2008 Audi TTS ready for action

Update - Audi AU says the car will be here by mid this year!

You wouldn’t know it unless you really looked back but it has been a good 10 years since Audi started its own segment with the TT. So far not many have been able to match the style and elegance, and now, the new TT is about to get tough.

Images of the TTS have leaked online ahead of the car’s official début at next week’s Detroit auto show (we will be there).

The TTS will not use the 3.2-litre V6 engine found in the Quattro variants, instead it will use a tweaked variant of the standard 2.0-litre turbo (found in the S3). In order to honour the S badge, Audi engineers have added direct injection and upped the turbo’s boost.

The Audi TTS now comes with 202kW and 349Nm of torque with a 0-100km/h time of just 5.4 seconds for the coupe and 5.6 for the roadster.

Now if you’re wondering why you simply can’t up the boost in your standard 2.0-litre turbo TT? Well you can, but you will probably break something. Audi has reinforced the engine block, cylinder head, pistons, connecting roads and turbocharger to cope with the extra 55kW.

So far the car’s Australian presence is unconfirmed, we have contacted Audi Australia and awaiting a reply. Audi Australia has confirmed the TTS will come in both manual and S tronic variants by mid this year.

“We will bring both models and both transmissions – manual and S tronic. Pricing and spec is not yet determined for Australia.” Audi spokeswomen Anna Burgdorf told CarAdvice

The S tronic transmission confirmed for the TTS will be an improved, quicker-shifting dual-clutch gearbox (DSG).

Some manufacturers are quick to add sport badges to models which do not deserve them, Toyota and the Sportivo range comes to mind. Audi on the other hand has not only upped the power but has included the company’s adaptive magnetic dampening system as standard.

There is also the new sport level for the car’s ESP system which will allow the driver to perform controlled drifts. The TTS now rides on wide 18-inch wheels with 19-inch wheels available as an option.

Even the brakes have been replaced with high-performance variants, with black-painted callipers and aggressive sport brake pads.

As for the inside, Audi has changed the sports seats and covered them with a combination of leather and Alcantara. To top things off, the car comes with its own timer to record lap times for those game enough to take their pride on track.

Australian sales start in the second half of 2008.