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Written by:
Autocar staff
http://www.autocar.co.uk
05/15/2008 - 11:36 AM
London, UK
The most extreme TT to date offers significant advances. (Autocar photo) » More Photos
Curiously, the first Audi TT only belatedly developed beyond the 225hp Quattro version offered from launch, for it wasn’t until five years after the car originally appeared in 1998 that a 247hp V6 turned up. This trim, lithe little coupe was pretty quick in its 225hp form, but it could have taken even more power, what with its compact footprint and a four-wheel drive system to deploy it.
The V6 eventually proved that, but also underlined the biggest disappointment with the original TT, namely a chassis that was never among the best in tactile terms. None of which seemed to matter much to its buyers, who were understandably lured by a striking and truly original design.
The new TT might not have quite the visual impact of the original, but it’s an advance in a whole heap of areas, among the most important being its chassis. The car’s responses are livelier and more engaging than the old model’s ever were, as they should be, given its more advanced suspension. Couple the multi-link rear axle that’s partly responsible for this new-found dynamism to the TT’s lightweight, mixed aluminum and steel body, and a new engine range, and you have a sports coupe with far more “sport” in it.
So it’s no surprise, and very good news, that a more powerful TT has arrived less than two years after the second-generation car was launched. And it’s unlikely to be the most powerful TT that we will see.
This isn’t to downplay the potency of this new TT S, whose boosted and bolstered 2.0-liter turbo whips up 268hp and a 258lb ft slug
Interior is typical Audi, which is to say beautifully finished. (Autocar photo) » More Photos
Such deficits matter less in a drop-top, which is at least as much about roofless cruising as it is assaulting a series of switchbacks, and in any case, once the engine has climbed aboard its deep and extensive torque plateau this TT goes hard whatever its roofing and transmission.
In fact, so eager is the turbo to spin up that you must be deft with your footwork to extract smooth gearchanges from the clutch and a shift that requires some concentration if you’re not to wrong-slot, despite the lever’s smooth movements.
All of which is an excellent reason to go after the S-tronic transmission. That said, a short-shift manual is also available, which will be the better choice for those who can’t live without a clutch pedal. Either way this TT is boundingly fast cross-country and, with all that torque, pretty effortless with it. And the security of four-wheel drive – knowing you have it is almost as reassuring as its physical presence, somehow – is rammed home on the wet roads that we’re splashing about on. Up to now, though, we have only tackled a succession of straights and fast sweepers.
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