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By MURRAY
HUBBARD
27 July 2009
Audi, riding high on record sales of diesel-powered vehicles, has
boldly introduced its first diesel sports car to the Australian
market.
The
popular TT coupe is now available with a 2.0-litre turbo-diesel
linked to a six-speed manual transmission and quattro
all-wheel-drive. Audi has had its fuel consumption officially
measured at a meagre 5.3 litres per 100 kilometres. This low fuel
usage gives the sporty diesel TT exemption from Luxury Car Tax (LCT).
The move comes as Audi, celebrating its centenary, announced more
than one in three of all its Australian sales were diesel-powered
cars. In 2004 diesel Audis accounted for just three per cent of
the German maker's Australian sales. The current figure is 36 per
cent.
"We believe that diesel is the best option for the Australian
market being environmentally friendly and fuel efficient,"
said Audi's general manager of marketing, Immo Buschmann.
"The TT is the first all-wheel-drive sports car to have
diesel technology. It has performance and strong efficiency for
guilt-free motoring."
The car is no slouch, having 125 kW of power, but of more
significance 350 Nm of torque on tap between 1750 and 2500 rpm.
With the TT hitting the scales at a lean 1370 kg, it races to 100
km/h in just 7.5 seconds and has a top speed of 226 km/h.
Weight savings were achieved by using light weight aluminium at
the front of the car and steel at the rear.
Audi also launched a 1.8 TT TFSI front-wheel drive at $64,900
while the new 2.0-litre TDI TT quattro is $70,900. The six-speed
manual TFSI becomes the TT's new entry level car and is also a
fuel miser with Audi claiming 6.7 litres/100 km.
Launched on Kangaroo Island off the South Australian coast were
the TT diesel and a new 1.8 litre petrol
TFSI TT. Our road test included the TT TDI as
well as the new 2.7-litre TDI A6. The A6 also gets the same
2.0-litre TDI engine that found its way into the new TT. Both cars
have fuel consumption under 7.0 litres/100 km and are also exempt
from LCT.
The 2.0-litre and 2.7-litre TDI engines join the 3.0-litre TDI
already available in the A6. However, the new engines allow buyers
to get into an A6 well under the 3.0 litre TDI’s asking price of
$108,500.
At $74,500 for the 2.0-litre TDI and $84,500 for the 2.7-litre TDI
Audi believes it will open up the A6 to a whole new market
segment.
The new TT TDI is a cracker of a car for which owners will find no
need to apologise. Stand next to the car and it is noticeably a
diesel which at odds with the car's sporting heritage and
appearance. However, it's behind the wheel that the new TDI shows
its true colours. The engine revs easily to 5000 rpm and is
surprisingly nippy at low rpm. This means it is easy to drive
around town without the constant need to be changing gears. Even
in sixth gear at 100 km/h the car has plenty of grunt for passing.
At highway cruising speed it is impossible to tell what is under
the bonnet – a petrol or diesel engine.
The diesel TT sports car is a direct flow-on from Audi's success
on the Le
Mans
24-hour circuit. In 2006, 2007 and 2008 an Audi
R10 TDI scored victories in the world's oldest endurance race. The
successes proved two things: diesel reliability and economy.
Better economy meant fewer fuel stops. Audi is now applying that
practical experience to a sports car for the first time. A TT
roadster TDI will follow the coupe later this year.
AUDI TT MODEL RANGE
COUPE 1.8 TFSI manual (new) $64,900
Coupe 2.0 TDI quattro manual (new) $70,900
Coupe 2.0 TFSI S tronic $74,200
Coupe 2.0 TFSI quattro S tronic (new) $76,900
TTS Coupe S tronic $98,900
TT Roadster 2.0 TFSI St tronic $79,500
TT Roadster 2.0 quattro S tronic $81,900
TTS Roadster S tronic $103,500
AUDI A6 SEDAN MODEL RANGE
A6 2.0 TDI multitronic (125kW) $74,500
A6 2.0 TFSI multitronic (125 kW) $78,500
A6 2.7 TDI multitronic (140kW) $84,500
A6 2.8 FSI quattro (162 kW) $92,000
A6 3.0 TDI quattro tiptronic (176 kW) $108,500
A6 3.0 TFSI quattro tiptronic
(213 kW) $112,500
(Prices are manufacturers
RRP and include GST and LCT where applicable. However, they do not
include
dealer delivery and government statutory charges.)
© Copyright
Marque Publishing Company
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