Tuesday, July 12, 2011

U.S.-bound 2012 Audi TT RS gets 20 more horsepower than current model

. Tuesday, July 12, 2011

In anticipation for its North American arrival, we re-read the Audi TT RS U.S. pricing press release last night and noticed something very exciting. While we originally focused on the incredible value the new TT RS will offer, we glossed over the fact that the U.S.-bound, 2012 model will sport 20 more horsepower than the current 2011 model. Considering official details of the 2012 TT RS have yet to be released by Audi AG, it appears Audi USA let a pretty big cat out of the bag. More after the jump.

If you recall from March, leaked ETKA documents pointed to a 360 hp TT RS 'Plus' planned to be released in May; subsequently spawning rumors of a more-potent, limited edition TT RS variant which never materialized. The press release from Audi of America however, seems to discredit the 'Plus' rumor by revealing that the base 2012 TT RS "is powered by the award-winning 2.5 liter turbocharged five-cylinder TFSI engine that generates 360 hp and 343 lb-ft of torque..." What's more, it seems the added horsepower and torque shaves roughly half a second from the current 6-speed manual TT RS' 0-60 mph time to just 4.1 seconds. That's .3 seconds faster than the current R8 4.2 FSI!

So if you thought $56,850 for a TT RS was a good deal before, adding 20 extra horsepower and R8-beating acceleration to the mix makes this, at least in our opinion, the deal of the century.