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From The Sunday Times

July 14, 2006

Audi TT

Audi improves on true original

Stuart Birch

Any day now, I will arrive at a car company’s headquarters to be introduced to the vicepresident of icons. Merely being vice-president of design or engineering will not be sufficient. The building will be called Icon Towers, there will be assistant icon creators scampering in and out of icon offices and salesmen describing another new wonder car from the company will be trained in the art of putting over the message to potential customers with subtle phrases, such as: “I con you not!”

I do not know how many four-wheeled “icons” exist, but it seems to be a lot. Certainly Audi reckons that when the first TT was revealed in 1998, an icon was born. Perhaps it is right. The car looked different from everything else on the road, but even automotive icons are not sacrosanct when it comes to the endless ritual of model change every six or seven years. And so it is with the TT, which emerges as a revised icon, the TT2.

Longer, wider and fractionally higher, the new, highly aerodynamic TT has some of the original car’s visual cues, but with sharper styling and character added to the driving experience, as well as being a vastly improved car that can carry two adults, two small people in the back and a lot of luggage.

However, some purists and Bauhaus design school fans may disagree and regard the new car as a gross dilution of the original concept. We shall see if the icon is tarnished.

The new car brings lots of good news, not least of which is that the cheaper, 2-litre engined version is arguably the star. It may only have a four-cylinder engine, but it is efficiently turbo-charged to turn out almost 200 brake horsepower and not only gives the TT sufficient urge to get to 62mph in 6.4sec but to do so with a pleasant sound accompaniment.

Top speed is 149mph and the car cruised effortlessly at 120mph on unrestricted sections of German motorway with a mild growl that was never intrusive. Handling is pleasantly balanced. Combined fuel consumption is an excellent 36.7 miles to the gallon.

The larger engine of the 3.2-litre quattro is a V6 with close to 250 brake horsepower, which also sounds great. It does the 62mph dash in 5.7sec, so no complaints about that — but on a money-for-enjoyment basis it has to come second in the TT stakes. Top speed is limited to 155mph and it has a combined fuel consumption of 27.4mpg with standard six-speed manual gearbox (which has a change quality superior to that of most Audis), but an even better 30.1mpg with a quick-shifting twin-clutch, Direct Shift Gearbox (DSG, which Audi calls S-tronic) with paddle manual control. It is optional for both cars. Also, instead of the rear spoiler of the old TT, which looked — and was — an add-on, the new car has a neat folding system that deploys at motorway speeds and tucks away at 45mph.

Audi combines aluminium and steel for its bodyshell to get the right front/rear weight balance, save weight and boost performance. The result is a very high standard of handling and ride. The TT also has “magnetic ride” damping as an option. Developed with Delphi, the electronics specialist, it adapts within milliseconds to the road and the way the car is being driven. The driver can also select a “sport” setting to firm up the ride. The heritage must be special, for the new Ferrari 599 has something similar.

The steering, with its wheel flattened at the bottom, is just right for a car of this type. All-wheel-drive quattro technology is available for both TTs (standard on the 3.2-litre) but in basic front wheel-drive form, the 2-litre is a nimble experience.

The cabin carries over some of the original car’s styling, but its design is more mature and is all about quality. The TT’s driving position is excellent and the seats generally well shaped, but although the windows are deeper than those of the old car, the view is still letter-boxish and there is no sunroof option or glass panoramic roof, so you will not see much of the scenery if you are touring through exotic territory.

The Audi’s dynamic capability and responses are big safety elements, but there are also front and side airbags, anti-whiplash head restraints and the bodyshell is extremely strong.

At £24,625 on the road for the 2.0T FSI and £29,285 for the 3.2 quattro, the high-quality TT is an impressive, finelooking performance package that does most things extremely well. And I con you not.