Active suspension and Audi drive select with individually configurable RS modes
A newly developed air suspension with 2-chamber/2-valve technology comes as standard. It affords distinct advantages in terms of driving dynamics without compromising on comfort. For the first time, an innovative, wheel-selective active suspension system is available as an option. “Our goal was to significantly increase the spread between driving comfort and driving dynamics and make it more noticeable,” explains Carsten Jablonowski, Lead Engineer of the Audi Driving Characteristics Development Team. “In line with the Audi philosophy, the exceptional driving comfort of comfort mode underscores the Gran Turismo concept on the one hand. On the other hand, the ability to actively control the movements of the car’s body makes for optimal driving dynamics, which the driver can experience thanks to the steering system, which we have further optimized. In this way, we have made the ride comfortable and the driving dynamic, controllable through the high-precision steering,” Jablonowski adds.
The Audi drive select dynamic handling system lets the driver control the vehicle’s character as usual. It features three profiles: efficiency, comfort, and dynamic. In addition, two individually configurable, RS-specific modes, RS1 and RS2, allow the driver to select drive, suspension, ride height, and sound. The driver can set these modes directly on the right-hand control satellite of the two red control satellites on the steering wheel, which is flattened at the top and bottom.
As an exclusive feature, the RS e-tron GT performance has RS performance mode, which is designed for an optimal setup on challenging circuits and winding mountain passes. The vertical wheel forces were designed for optimal dynamics in this mode. The special characteristics allow the drive torque to be optimally controlled at the handling limits. Performance mode also changes the characteristics for anti-slip control, torque vectoring, suspension tuning, aerodynamics, and cooling strategy. In performance mode, the car uses the same switching strategy as in dynamic mode. This means that the RS e-tron GT performance* stays in the first gear of its two-speed gear as long as possible to make acceleration more dynamic.