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Audi trusts Facebook users, brings TT RS to U.S.

Audi announces it will bring the Audi TT RS to the U.S.

Wayne Cunningham Managing Editor / Roadshow
Wayne Cunningham reviews cars and writes about automotive technology for CNET's Roadshow. Prior to the automotive beat, he covered spyware, Web building technologies, and computer hardware. He began covering technology and the Web in 1994 as an editor of The Net magazine.
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Audi TT RS
More than 11,000 Facebook users said they wanted the TT RS, so Audi is bringing it to the U.S. Audi

Last year Audi unveiled the RS version of its TT model at the Geneva auto show, but as with many European high-performance unveilings, the question of a U.S. import version was in doubt.

To settle the question, Audi posted a survey on its Facebook page, and got 11,500 yeas for the Audi TT RS in a month. With this result, Audi says it will bring the TT RS to the U.S. by the third quarter of 2011, enough time in Internet terms for people to have moved on from car fandom to the latest Lady Gaga video.

Not that we aren't looking forward to driving the TT RS. The RS suffix stands for RennSport, signaling Audi's highest performance models. For the TT, the RS means a direct-injection turbocharged 2.5-liter five-cylinder engine making 360 horsepower. Given the TT's small size, it should have a very high power-to-weight ratio. The TT RS boasts a 0 to 60 mph time of 4.6 seconds.

That engine is paired with a six-speed manual transmission, and the car comes standard with Audi's Quattro all-wheel-drive system.

In Europe, a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox is available, but won't be on the menu in the U.S. Likewise, only the coupe version will be sold, with Audi holding back the roadster. The European TT RS gets the option of Audi's magnetic ride active suspension, but there is no word on whether it will be available on the U.S. version.