Been contemplating the Cayman S, TT-RS, and M Coupe. Decided to put my deposit it.

I have previously owned a TT-S and while I loved the size, shape, performance, AWD, and utility, I was absolutely stunned by the turbo-lag which ultimately was like dating a super-model and discovering the meth-addiction. Ditched it after months. But it was ultimately a great package. (The new Golf R is described by having the exact same horrible turbo lag).

I've had a 07 Cayman S and loved it. I simply wanted more power. It is quite simply the best handling Porsche on the market. I definitely considered the Cayman R, and even consider myself a track-hound (maybe 15 days a year [less than others, more than most]) but the penalty to have air-con and stereo back, amongst other things, was an overall negative considering the overwhelming use would be on-road. The S 320 hp engine should be brilliant. I was going to order one at the height of the recession and found an unloved 911 S that I got for nearly 20k off sticker (virtually the same as the Cayman S I was ordering) and bought it. The 911 S is fantastic and I will keep it.

1 Series M Coupe. Had an 2000 Z3 M Coupe. It too was a great car. I like the 135's size and was excited about he M package. After crawling around the M Coupe at the Chicago auto show I decided to pass. The money was spent in the right places ( I presume) because the interior looks rubbish. Still a great package for the money, just not mine.

So, I have placed a order for a TT-RS. The price is unknown at this point, however my dealer stated they will not charge over MSRP. I have their first allotment and have been told I will have one of the first in the country for a "June-July" delivery. I have not been given a custom build as of yet. That is the next conversation. So as of yet, I have purchased a place in line.

 

Sounds good. I flirted w/ the idea of a TTRS but I couldn't wait that long. The TTS is a nice car but costs too much for a 4-banger and the turbo lag is quite noticeable. However, I'm sure that the TTRS will be on a completely different level, so congrats!

Subscribed for pix.

 

ok, ok, photos. It's my old fantastic, crappy-engined, TT-S. June-July for the TT-RS could be a long wait.......

I havn't decided on the color yet. I will not be getting black again. The TT-S basic black paint was too fragile. The slightest rock-chip turned white. Audi's basic paint is not like Porsche, Mercedes, or BMW. I never thought there was a difference in paint. Learned the hard way.

 

^Thx. I meant pix for the TTRS when you get it.

 

I know, but I like pop-up books. Immediate gratification

 

You're crazy if you think the TT-RS is going to have less turbo lag than the TT-S. The K04 on the TT-S isn't a very big turbo at all and has a pretty small amount of lag (in the grand scheme of turbocharged cars).

If you hated the lag in the TT-S, I assure you, you will be just as disappointed with the TT-RS. It will be faster, but have just as much, if not more, lag.

LOL @ a K04 on a 2.0L having "Horrible Lag".

 

Really? I'm intrigued to hear your rationale. At this point, the only people that have driven both, that I hear from (auto mags/blogs), have virtually all commented on the unusual lag on the TTS and rarely is a word mentioned about any TTRS lag. Obviously lag will be present in any single-big-turbo situation; the question is to what degree? I don't know, and it sounds like you don't either.

Here's an open question to you and any other speculative gear-heads. Was the turbolag in the TTS compounded by the DSG? I certainly think so. Even in "Launch Control" on the TTS I was very dissapointed. Will the manual in the TTRS help eliminate some of this? I'm inclined to think so. I had on 05 STi, also with 2.5 displacement, with a big turbo which I had highly modded. It too had a degree of lag but nothing like the TTS. Was it the manual trans combo or just a completely different engine?

Consider that the displacement power difference between the 2.0 and 2.5 is enough to eliminate the deficit of moving the virtually-same-weighing vehicle before the turbo spools up. I question your assessment that the 2.0 on the TTS doesn't have horrible lag, like if you've ever driven one. Sorry if I bruised your ego, but the TTS lag is well-documented. TTRS lag is not. You may be satisfied with lag from that engine, but I was not laughing out loud and sold it.

 

You would think a DSG gearbox would help lag,not hurt it, by keeping the revs in the boost range while shifting. Anyone know if a dual-clutch will be offered in the TTRS?
I too am in the market soon, need to replace my 335i this summer when I turn it in. Currently leaning towards an '09 Cayman S with PDK, but considering a CPO '09+ M3 Coupe and am open to other options.
This will be a DD for me, some considerable traffic to deal with, so trying to keep it to dual-clutch vehicles.

 

I think for the North American cars, only manual will be offered. I heard that in Europe they may have the option of S-tronic/DSG/whatever they call it now.

 

I haven't driven a TT-S, but I have driven a DSG GTI with a K04 on it (exactly the same engine/gearbox configuration) and the same DSG GTI with a 2871 on it. The K04 wasn't laggy at all, the on/off throttle respose was really solid. The 2871 had noticeably lag, but with a turbo that size on 2.0L of displacement, it's pertty inevitable.

My friends 1.8T with a 2871 has lag. You have to wait, and you can hear the turbo spooling up, after going WOT even at 5000RPM.

You're telling me that when the TT-S was at 4000+ RPM and you stepped fully on the throttle, there was enough of a gap between the time that you put your foot down, and the time that the turbo spooled for it to be completely unacceptable?

I have two K04s on 2.7L of displacement on my S4, which is an even worse ratio than the TT-S, and I don't find it to be laggy at all. Sure it's not the same throttle response as a normally aspirated engine, but no turbo car is.

"Launch Control" wont have any bearing on turbo lag. You're not going to be building any boost standing still with a manual or DSG unless you're using a two step system.

 

You've proven my point. The GTI and TT-S are very different, as is your twin-turbo'd S4. Factory throttle mapping, not modded egines, is key. And I have no idea what 2871 you're referring to.

So until you've driven both a TT-S and a TT-RS my expectations will be from facts and those who can make a realistic comparison.

 

Well, obviously if it's in its powerband, then lag is not an issue. When accelerating from a standstill, the lag is quite noticeable.

 

Hardware is hardware. If the gearbox, engine, turbocharger, basic chassis, and tuning, are the nearly the same the car will behave in a very similar manner.

A 2871 is a Garret 2871 Turbocharger. A turbo often paired to Volkswagen & Audi cars in the aftermarket. APR chooses to use it in their Stage III kit for the 2.0T transverse application.

I googled a bunch of reviews of the TT-S and universally people seem to be confusing turbo lag with boost threshold.

This is from a review

"The TTS' Kryptonite is turbo lag. Floor it off the line, and you can sleep through the first two seconds -- but when the tach hits 3,000 RPM, all hell breaks loose."

Having to wait until 3000RPM for the turbo to build boost isn't "Turbo Lag". It's the RPM threshold for peak boost when enough exhaust is flowing to get the most out of the turbo. Turbo lag is the time it takes the turbo to spool between going full throttle inside the powerbandand having the turbo start blowing air into the engine.

If your complaint was similar to that quote, then turbo lag wasn't the problem. Boost threashold coupled with a DSG gearbox that has a little bit of hesitation, like most automatics, was what you were experiencing.

 

As I posted above, you are confusing turbo lag with boost threshold. "Turbo lag" is not the portion of the powerband where there are not enough exhaust gasses to create boost.

 

Not to belabor the point which my original post was to contrast the cars considered and owned when deciding to pre-order a TTRS.

While I admire your abilities to mod older Audi & VW turbo's (something I cannot do) please don't hijack my thread defending a car you admitted you've never driven which many, many, many reviews all complain about the TTS' TURBO LAG, not boost threshold.

I've owned a TTS, the turbo lag was enough that I sold it. I loved the TT design & concept and despite me being having a Porsche, owned several BMWs, I still picked the TTRS. No writer has accused the TTRS of lag beyond that of a typical single-turbo'd car. The TTS has stood out for this as does the new VW Golf R, with the EXACT engine as the TTS. Don't come to defense of the TTS with a home-modded turbo'd GTI.