Acclaimed Audi TT Coupé and Roadster models adopt a diesel engine for the first time in their 10-year history.
Latest Audi common rail diesel engine combines torque-rich sports car punch and extraordinary efficiency in latest TT models.
The new 140mph Audi TT 2.0 TDI quattro brings 50 mpg-plus fuel economy, a 23 percent reduction in CO2 output and EU5 compliance to the 2008 Geneva Motor Show (March 6th to 16th). Far from being just a flight of fancy, the latest TT is production-ready, and opens for UK order in Coupé and Roadster body styles on Thursday March 6th, priced from £26,350 OTR. First deliveries are expected in summer 2008.
The ideal TT TDI engine not only had to complement the much-loved character of the TT, but also had to fit transversely into its compact engine bay. It has the space-efficient shape of the latest 2.0 litre, four-cylinder TDI, and includes performance and refinement-boosting common rail fuel injection incorporating advanced piezo injection technology. Launched to critical acclaim in the new A4 Saloon in 143PS form, the TT has been upgraded to 170PS with an impressive 350 Nm maximum torque output – more than even the 3.2 litre V6 petrol model.
The engine features a new turbocharger with adjustable vanes to allow rapid torque build-up, as well as a sophisticated common rail injection system, whose advanced piezo injector nozzles can perform up to five distinct injection sequences per cycle, the performance ability of the new engine dispels any doubts about its sports car compatibility.
The TT 2.0 TDI quattro Coupé easily reaches its 5,000 rpm limit, thanks to high-tech injection technology and to refinement-boosting balancer shafts. With its 6-speed manual transmission, the car takes just 7.5 seconds to reach 62mph from rest. A top speed of 140mph is possible where conditions allow, and the influence of TDI is made clear by a combined consumption figure of 53.3 mpg.
The stride forward in efficiency over the outgoing 2.0 litre TDI engine also shows in a CO2 figure of 140g/km for the Coupé – over 20 per cent less than the 2.0T FSI petrol model – and in a drastic reduction in untreated emissions of nitrogen oxides. Improvements in combustion chamber thermodynamics mean the new engine can run on up to 60 percent recycled exhaust cooled by the radiator, and ensure that the 2.0 TDI complies with proposed Euro 5 emission limits.
The impressive all-round performance of the new TT 2.0 TDI quattro is also due to its lightweight ASF aluminium and steel hybrid body shell, which contributes to impressively low kerb weights of 1,370 kg for the TT 2.0 TDI quattro Coupé, and 1,415 kg for the TT 2.0 TDI quattro Roadster.
The attention to weight-saving also proves its worth in the comfortable, agile handling of the TT which, in the best traditions of all higher torque Audis, is backed up by quattro permanent four-wheel drive. The space-age Audi magnetic ride adaptive damping system, employing specially developed dampers filled with a magnetic fluid that reacts to electrical charge, will also be available as an option for driving enthusiasts who want the very best from the aluminium-rich suspension.
Standard UK specification for the new TT 2.0 TDI quattro mirrors the familiar 2.0T FSI petrol version, offering features such as 17-inch Trapez alloy wheels, leather and Alcantara-upholstered sports seats, electronic climate control and an mp3-compatible 140 watt Audi Concert audio system with single CD drive. The Roadster adds a fully automatic electrically operated soft top and integrated wind deflector.
Article source: www.audi.co.uk