Words by: Robert S. Schultz, Photos by author
The 2011 Audi TT has been a long time coming to the U.S. Audi introduced the refreshed model a full year ago in Germany, and while a few TTS versions arrived last fall, the base 2.0 TT is only now appearing at a dealer near you.
Maybe the wait has been even longer, though. The second generation TT has yet to outrun the shadow of its groundbreaking predecessor. Blame overly cautious styling, familial competition from the more flamboyant and spacious A5, or the economy. Sales of the Mk. 2 TT have struggled to gain traction in America.
Audi could well have withdrawn the TT from our market in favor of models that are more in demand. But give Audi credit. They still consider the TT a halo car and have burnished its image with a host of improvements for 2011, not the least of which is the automaker’s versatile 211-hp powerplant. Is this the TT we’ve been expecting all along?
It was clear from discussions with Audi executives at the presentation of the TT RS in Chicago that they feel the entire 2011 TT line represents a better value. Since the base 2.0 version will likely make up the majority of sales, spending a week with one will help put Audi’s value proposition to the test.
Continue reading ‘Audi Torques the 2011 TT’
2011 A8D4: quattro meets Opulence
Photos and text by Melissa J Knight
It’s worth the wait. For anyone who thinks that Audi’s December 2009 World Premiere of the A8 D4 is old news and that the model will be anti-climactic when it finally reaches showrooms next week, think again. This four-star sedan will give heightened states of pleasure — beyond what Audi originally described. As is often the case, they under-promise and over-deliver.
The 2011 A8 D4 is first class. It is also first in class (the luxury sedan segment rivaling the 7 series, S class and LS) with more than a few technology and design features. The Über-cruiser, as it is becoming known, also has several firsts for the four rings.
With a projected profile of buyers with a median income of over $400,000, high power executives, chauffeurs who drive them, and enthusiasts with kids, will all be impressed by the performance, safety, lush features, and posh design details of the new A8. Whereas the A8 D3 felt very masculine to this writer, Audi developed the x chromos for its latest incarnation. Feeling at liberty to speak on behalf of all women, the D4 holds great appeal.
Continue reading ‘Audi quattro meets Opulence: The all new 2011 Audi A8′
By Wes Siler of Jalopnik
The 2010 Audi S4 drops the 4.2-liter V8 for a 3.0 supercharged V6 with less power and a strange “T” badge. Is that the recipe for a sport sedan finally capable of besting arch-rival BMW and making our 2010 Best10?
That “old” 4.2-liter V8 produced 340 HP and is still used in nearly every car Audi makes, from the platform-sharing 2010 Audi S5 to the Audi R8 4.2. It’s an amazing engine in all its forms, combining V8 sound with instantaneous revs. Hopping in the S4 for the first time, I was pretty disappointed by its absence, the new direct-injected and supercharged V6′s drone would sound right at home in a Camry and there’s no audible sign of the supercharger whatsoever.
Continue reading ‘Jalopnik gives the 2010 S4 high reviews’
December 16, 2009 - Published By Josh -
in Car Reviews.
Written by Robert S. Schultz
Audi seems intent on exasperating the stick-shift die-hards among us who have yet to evolve to the higher plane of auto-manual transmissions. Unlike BMW, which offers parallel choices of manual, automatic or sequential trannies in many of its cars, Audi does the choosing for us more often than not in the United States. Want a TT? Then you better want—or at least accept—the S tronic because that’s the only way it comes in ‘010. How about an A5 V6? You’re limited to the Tiptronic as Audi has discontinued the V6 six-speed manual.
So what’s an enthusiast to do who lusts after an A5, insists on a manual, but can’t ante up for the S5? For 2010, Audi giveth, and Audi taketh away. Gone is the aforementioned 3.2 manual, replaced by the 211-hp version of VW-Audi’s ubiquitous 2.0. If you want a manual transmission in your new A5, the 2.0 is your only choice.
The 2.0 has won nearly universal praise in all of its iterations. And four-cylinder engines are enjoying newfound street cred these days thanks to the recession and impending fuel efficiency requirements. Still, for a car that so deftly straddles the luxury, performance and sporty classes, does a four cylinder seem a little down market? Or, as some early buyers of A5s have lamented, will the lesser-cost 2.0 make the A5 all too common?
We determined to find out if an enthusiast can find shifting bliss with an A5 2.0 manual, and whether it relegates the A5 to “entry-level” status. Not surprising, finding one at an Audi dealer took time, so the first test drive was a 2.0 Tiptronic with the optional sport suspension. At the very least, it would provide an interesting basis for comparison.
Continue reading ‘Brief Encounter: A5 2.0 Six-Speed Manual – Is Less More?’
The 2010 Audi S4 was formally released in August and reports of them surfacing at local dealerships soon followed. My curiosity was finally piqued enough to the point that I called my good friends at University Audi in Seattle, WA and asked for a test drive. To my delight they had one ready for me a few days later.
The car they had for me was a fully loaded Deep Sea Blue S4 with all the options. It is powered by the 3.0 liter supercharged six-cylinder FSI direct injection engine which features four valves per cylinder and a dual stage variable intake manifold. This car had several non-standard features including the S Tronic 7 speed transmission, Prestige trim package, Audi Drive Select package, Driver Assist, and the upgraded Sport Rear Differential. Price tag on this baby came in around $58,500.
To be brutally honest, I was somewhat disappointed in the car when I found out that it had the S Tronic “DSG” transmission. I assumed it would be ho-hum and boring like the tiptronic of yesteryear. I had driven the DSG in the TT, but the lack of power in that car left much to be desired. However, I wasn’t going to complain; after all, they were handing me the keys to a fully loaded, brand new car and I was looking forward to experiencing the new supercharged 3 liter engine.
My thoughts of disappointment in the “auto” transmission immediately vanished as soon as I accelerated onto the freeway. In fact, I will go as far as saying that it completely caught me off guard and actually shocked me to the point of laughing out loud!
The acceleration of the DSG transmission was so seamless that it felt like a jet engine taking off, or a MasterCraft going wide open throttle on a glassy smooth lake. I couldn’t believe it… so I got off the next exit just so I could enjoy the acceleration again. I did this again and again and again… I couldn’t get enough! I was hooked.
Continue reading ‘Holy S! We get behind the wheel of the new 2010 Audi S4.’
