Turbo lag is a favorite topic of complaint among automotive critics, but in the case of the Audi RS2 Avant, the Porsche engineer who led the project argues that the sudden onrush of power is what made the car exciting.
In a new video from Porsche, hosts Michael Hölscher, head of the RS2 Avant project at Porsche at the time, and Ralf Friese, Audi’s corporate historian, talk about the spirit of the car that would become the foundation for the RS brand.
“People who know this car know that it has a turbo engine and it certainly lives up to the name. We have a clearly recognizable turbo lag,” says Hölscher. “That was something that polarized experts when the car came onto the market.”
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Critics said that the lag should be eliminated so that there was no wait for the power to come on. Others, though, were happy to feel the sudden rush of power hit them in the back.
“I think fans of this car, who still have one to this day are precisely those who like this feeling,” says Hölscher.
Based on the Audi 80, production of the RS2 Avant lasted from 1994 to 1995 and is the foundation for the RS brand that now extends from the TT to the Q8. It’s powered by a 2.2-liter turbocharged five-cylinder that produces 311 hp (315 PS/232 kW).
“I’ve decided that I love it,” says Friese. “Because in that moment when the boost pressure really builds up and then releases so fast that you almost can’t keep up with the gear shifts, it’s almost reminiscent of the blessed Sport Quattro.”