Audi TT: Style Icon Instead Of Sports Cannon

2023 Author: Eric Donovan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-08-25 09:36

The style icon of the late 90s has come of age. The second generation of the Audi TT is also one thing above all - a typical TT. However, the newcomer cannot completely satisfy expectations.

By Stefan Grundhoff

No question about it: It looks great and makes a lot of impression. With its rounded shapes, the new Audi TT has retained its feminine charm; Despite all this, it looks more powerful and brawny than before. The front and the view are sharpened, along with the muscular shoulder line and the strikingly flared fenders. The stub tail remains almost unchanged apart from the now retractable spoiler, but it has significantly more sexapeal.

Erotic curves

Audi boss Martin Winterkorn also speaks almost dreamily of erotic curves when he looks at the 4.18 meter long sports coupe. No, the new Audi TT doesn’t look like a muscle man like the Porsche Cayman or BMW Z4 Coupe. He hangs around with his equally design-oriented friends Chrysler Crossfire or Nissan 350Z. Let others roar.

This impression continues in the interior. A lot has happened here compared to its predecessor; However, the little brother of the new super sports car Audi R8 is not fundamentally different. Instruments and operating units show the gentle features of an evolution. Everything is where it belongs and is excellently processed. The seats offer good lateral support, the steering rests comfortably in the hand and the circuit appears to have been created for the pilot's right hand. The TT is anything but a thoroughbred sports car.

Comfortable chassis

The chassis is successful for a sports coupe in this class, but it is unusually comfortable. That doesn't change if you switch on the 1000 Euro Magnetic Ride at the push of a button. The supposed sport mode is hardly tighter than normal driving and doesn't have to be.

Suspension and damping work together perfectly and harmoniously. Ambitious sports car fans should, however, be rightly disappointed with such a sports mode. With a view to the main competitors from Stuttgart and Munich, one should have expected a little more here. A little more toughness and feedback from the road would also look good on the TT. This is how the rigid body shines alone.

Real sports version desired

This also applies to the steering, which turns out to be too light, especially at low and medium speeds. The well-known 3.2-liter unit also has too little on its ribs for a merciless sports car image. 184 kW / 250 PS and 320 Nm of maximum torque, together with a top speed of 250 km / h, are anything but a disappointment, but the competition is now setting a stronger tone. Audi will hardly be able to avoid a real sports version with the suffix “S” or “RS” in the second-generation TT weighing 1.4 tons.

They had already expected many from the predecessor - in vain. This time you should come and have significantly more than 300 hp in the hindquarters. Thanks to intelligent lightweight construction, the new Audi TT is no longer as top-heavy as its predecessor. Around 70 percent of the body is made of aluminum. In order to bring more weight to the rear, mainly steel was used here.

To date, the TT 3.2 V6 remains the top model and is equipped with the obligatory quattro drive, which brings the engine power to the road with ease and with ease. The dynamic Bavarian manages the 0 to 100 km / h sprint in 5.9 seconds. It's even faster and more relaxed with the optional DSG transmission, called S-Tronic at Audi. Then the 100 mark rushes past in 5.7 seconds.

Good consumption

The savings in consumption are even more impressive. With S-Tronic, 9.4 instead of 10.3 liters of SuperPlus are available per 100 kilometers. These values show that the six-cylinder, in contrast to the barely sluggish TT 2.0 TFSI with its 200 hp, does not have the most modern engine technology. The two-liter direct injection engine with turbocharging consumes just 7.7 liters, achieves 240 km / h and a sprint in 6.6 seconds. But unfortunately the small four-cylinder is not available with all-wheel drive for the market launch after the summer holidays.

This is to follow later as well as a rain and light sensor or the mandatory screen navigation system. Until the first facelift, on the other hand, you have to be patient until you get an external opening mechanism for the tailgate. Otherwise it can only be opened with a key or from the inside. Otherwise the luggage compartment makes a very good impression. 290 liters in normal condition are far less informative than the 700 liters that are available when you fold down the divisible rear seat or pack it with bags. After all, only small children can be seated on the two individual seats.

With the new TT, Audi has not achieved such a great success as in 1998. But such a style icon doesn't come back every year. “With the first Audi TT, we were able to tap into completely new customer groups,” says Ulrich Hackenberg, Head of Audi Vehicle Development, “we hope that we can do the same with the second generation.” Nothing completely unimportant is the price. The Audi TT 2.0 TFSI starts at 31,900 euros, the top model TT 3.2 quattro costs a whopping 10,100 euros more with S-Tronic. It remains to be seen when the 2.0 TFSI comes with four-wheel drive. He could be that big hit.