Autoblog

2011 Audi TT 2.0 Quattro Coupe

Michael Harley — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 11:57:00 EST

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Audi, New Car Reviews

Least Costly TT Gives Entry-Level A Very Positive Meaning

2011 Audi TT 2.0 Quattro Coupe - Click above for high-res image gallery

Audi invited us out to a California track a little more than a year ago for some hot laps in its new TT RS. Fresh out of development, the enthusiast-tuned variant of its ever-stylish coupe was fitted with a turbocharged 2.5-liter five-cylinder sending 340 horsepower to every corner through Audi's Quattro all-wheel-drive system. Quick, nimble and offered only with a six-speed manual, the gussied-up two-seater was not only the ultimate expression of the chassis' capabilities, it was a gift to those with a passion for driving.

Last September, after a successful Facebook petition, Audi decided to bring the TT RS to the States. As word of the announcement spread, we're guessing that more than a few Porsche Boxster and Mercedes-Benz SLK owners felt chills go up their spines.

Fourteen months after blasting around Willow Springs Raceway in the talented TT RS, we found a TT 2.0T Quattro sitting in our driveway. For those unfamiliar with Audi's lineup, the 2.0T is relegated to the bottom of the pole as the least expensive and least powerful model in the franchise.

So... just how would we swallow the entry-level coupe with the taste of the wondrous TT RS still fresh in our mouths? As it happened, we were pleasantly surprised.

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2011 Audi TT 2.0 Quattro Coupe originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 16 Jun 2011 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Audi's S Tronic dual-clutch gearbox headed for Bentley GT?

Jeff Glucker — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 09:01:00 EST

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Audi, Bentley, Rumormill, Luxury

Paris 2010: 2011 Bentley Continental GT - Click above for high-res image gallery

Bentley has provided its Continental GT with a total refresh for the 2011 model year. The styling has been updated and the luxury coupe is expected to gain a second engine option. The traditional 6.0-liter W12 unit will still be available albeit with more power, but Bentley has also let slip that it will offer a new V8 engine. This eight-cylinder unit will apparently be a twin-turbocharged Audi engine which is potentially capable of 550 horsepower. Now, word from Autocar suggests that Bentley would like to pair that engine with Audi's S tronic dual-clutch transmission.

The S tronic unit is currently employed throughout most of the Four-Ringed family lineup. Adding it to the Bentley will present an interesting challenge, however, due to the fact that the underbody of the Continental GT has a nice ZF six-speed automatic transmission-shaped hole. The ZF automatic is the gearbox used for the W12. Bentley's engineers are now doing feasibility studies to see if they can get the dual-clutch gearbox to fit.

Gallery: Paris 2010: 2011 Bentley Continental GT

Live photos by Zach Bowman/Copyright (C)2010 Weblogs, Inc.

[Source: Autocar]

Audi's S Tronic dual-clutch gearbox headed for Bentley GT? originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 13 Oct 2010 09:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Geneva 2010: Audi A1 to hatch jealousy in the eyes of Americans

Chris Paukert — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 11:10:00 EST

Filed under: Budget, Geneva Motor Show, Europe, Hatchback, Audi, Diesel

2011 Audi A1 - Click above for high-res image gallery

We've just returned from Audi's press conference here at the Geneva Motor Show, where Justin Timberlake has laid claim to one of the first A1 hatchbacks that comes off the line. Funny thing is, even with his undoubtedly massive bank accounts, the pop star won't be able to get one - at least not to park in front of any of his U.S. cribs. That's because Audi has announced that the entertaining-looking three-door isn't headed to the States. Given how the A3 has festered in darkened showroom corners in the American market, we can't exactly blame them for not importing an even smaller hatchback, but somehow we think this Mini Cooper-fighter might just find a market where the frumpier, more conventional A3 has stalled.

Available in Europe with four turbocharged, direct-injected engines (two TDI diesels, two gasoline), the A1 will be available with a six-speed manual or a seven-speed dual-clutch S tronic gearbox with optional paddle shifters. Thanks to standard start-stop and energy recuperation among other fuel-saving tricks, the A1 is estimated to reach between 44 miles-per-U.S.-gallon and 62 mpg on the European Cycle.

Audi is also showing an electrified concept version of the A1 as the latest in its e-tron family. Packing a t-shaped lithium-ion battery and a single-rotor Wankel rotary IC engine(!) along with a few external cues to hint at its extended-range hybrid technology, it also drew more than a few eyeballs.

Interestingly, Audi's press materials (available after the jump) make no mention of the availability of Quattro all-wheel drive. Whether the option will come later remains to be seen, but for now, the A1 picks up where the not-for-U.S. A2 left off.

Gallery: Geneva 2010: Audi A1

Gallery: 2011 Audi A1

Photos by Chris Paukert and Drew Phillips / Copyright (C)2010 Weblogs, Inc.
[Source: Audi]

Continue reading Geneva 2010: Audi A1 to hatch jealousy in the eyes of Americans

Geneva 2010: Audi A1 to hatch jealousy in the eyes of Americans originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 02 Mar 2010 11:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Officially Official: Audi RS5 hitting Geneva with 450-hp 4.2L V8

Sam Abuelsamid — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 10:58:00 EST

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Geneva Motor Show, Audi

Audi RS5 - Click above for high-res image gallery

Over the weekend, we got our first look at official images of the new Audi RS5 when a brochure leaked out onto the interwebs, but it didn't contain any technical details of the latest product from Quattro GmbH. Thankfully, our friends in Ingolstadt have seen fit to drop that information on us this morning, and as we suspected, they have opted to go with an upgraded version of the engine that served so well in the late RS4.

The 4.2-liter V8 remains naturally aspirated, but its breathing has been improved to bring the maximum output up to 450 horsepower and 317 pound-feet of torque. The power peak comes up at 8,250 rpm, just shy of the 8,300 rpm redline, and maximum torque is delivered throughout the range between 4,000 and 6,000 rpm. The RS5 comes out the factory with the ability to accelerate to 62 miles per hour in 4.6 seconds on the way to a governed top speed of 155 mph. Owners that wish to exceed that speed can have the governor unlocked, enabling a terminal velocity of 174 mph.

As usual with higher performance Audi models, Quattro all-wheel-drive is the order of the day for power distribution. However, unlike other recent applications that have used a Torsen center differential, the RS5 features the first use of a new crown gear differential with electronically controlled clutch pack. The torque split can be varied from the nominal 40:60 front-to-rear to as much as 70 percent front or 85 percent rear. An optional active torque vectoring rear differential is also available to further improve the RS5's handling. The only available gearbox in the RS5 is a new seven-speed S-Tronic dual clutch transmission (DCT). Hopefully now that Audi has a high-output DCT, we'll also see it replace the dreadful R-Tronic unit in the R8 soon.

The RS5 will get its public debut in Geneva next week and goes on sale in Europe this spring for a base price of €77,000 (about $104,000). Sadly, U.S. Audi spokesman Christian Bokich tells Autoblog that there is nothing to announce right now about plans for the RS5 in this market.

Gallery: Audi RS5

[Source: Audi]

Continue reading Officially Official: Audi RS5 hitting Geneva with 450-hp 4.2L V8

Officially Official: Audi RS5 hitting Geneva with 450-hp 4.2L V8 originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 22 Feb 2010 10:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Review: 2009 MTM Audi A3 Sportback is a singular sport (with) utility

Chris Paukert — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 11:57:00 EST

Filed under: Aftermarket, Performance, Europe, Hatchback, Audi, New Car Reviews

2009 MTM Audi A3 Sportback - Click above for high-res image gallery

In the automotive world, price is increasingly a function of degrees. How's that? Dial in a faster windscreen angle, aggressively rake the rear glass and - voilà! - you've just padded your margins to the tune of a few thousand bucks. Take a plain-jane sedan, hire some stylists to turn it into a "four-door coupe" with a racy greenhouse, and you can use the same mechanicals and still charge a mint. The same goes for crossovers - just steepen the backlight and you're in the ducats. Not convinced? See the Mercedes-Benz CLS and BMW X6 for field notes.

MTM is planning on selling only 15 of these in the U.S.

We note all of this because we're sure you're going to look at the upright profile of this MTM Audi A3 Sportback and dismissively turn up your nose when you learn its pricetag is around $55,000. But if we lopped off a couple of doors or gave it a less formal roofline, we'd be willing to bet that its price would suddenly look a lot more palatable. All of which is understandable, really, as $55k is a lot of coin to be shelling out - especially considering that at a few shekels over $27k, a base A3 starts at roughly half the money.

But shelve your bodystyle prejudices and bear with us for a moment. If you're like us, you've looked longingly at a lot of what the Four-Ringed Wunder has been kicking out on its home continent - models like the RS6 Avant, TT-RS and S3. And unless you've got some seriously deep pockets, an inside man on the gray market and a relative who owes you a favor at the local DMV, you haven't got a prayer of landing any such tasty treats here in the U.S. So while the folks at Motoren-Technik-Mayer (MTM) can't source you an assembly-line-fresh S3 for your middle-American driveway, they can build you a road-legal doppelganger, and as it turns out, that ain't half bad.

We've talked up the Audi A3's virtues and vices before, so we'll spare you the gab about how much we enjoy its well-resolved interior, grippy Quattro all-wheel drive, planted handling and surprising utility. We've also not been shy in mentioning how its price tag can get disastrously dear with just a brief once-over of Audi's options list - and that's before handing it over to a tuner like MTM. But enough with the apologies - ride along with us past the jump to see if this hot hatch is full of excuses... or full of win.

Gallery: Review: 2009 MTM Audi A3 Sportback

Continue reading Review: 2009 MTM Audi A3 Sportback is a singular sport (with) utility

Review: 2009 MTM Audi A3 Sportback is a singular sport (with) utility originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 21 Dec 2009 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Audi Q5 getting 7-speed DSG, Porsche variant on the horizon, again

Damon Lavrinc — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 14:27:00 EST

Filed under: Crossover, Audi, Porsche, Misc. Auto Shows

Click above for a high-res gallery of the Audi Quattro Coupe Concept.

The Audi Q5 will reportedly make its official debut at the Bejing Motor Show next month and with Porsche's increased stake in the Volkswagen group - going from 31-percent to more than 50-percent - that means that VAG and Porsche might begin to finally play nice again with platform sharing.

Initially, the new Q5 was supposed to underpin Porsche's own mini 'ute, but rumors suggested that Audi's board nixed the idea for fear that a Porsche model sharing the same platform could steal sales from the new CUV. That's about to change as Porsche gets a few seats on VAG's board, and according to Autoweek, development of the vehicle-formerly-known as the Roxster is back in full swing.

While there's no new information about the Porsche, Audi's Q5 will be revealed packing the new seven-speed dual-clutch S-tronic gearbox mated to a longitudinal engine. The real benefit of the new DL500 transmission is that it can handle torque output up to 405 lb.-ft. and engine revs of 8,500 rpm. The new tranny will disseminate throughout the rest of the Audi lineup in coming years, first in Quattro models, including the new A4, and then on down to the automaker's front-wheel-drive models.

Gallery: Audi Cross Coupe Quattro

Gallery: 2007 Audi Cross Coupe quattro concept

[Source: Autoweek]

Audi Q5 getting 7-speed DSG, Porsche variant on the horizon, again originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 14 Mar 2008 14:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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VW to replace all automatics with DSG?

Chris Paukert — Wed, 14 Jun 2006 08:04:00 EST

Filed under: Technology, Audi, Volkswagen

Volkwagen's Direct Shift Gearbox/S-Tronic twin clutch gearbox has been fairly canonized by all who have mashed its paddles. And now, the automaker's product chief Wolfgang Bernhard is suggesting that the gearbox will replace all of its conventional automatics in much of the VW kingdom shortly, including transverse-mount Audis, Skodas, Seats, and VWs. Apparently, VW is having a issues dealing with longitudinal applications at the moment.

Bernhard also allowed that the VW has no plans to license the technology, preferring to keep the transmission for itself.

[Source: The Car Connection]

VW to replace all automatics with DSG? originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 14 Jun 2006 08:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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AutoCar heaps praise upon new Audi TT driving experience

Chris Paukert — Fri, 09 Jun 2006 10:55:00 EST

Filed under: Coupe, Europe, Audi

AutoCar has driven the new Audi TT, and proclaimed it to be a genuine Porsche Cayman S rival.

With a combination of sharpened responses, reduced weight, improved power and the availability of the improved S-Tronic dual-clutch gearbox, the magazine indicates that the four-ringed fashion statement has come good with enthusiasts.

Their conclusion?

There's no question about it: the new TT has taken a huge leap forward in the way it drives. Like the latest RS4, it proves that Ingolstadt's attitude to dynamics has changed out of all recognition compared with the uninspiring Audis of the past decade or more.

We can't wait to get our mitts on one and see for ourselves.

[Source: AutoCar]

AutoCar heaps praise upon new Audi TT driving experience originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 09 Jun 2006 10:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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