Geneva show: Audi unveils tweaked TT RS Plus

AS IF Audi’s TT RS sportscar needed any more power and torque, the German luxury brand has coaxed an extra 15kW and 15Nm from its 2.5-litre five-cylinder turbo engine to create a flagship ‘Plus’ variant that will take to the stage at next month’s Geneva motor show.

Audi Australia corporate communications executive Shaun Cleary told GoAuto the 265kW/465Nm TT RS Plus is something the company is “working on”, but was unable to confirm whether it will be imported at this stage.

The rival new-generation Porsche Boxster will also make its global public debut at the Geneva show.

The RS Plus will inject extra life into the ageing TT model line – which arrived on the Australian market in late 2006 – with an impressive 0-100km/h time of 4.1 seconds and a 280km/h maximum speed.

That acceleration figure, achieved with the optional seven-speed S-Tronic dual-clutch transmission with launch control function that launched in Australia at the Melbourne motor show last July, slices two-tenths of a second from the standard S-Tronic-equipped TT RS coupe.

In convertible Roadster format – never offered on the TT RS in Australia – the sprint time is one-tenth slower, while the six-speed manual transmission adds two-tenths over the S-Tronic on both bodystyles.

The 280km/h top speed is some 30km/h higher than the standard car, although the standard RS is claimed to match the Plus with the electronic limiter optionally removed.

Relatively frugal fuel consumption of 8.5 litres per 100 kilometres remains the same as the standard RS S-Tronic.

Externally, the TT RS Plus is identified by black-painted, 19-inch alloy wheels in five-spoke Rotor design with contrasting red paint on the spoke tips and outer rim, plus carbon-fibre mirror housings and a polished anthracite radiator grille with matte-aluminium frame.

Inside, the gearshifter is dressed with TT RS Plus badging and aluminium-look trim.

Like the TT RS S-Tronic Limited Edition sold in Australia since the Melbourne motor show in July, the TT RS Plus also gets black oval exhaust tips linked to an active exhaust system with a valve that provides a louder bark under heavy throttle openings.

In Europe, the TT RS Plus is priced around €6000 ($A7400) over the standard TT RS.

Among its German rivals, the 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo BMW Z4 sDrive35is reaches 100km/h seven-tenths later and consumes an extra half-litre per 100km.

Impressively for a 5.5-litre V8, the Mercedes-Benz SLK55 AMG matches the Audi’s fuel figure but remains half a second slower to 100km/h.

Porsche’s new Boxster S comes up trumps on fuel efficiency with a claimed 8.0L/100km, but its 3.4-litre flat-six can only match the BMW to 100km/h when paired with a PDK dual-clutch transmission.