Newspaper Article

At last! A Quattro that's as flash as Gene Hunt

John Simister Road Test

2009

Overview

There are fundamental differences between the TT RS and the \"Huntmobile\". The TT can't accommodate two fully-grown people in its rear seat, let alone two plainclothes officers, because it's a smaller, daintier car. And its engine is mounted transversely rather than lengthways. Cylinder-count and turbo presence apart, nothing is shared between the engines; the TT RS's engine block is the same as is used in US versions of the Volkswagen Jetta, and the cylinder head is closely related to those used in a Lamborghini Gallardo or Audi R8 V10. Do you sense a triumph of presentation over substance? There's more. The TT RS has a rather flamboyant rear spoiler, a veritable wing more suited to a racing car. You would think it would increase downforce at speed, but it turns out the design brief called only for something to give as much downforce as the standard TT's discreet, retractable spoiler. \"Actually it gives slightly more,\" says Stephan Reil, the development manager of Audi's specialist Quattro division, \"but you can't feel it when you drive.\"

• Publisher: Independent Digital News & Media