The Crank: Can “sports car” and “diesel” ever be in the same sentence?

By John LeBlanc INGOLSTADT, Germany - It’s dawn, June, 2006. I’m watching the sun come up over the Porsche Corners during the running of the 24 Heures du Mans. And I’m witnessing history. On the way to becoming the first ever diesel-engine race car to win the historic event, Audi’s R10 swooshes by in relative silence to its conventional fuel-powered competitors. Flash forward four years later to Audi Ground Zero here in southern Germany. I’m  behind the wheel of the promise of the R10, the new Audi TT 2.0 TDI, one of the first sports cars in the world to be powered by a diesel engine. As is typical, torque is high in the TT's diesel four: 258 lb-ft  available between 1,750 and 2,500 rpm. It’s fuel efficient: 5.3L/100 km on the EU-cycle, what Audi says is best in class. It’s certainly quick enough: 0-100 in only 7.5 seconds; top speed 226 km/h. And its becoming popular: since its market launch, the diesel’s share in TT sales has grown steadily and is now over 11 per cent. While we can expect this latest TDI to eventually make it over here as an update to the existing engine offered in our A3, when asked if a diesel TT will ever be sold here, Audi Canada’s Cort Nielsen says never say never. “At this time with our TDIs, we're at a 'bookend' in regards to our diesel strategy in Canada,” Nielsen told The Crank. Audi just introduced diesels into its Q7 and A3. Long term, you can expect more diesels filtering into other Canadian Audis as models get updated. But it all comes back to demand. If more customers were knocking at Audi’s doors clamouring for a diesel TT, all the parts are in place to make it happen. If Audi—or any other sports car maker—offered a similar diesel package of fuel efficiency AND performance, would you bite? Or are diesels doomed to large SUVs and heavy-duty pickup trucks?

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