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2017 Audi TT RS arrives with 400 horsepower

If the Audi TT was ever considered to be more style than substance, that stereotype can be put to rest with the arrival of the new TT RS. Revealed in both coupe and convertible bodystyles at the Beijing Motor Show today, Ingolstadt's latest performance models boast 400 horsepower. And for nostalgic VW and Audi fans, this is still the only way to buy a five-cylinder engine. For those keeping track, that represents an increase of 60 hp over the previous version, accompanied by 354 pound-feet of torque. Channeled to all four wheels in typical Quattro style, those 400 horses will propel the TT RS to 62 miles per hour from a standstill in as little as 3.7 seconds. That's enough to undercut the new Porsche 718 Cayman S by a good few tenths, and will leave the vast majority of drivers on the road or track looking at its pair of oval tailpipes, OLED taillights, and fixed rear wing rather than the new front end with its oversized air intakes. Those lucky enough to find themselves inside the new TT RS will find a pair of low-slung bucket seats along with standard TT fare like a 12.3-inch Virtual Cockpit display, Audi Connect infotainment system, and inductive smartphone charging. US pricing and availability are still being worked out, but Audi of America spokesman Mark Dahncke tells Autoblog that the new TT RS will arrive in showrooms Stateside "sometime next year." Overseas the new model is set to launch in the fall. The starting price of ˆ66,400 euros listed for Europe works out to nearly $75k at current exchange rates. More tellingly the TT RS price is just above the ˆ64,118 that Porsche charges for the new 718 Cayman S. This is clearly one bout of sibling rivalry that's just heating up. Related Video: Dynamic duo: Audi TT RS Coupe and Audi TT RS Roadster Audi is sending the most powerful TT ever into the competitive field. Its newly developed five-cylinder engine delivers 400 hp – accompanied by unmistakable engine sound. The Coupe and Roadster are celebrating their world premieres at the Beijing Motor Show. Muscular front end, large air inlets, low-positioned spoiler, fixed rear wing – at first glance, the Audi TT RS* clearly hints at just how much power there is under its streamlined skin. Its new five-cylinder aluminum engine delivers 400 hp, which is 60 hp more than the power of the previous model.

Coming to America | 2018 Audi RS3 Sedan First Drive

Audi's Quattro division never let us have the giant-killing, all-wheel-drive RS3. Too sophisticated for the US, they said. Too European. And we only make it as a Sportback (that's hatchback to you). You wouldn't like it. You're more SUV kind of people. Others, those in Quattro's special we-like-you countries, bought the RS3 and constantly raved about it, insisting its handling made the Mercedes-AMG A45 look ponderous (because, well, it is), its packaging was terrific, and the noise, they said. The noise. Over and over, the noise. But ex-Lamborghini president Stephan Winkelmann is now the boss and he's brought with him a worldview that Quattro GmbH never had. And despite being busy changing the letterhead to Audi Sport, Winkelmann found time to think about America. And he must like us because he's moved us to the top of the list. Not only will we get the face-lifted RS3, with its new, lightweight five-cylinder turbo motor crunching out 332 pound-feet of torque and 400 horsepower, we'll get it in a crisply styled three-box sedan. And we'll get it first, before even Germany (where it's built). The RS3's 2.5-liter five-cylinder has enough power to hurl it to 62 mph in 4.1 seconds and, thanks to launch control, the ability to do so repeatably. It's coming with a 155-mph top speed that can be raised to 174. It's coming with limpet grip from a rear-biased all-wheel-drive system. It's coming with a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission (and don't ask for a stick shift, because they haven't bothered to engineer one). It's coming standard (for the US) with constantly variable magnetic ride dampers, which replace the base fixed-rate steel spring-and-damper setup. But more than anything else, the RS3 sedan is coming here with that engine. It starts with a sharp braaap as it spins to around 4000 rpm and then a pop and bang that will wake the neighbors. And that's in the quieter default mode. It's like an angry man who always wakes up looking for a fight and, finding he can't get one, barks out the last word anyway. Except it never really goes quiet. It goes less loud, but not quiet. Quiet is not in the repertoire. The engine is what dominates this car and the noise dominates the engine. It's always there, always threatening, menacing, bellowing, barking, or popping and burbling. With a 1-2-4-5-3 firing order, the turbo five is a unique combination of belligerent and sophisticated, raucous and operatic, brutal and smooth, and often all of them at the same time.

Audi R8 Exclusive Edition gets laser beam headlights

We've long lamented the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's draconian Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, which contrary to their name, have actually prevented automakers from selling some substantial and important safety equipment, like advanced headlights, in the US market. Until now, apparently. To be fair, we've known Audi was prepping its advanced laser headlights for the US market, but that doesn't make their arrival any less exciting. Audi will begin offering DOT-approved high-beams that use advanced laser diodes on a limited run of V10-powered R8s. Exclusive to the, um, Exclusive Edition R8, the advanced lamps complement the standard LED low beams and dynamic front turn signals, offering "very bright and pure white light" for 25 lucky consumers. Here's some more techno babble about how the lights work – according to Audi's official release, there's a laser module in each headlight containing four high intensity laser diodes that fire out blue lasers. Then, a phosphor converter adjusts the 450-nanometer laser into visible light that fires up above 40 miles per hour. "When conditions permit," Audi's release reads, the laser high beams "greatly enhance visibility for the driver by projecting a low and wide beam of light on the road ahead." Naturally, we have questions, but Audi wasn't keen on releasing much info ahead of the R8 Exclusive Edition's Los Angeles Auto Show debut. The company confirmed that the new lights are DOT approved, which makes sense considering the LA introduction. We're also wondering how Audi's new Laser Lights differ from BMW's similarly named Laserlight system, offered on the i8. Both setups use lasers to replace conventional high beams, but BMW says it "adjusted to the maximum allowable light output for the US market." Audi was cagey about explaining if it modified the system to satisfy the feds. Ingolstadt also offered the typical "we don't comment on future product" when asked about future applications for its laser headlight technology. Beyond the advanced high-beam headlights, the R8 Exclusive Edition comes standard with Quantum Grey paint, 20-inch "Y Design" wheels, a carbon-fiber side blade with an orange stripe, and a whole bunch of interior trim upgrades, like full leather upholstery and Alcantara trim. Price start at $229,200, not counting $1,250 in destination charges. We'll have more on the R8 and its laser lamps when it debuts in a couple weeks. Related Video: