Powerful TTS Raises Bar for Audi’s Coupe and Roadster

Although it would have suited the previous generation TT just fine, Audi never got around to offering a hotter version of its iconic sports car. Now that the brand has shifted into sports-car creating mode with the very good RS4, the M5-bashing RS6 and its first supercar, the R8, they’ve decided to put a little more pep in the TT’s step. Launching at this year’s North American International Auto Show in Detroit is the TTS Coupe and Roadster, TTs that have been turned up to 11.

The TTS is to the TT what the S4, S6, or S8 are to their respective models, meaning more performance, better grip and handling and more aggressive and sporty interior and exterior appointments. But where S cars in these prior examples usually sport high displacement and high cylinder count motors, the TTS goes back to basics. Undercutting the 3.2 in physical size is a high-performance version of the 2.0T powerplant. In essence it is a beefed up version of the ubiquitous 2.0T found in the European-market Audi S3, featuring strengthened internal components and higher boost pressure for the turbo, amongst other changes to create 268 horsepower and 258 lb-ft of torque.

Although this doesn’t represent a giant step up in power from the V6 model, there is a distinct difference in the way the TTS will drive; its power delivery will be more aggressive and it will be a more visceral experience. Furthermore, the TTS’ drivetrain combines the bests of the TT world – the lighter 2.0T engine with the grip and traction of the V6’s Quattro all wheel drive. Buyers will be able to order the TTS with either a six-speed manual transmission or the twin-clutch S-tronic. Zero to 60 mph is served up in 5.4 seconds. Add 0.2 seconds for the slightly heavier roadster, and subtract 0.2 seconds with S-tronic. This means that an S-tronic equipped TTS Coupe is quicker to 60 mph than a Cayman S, and just 0.1 seconds off the pace of the much more powerful BMW M Coupe. Top speed is limited to 155 mph.

To go along with the added performance, Audi has changed the spring and damper settings for a sportier ride and the excellent magnetic damping system is standard equipment. ESP stability control settings have also been tweaked to be less intrusive. Visually, both Coupe and Roadster models receive new lower fascias that emphasize the trapezoidal grille, deep side skirts and a larger rear diffuser accented by quad exhaust tips. New headlights have also been fitted with LED driving lights, while the traditional aluminum-look mirrors have been added and 18-inch wheels are standard equipment.

After making its grand debut in Detroit, the TTS will go on to be sold in dealerships across the globe this autumn. While having a hotter TT will do the brand good, things are slated to get hotter still, as an RS version is supposedly in the works.