Audi TT RS Coupé 2.5 TFSI:THE EAR IS a vital organ when it comes to selling cars. Not only does it endure the inane patter of the sales staff as they bend it, but it can also lend itself to sealing the deal, writes MICHAEL McALEER
The sound of a car is arguably as important to its image as the physical lines. From the clunk of the door to the rattle of a glovebox, aural sensation is a critical as physical touch. And nothing is more important in the world of sports cars than the engine note.
For nearly a century now, motor racing and fast cars have been synonymous in the popular imagination with the roar of an engine that sends people running for cover. It was a simple engineering fact that the mechanical monsters that powered early racing cars were noisy beasts. The connection was made and carries forth in the public mind to this day.
That’s why, at Porsche’s website, you can not only configure the colour of your next purchase, but also listen to its engine. It might seem like nonsense to those with no interest in cars, but for petrolheads, it’s an integral part of the passion.
One of our prized possessions as a child was a tape offered free with Fast Lane, a now-defunct car magazine. On it was the sound of various supercars going around the track at Brands Hatch. There was little talk involved and no music. You could simply match the throttle sounds, the screech of brakes and the blips of the clutch with the accompanying map of the track. It was intoxicating.
The dilemma facing engineers these days is that modern combustion engines don’t actually need to be that loud or lairy to deliver just as much – if not more – performance. Yet the customer demands that it not only look like a sports car, but sound like one.
It might not need a throaty V8 to power the two-seat coupé from a standing start to 100km/h in under five seconds, but the owner doesn’t want it to sound like a Daihatsu Charade.
And with the imminent arrival of mainstream electric cars, it’s an issue that’s only going to grow in importance. They may be better for the planet and offer even better performance figures than their fossil-fuelled rivals, but the whisper-quiet nature of the electric motor is eery rather than exciting.
That’s why Brabus has teamed up with electric sports car maker Tesla to add a soundtrack to its cars. Tested here several months ago and on show at the Frankfurt motor show this month, the Brabus Tesla turns the accelerator into a volume switch for a recording of a great big American-style V8. To purists, it might seem like the worst form of motoring fakery, but sound engineers have been tinkering with engine sounds for years.
Take this new Audi TT RS. Along with the smart Bauhausian lines of the current TT, it’s the poster car for the model range. Fittingly, the raspy sound of the engine is an aural joy. Not only does it splutter and grunt at the turn of the ignition key, but hit the Sport button nestled beside the gearstick and the suspension stiffen, but the engine acoustics change to a deeper gurgling note, like an incontinent hippo with a bad dose of wind. On full throttle, it’s a rather odd but no les wonderful noise and, echoing off stone walls on a country road, it sounds like a proper race car.
The fact that you are nestled low to the ground, cocooned in a leather cabin staring at the red needles flickering on the dials in front only adds to the occasion. Even the most ardent car hater could see the thrill.
Yet in many ways, it’s all a charade. The engine in question is not the throaty V8, as you might suspect from the rattle up front, but a rather moderate five-cylinder 2.5-litre block. Take away the acoustic trickery and it would sound strikingly similar to a Volkswagen Passat.
Does that make the car a fraud? Not in the least. It’s all part of the persona and that’s what these cars are all about. Why, after all, would you spend €83,000 – and another €10,000 or so on options – on a car thats capable of racing about Mondello with aplomb, when you know your access to the open road rarely stretches further than a quick run down to Wexford? The reason is that, even in the morbid huddle of rush-hour traffic, a quick blip of the throttle can give you goosebumps.
Of course, we would be remiss if we ignored the other strengths of this car. The design strengths – or weaknesses – are evident to all and the TT RS adds some much-needed aggression to its usual softer lines, courtesy of deeper sills and a rear spoiler. Inside, the cabin is up to the usual Audi standards – which have become synonymous with build quality.
Our RS for the week featured the optional bucket sports seats that are wonderfully cosseting, but with side bolsters that force you to climb into them. The extra bulk of these bolsters mean that the seats don’t flip fully forward for access to the back seats. Not that you could fit anyone in there (there is no legroom worth mentioning), but even as a stowage area, the rear seats are difficult to access. In the end, we found it easier to reach in from the boot. It does leave you wondering why they don’t simply whip the back seats out to reduce weight and cost.
On the road, ride quality is quite hard and stiffens further when the Sport button is engaged. The ride is best at speed and the bumps are most apparent in city traffic. While you might want to gurgle along noisily and annoy your neighbours, Sport mode is best left to the open road.
Yet it’s not the bone-rattling affair of some of its rivals and copes quite admirably with undulating Irish roads. The benefits of its stiffer settings become apparent in the bends as the car tucks in tightly and never veers off line.
This is where Audi’s all-wheel-drive system also comes into its own. Where rivals like the BMW Z4 can often be a little giddy and tail happy, the TT holds tight. There are times when a little tail fun is enjoyable, but exiting a blind bend on a public road sideways is never to be recommended.
The TT RS offers plenty of performance potential at a reasonable price. We’d be a little concerned about its ability to retain value in the current market where even used sports cars are not flying out of showrooms, and the fact that it shares its look with its smaller-engined siblings will no doubt detract from its exclusivity for some buyers.
On the upside, it offers competitive performance, confident handling and it falls into the right tax bracket to save owners €1,050 a year compared to some of its competitors. From behind the wheel, it certainly sounds like a good buy in the sports car market.
Factfile
Engine:2,480cc five-cylinder inline petrol engine putting out 335bhp @ 5,400rpm and 450Nm of torque from 1,600rpm with six-speed manual transmission and quattro permanent all-wheel-drive
Specification:18" alloys, ABS, auto air-con, radio/CD with MP3/ipod connections and nine speakers, traction control, ESP, RS flat-bottomed steering wheel, front and side airbags, Nappa leather, sports settings with sports suspension; optional extras include: sat-nav (€3,509), 19" arm rotor design alloys (€2,666), bucket seats (€3,837), electric folding door mirrors (€588), CD changer (€658), Bose surround sound (€1,066), cruise control (€471), bluetooth preparation (€933)
L/100km:urban – 13.1 (21.6); extra-urban – 6.9 (40.9); combined – 9.2 (30.7)
CO2 emissions:214g/km
Tax:VRT – 32 per cent
Price:€83,000 ex works