TTS performance flagship

AS THE Audi R8 diesel hogs the spotlight at the Detroit Motor Show, another German coupe sitting alongside it has a big future.

The bright red TTS does not have the impact of the shiny silver supercar, but it is already cleared for showrooms.

It shows that Audi wants to get even more from the TT as it pushes its affordable sporty line-up with the new S5 and regular TT cabrio.

The TTS is the same but different, as you would expect after 10 years and two TT models. It has a much sharper image thanks to a 196kW engine (from the S3 hatch) for its quattro all-wheel drive, magnetic-ride suspension, 18-inch alloy wheels, body build-up and more.

It will be sold as a coupe and a convertible and is confirmed for Australia.

“It is coming in the second half of the year, probably the third quarter,” Audi Australia spokeswoman Anna Burgdorf says.

“It is a range-topper for us, like all our S models. It is quattro with S packaging.

“It will have everything, as you would expect. It will be the S model of the TT range — the first time we have had that.”

The TTS is a performance flagship, thanks to a 0-100km/h sprint time of 5.2 seconds and 350Nm on tap from 2500 to 5000 revs.

But Audi also claims economy of 8.0 litres for 100km for the six-speed manual.

Things are even better for the S-Tronic double-clutch gearbox version, which sprints to 100km/h in five seconds and sips at 7.8 litres/100km.

Audi is making a big deal of the magnetic-ride system in the TTS, which is already an option in the TT and a hit with HSV, Ferrari and Chevrolet, which uses it in the Corvette.

It also trumpets the car's 18-inch alloys and new headlights with Audi's signature LED running lights, and the sports bucket seats.

Apart from the sports push, the TTS is also a 10th-anniversary celebration for the retro-look Audi.

The TT was first shown as a concept car at the 1995 Frankfurt Motor Show and was followed by a roadster concept a few weeks later at the Tokyo Motor Show.

Audi got a huge response from potential buyers and full-scale production began in 1998. The second-generation car followed in 2006.

The arrival of the TTS will be big for Audi, in a significant year.

But no one is talking about pricing for the new TT.

“It is still being discussed,” Burgdorf says.