2019 Audi TT RS facelift – new look, no extra power

Audi’s hardened two-door stunner, the TT RS, has just received a facelift in line with the rest of the coupé/convertible lineup. To that end, it has been festooned with an even more aggressive styling cues, but without any extra power to back it up – not that it needed any, to be honest.

At the front of the car, the RS now gets even wider air intakes that reach almost to the wheel arches, supported by a new front spoiler that go around the intakes. There are also a pair of new inlets flanking the “singleframe” grille, along with redesigned side sills with black inlays.

As if the rear spoiler on the outgoing model wasn’t conspicuous enough, the new model gains an even more ornate wing with endplates that flare out. New air vents aft of the rear wheels – like on the standard facelifted TT – and a mildly reprofiled diffuser integrating the trademark oval tailpipes complete the look. Pulse orange and Turbo blue join the colour palette, as does a unique-to-RS Kyalami green.

You still get the same interior as before, with quilted RS sports seats and special RS displays for the 12.3-inch Audi virtual cockpit instrument display. However, the unique flat-bottomed sports steering wheel, which features an integrated starter button and drive mode controls, now features a red 12 o’clock marker, while the new RS design package adds red or blue highlights on the air vents, seat belts and floor mats.

The 2.5 litre TFSI turbocharged five-cylinder engine remains the same as before, delivering 400 hp and 480 Nm of torque – paired to a seven-speed S tronic dual clutch transmission and quattro all-wheel drive, it gets from zero to 100 km/h in just 3.7 seconds. Also unchanged is the sports suspension, variable steering and cross-drilled brakes, with RS sports suspension plus with adaptive damping remaining on the options list.

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Learn more: 2019 Geneva Motor Show