The Audi TT TDI, the diesel version of Audi’s popular TT sports car, will now get the option of quatto all-wheel drive for the first time.
Prices have yet to be announced, but order books for the new TT TDI quattro will open early next year and first deliveries are scheduled to arrive with customers in the spring.
Audi reckons that half of all its customers specify their cars with quattro all-wheel drive for better all-weather performance, and so it makes good business sense to extend it to the diesel TT as well.
Benefits of the quattro system include more fluid and stable handling, Audi says, while it’ll even help you hit “safe, controlled drifts” in the right conditions.
Like the existing TT TDI, which comes with front-wheel drive only, the quattro version will be available as either a coupe or as a roadster with a folding convertible roof.
Power comes from a 180bhp 2.0-litre diesel engine, which comes with a six-speed S tronic dual-clutch automatic gearbox as standard.
The coupe can hit 62mph from a standstill in 6.7 seconds before going on to a top speed of 145mph, while the convertible manages the same sprint in 7.0 seconds flat and will max out at 142mph.
Despite its potent performance and the added weight and complexity of the quattro system, Audi claims that the TT TDI can return up to 54.3mpg combined, with 137g/km of CO2.