Audi TT Coupé review
by David Morgan (8 September 2006)
What a month for Audi. On September 3 Allan McNish won the American Le Mans Series driver's crown at Canada's Mosport Park circuit near Toronto driving a diesel-powered Audi R10, and now the first lucky owners of the born-again TT Coupé are about to take delivery of an iconic masterpiece.
By mid-September the first examples of the all-new TT 2+2 will be flowing into the hands of British buyers from its Hungarian birthplace - and what a treat they have in store. Looking like it's sculpted from the solid, the new car is breathtakingly beautiful and destined to find 5000 owners a year in the UK. It will reinforce Audi's position as the leader of Europe's quality performance sector.
The original TT is an icon, but its successor will steal its crown. Better-balanced, generously equipped, more refined, superbly styled and roomier than the 1999 ground-breaker which rewrote the sports coupé desirability listings, the new TT has the unmistakable DNA of its predecessor but is honed to a level of perfection which has to be experienced to be believed.
I drove both quattro and front-wheel drive versions of the new car on the demanding roads of south-eastern France using the Paul Ricard race circuit as a base. What would have been perfect would have been a diesel TT, but Audi is keeping the diesel card close to its chest. Despite this shyness I suspect it won't be long before the Volkswagen Group's latest 168bhp two-litre TDI finds its way under the bonnet of the new coupé.
For now, Audi offers a £24,625 two-litre Turbo FSI front-wheel drive model with 198bhp or a £29,285 3.2-litre quattro flagship with 247bhp. Transmissions are a standard close-ratio six-speed manual or an optional S tronic paddle-shift six-speed automatic gearbox. The S tronic is not new, simply an updated version of the superb twin-clutch, paddle-shift automatic system formerly known as DSG (Direct Shift Gearbox) which is worth every penny of its £1400 option cost. Frankly, no TT should be without this intuitive and highly-responsive transmission.
The new car takes many of its styling cues from the original, but it has grown in all directions. Wider, taller and longer in both body and wheelbase, it has a more elegant teardrop shape with lower drag, greater refinement and advanced technologies to make driving safer, more exciting and dynamic.
Advanced spaceframe construction uses 69% aluminium and 31% steel to create a lightweight core which is exceptionally stiff and saves more than 70kg over the old model. The system helps the car achieve near perfect weight distribution and adds to safety by creating a strong safety cell around the occupants.
One of the most interesting options is Magnetic Ride technology. Audi adjusts damper response by energising tiny magnetic particles floating free in the shock absorber oil. It responds in milliseconds and delivers outstanding handling response and comfort. It's that kind of technology which will keep the TT brand's iconic image intact.
Audi UK Brand Director Jeremy Hicks is delighted with the new baby. We chatted at a French mountain lakeside halfway through my test drive. He knows precisely what he's got with the TT, both old and new: image, quality, ability, conservative appeal and powerful desirability.
"In many ways nothing's changed," he told me. "The original TT was a fantastic success. What our engineers and stylists have done is capture all of that aura and honed it to deliver the new car. Demand for the new TT in the UK is enormous. Right-hand drive production is sold out until early next year and that tells us we've got it right and lost none of the passion of the original."
Well, it's what I would have expected him to say. But I can't spot any flaws in his overview.
On the road Audi's new creation is brilliant; poised, powerful, roll-free and accurate. The two-litre is more frenetic than the wonderful 3.2 with its lusty delivery and skin-tingling deep exhaust bark under power.
While there's little to fault on the front-wheel drive car's handling, the 3.2's standard quattro blesses it with astonishing levels of grip. It's a confidence inspirer with limpet-like adhesion, powerful brakes and a new speed-dependent power steering system which delivers fantastic feedback through the TT's curious flat-bottomed steering wheel.
The boot is usefully large with a speed-triggered (around 75mph) stability-boosting spoiler on the hatch. But don't get excited about rear passenger space. Audi can honestly claim it's better than the old TT, but believe me - until they invent an average adult that can fold up like a collapsible picnic chair there is no joy for any human who volunteers to travel in the back. Headroom is laughable and knee and foot space are minimal.
As a driving experience the new TT sets high benchmarks. Quality is unimpeachable, comfort levels high, it's packed with active and passive safety and interior space at the front excellent with none of the claustrophobic oppressiveness of its dark, low-browed predecessor. It's a delight to look at, a joy to drive and built with the precision of a Swiss watch.
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