS is governed to 155. Curb weight will be around 3000 lb and Quattro all-wheel drive will be standard. Power will be transmitted through a six-speed manual transmission; it is unlikely that the dual-clutch transmission will be adapted to the TT RS.

Expect minor but significant changes to set the TT RS apart from the TTS. It needs even more air, so the front intakes will be larger, and it will sport the two large oval exhaust tips which identify Audi's RS models.



Headed For a Geneva Debut

Just a few months back, a tussle strained Audi and Porsche's high-tension relationship even further: Porsche threatened to take legal action against Audi's use of the RS moniker. Porsche had long ago managed to protect the RS nameplate for its exclusive use and allowed Audi to use it only in conjunction with a number, as on the RS 4, RS 6, and so on. Audi engineers went ballistic, and Porsche backpedaled, allowing the TT RS to keep its name. Listen for a five-cylinder rumble at the 2009 Geneva auto show next March, which is where the TT RS is scheduled to make its first public appearance.