Tag Archives: Audi

Audi, AWD, Coupe, Performance

TT is simply stunning

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Audi TT RS

By Bill McCarthy

The TT has always had an aura around it, a sportscar that has an enduring quality. A bit like the Mazda MX5, it’s become an icon.

Whether in coupe or roadster form, it has always looked the part, a head turner and offering plenty of performance.

Then there’s the TT RS, the bonkers sibling which offers something else entirely. Looking more menacing and likely to kick sand in your face, it just kicks the rear end of others with performance.

Like all RS Audis, performance is a given, but in the low slung TT it can be exhilarating.

The five-cylinder soundtrack delivered by the 2.5-litre TFSI is via the RS Sports exhaust system, amplified to spit and gurgle as the car blasts from 0 to 60mph in just under 3.6 seconds.

That is supercar territory and you can be in no doubt as you are thrust back in your seat as the car takes off.

The five cylinder unit delivers a stonking 400PS, that around 395bhp in old money which is a ton of grunt for a relatively small car. Mated with the seven speed S ironic auto box with the option of gear change via paddles. It rockets away from a standing start.

Aided by the RS specific suspension with magnetic ride adaptive damping, which keeps the rubber firmly on the road, the power is handled with ease. Throw in the legendary Quattro all-wheel drive and you have a vehicle that feels like it is running on rails and clinging like a limpet when cornering, while driver and passenger are held firm by the sports seats.

People were queuing up for a drive and the couple who did were not disappointed.

Once the bonkers part is over the car is a comfortable car about town and a rapid but sedate performer on the motorway when up to speed.

While £65k for this model seems like a lot of money, there is the full Audi quality you would expect both with outside styling and interior quality together with cutting edge technology. The original TT is still a much sought after car and the shape has evolved. Originally a more rounded vehicle, it now features sharper creases and harder edges, with stylish light clusters.

This model features the RS branding, subtle but still unmissable with honeycomb grille , coloured RS brake callipers, seven-spoke 19-inch alloys and rear spoiler. Door sill trims with aluminium inlays and “TTRS” logo

The interior in typical Audi with high end soft touch finish high-quality plastics.

The dash features aluminium with carbon inserts and features Audi’s Virtual Cockpit display which controls the major functions like connectivity, navigation and entertainment including DAB digital radio and controlled via the central MMI system.

The leather-quilted sports seats feature the RS logo and are firm and supportive, much needed when tested the car’s cornering ability.

A two+two, although the front seats offer plenty of head legroom, it is tight to the rear for any adults, forcing the front passenger to push the seat as far forward as possible. They really are more suited for children, or stowing extra baggage.

Although stowage space is not bad at all, with 305 litres available, it can be extended to 712 litres by utilising the rear seats space.

A car of this nature needs to be safe and the TT is packed with safety equipment not least the huge RS callipers and ventilated discs which provide immense stopping power. It also includes full complement of airbags including curtain and knee protection and stability control.

The TT just gets better, it looks the part and is a thrilling drive.

Factfile

Audi TT RS Sport Edition S tronic

Price: £63,260

Mechanical: 400PS, 2480cc, five-cylinder, petrol engine driving all wheels via seven-speed auto box

Max Speed: 155mph (limited)

0-62mph: 3.6 seconds

Combined MPG: 31.7

Insurance Group: 43

C02 emissions: 202g/km

Bik rating: 37%

Warranty: 3yrs/60,000miles

Audi, Executive, Sports and coupe

Firing up the diesel Audi

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Audi A5 Sportback

By Bill McCarthy

Firing up the Audi, (or Quattro in the case of TV detective Gene Hunt in Life on Mars), is with the press of a button these days,

So if not quite firing up the Quattro, when this Audi fired up I had to double check it was a diesel.

Diesels have had a bit of kicking in the last few years, but are still being produced by executive brands like Audi.

Almost entirely lacking in diesel clatter, but delivering in spades when it comes to economy and low CO2 emissions, they are still a serious option, certainly until 2030 when new sales are due to be phased out. That doesn’t mean you won’t be able to drive them after 2030, however, so they are still a longer term option.

The A5 has been around a few years now, a smart, coupe-Like design, disguising loads of space and challenging anything on the road for style.

When it looks that good, revisions need to be subtle and the latest incarnation still features the low, almost predatory stance of the car, but now has a honeycomb grille that is wider and flatter, and ventilation slits which reference, says Audi, the classic Audi Sport quattro from 1984.

Headlights with LED technology come as standard, with Matrix LED headlights available from S line.

The interior is real premium quality with high-end soft-touch finish, paint black inlays with contrasting brushed aluminium trim and leather seats which feature the S-line ’S’ embossed into the head restraint.

It features the 12.3-inch cockpit-style dash, which is customisable via the multi-function steering wheel to three different views while the centrepiece is the touchscreen, which controls major functions like music, navigation and connectivity via smartphone.

In fact, the steering wheel controls have largely replaced the MMI dial on the central console, operating a number of functions.

Also Audi connect infotainment services deliver numerous web-based features such as up-to-the-minute news, Google Earth mapping and Street View and flight, weather, traffic and fuel pricing information.

It is well equipped, with the S Line version offering 19in alloy wheels, Matrix LED headlights, privacy glass,  and stiffer, lowered suspension.

On the road, the car is a very able performer. The 163PS on tap from the two-litre unit propels the car to 60mph in a very respectable eight seconds, as it slips seamlessly through the seven-speed auto transmission.

The suspension in all A5 models has been tuned with an underlying emphasis on comfort but also an appropriately sporting bias, which delivers a thoroughly enjoyable driving experience, especially on tight, twisting roads. It is pretty frugal as well, with a real-world economy of around 50mpg.

It may look like a coupe, but there is still a generous amount of storage space, with 465 litres available which expands to a pretty cavernous, for the type of car, 1,300 litres with the rear seats folded.

In typical Audi style, it also boasts the latest hi-tech safety kit, from full suite of airbags to stability control, parking sensors, daytime running lights, assisted braking and pre-collision mitigation.

Quiet, powerful and frugal, the diesel is still a player.

Factfile

Audi A5 Sportback 35 TDI S tronic (163PS)

Price: £45,599

Mechanical: 163PS, 1968cc, 4-cylinder diesel engine driving front wheel via 7-speed S tronic auto transmission

Max Speed: 130mph

0-62mph: 8.2 seconds

Combined MPG: 51.4

Insurance Group: TBC

C02 emissions: 144g/km

Warranty: 3yrs/60,000 miles