the Audi TT marks a quarter of a century of service, having first burst onto the scene in those pre-Millennium Bug days of 1998 with one of Ingolstadt’s freshest and most alluring shapes.
An alluring shape spun off a distinctly regular platform, the TT sharing – as it has always done – a base with the VW Empire’s mainstream hatchbacks. Think Golf. Think A3. And [clicks fingers] wake!
Thankfully, the original TT was – and remains – a bit of a style hero.
Where that first car earned its own chapter in the history of attractive coupes, this third-generation car – though still handsome in its own ModernAudi way – is happy to settle for a couple of pages.
It doesn’t mean ‘twin-turbo’, sadly, although hilariously a bi-turbo Audi TT did exist. Celebrating Quattro’s 30th anniversary, Audi allowed a little fun to slip through the net, and slotted in one of its most powerful engines into its smallest car:
375bhp B5 RS4 twin-turbo V6, meet Mk1 TT. It was called the 2.7T Quattro GmbH concept, and it was a bit mad.
So, TT actually stands for ‘Tourist Trophy’. As in, road racing on the Isle of Man Tourist Trophy; an event synonymous with danger, derring-do and heroic levels of sporting ability. The TT is and has always been a safe, almost sensible coupe that’s decent to drive, but a long way from, well, heroic levels of sporting ability. This third-generation car – originally launched back in 2014 – does nothing to change that. It had a big update back in 2018 to coincide with the TT’s 20th anniversary, but since then it’s been a steady diet of special edition and run-out models.
The TT’s time in the sun is coming to an end, and its successor will be electric. Until that day arrives, you get a choice of a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine (no diesel anymore, unsurprisingly) with two power outputs – 195bhp and 240bhp, which Audi confusingly calls ‘40’ and ’45’ for reasons… known only to Audi – and two drivetrain options (FWD and quattro AWD).
Thankfully the trim levels are simple:
all the front-wheel-drive cars come only in ‘40’ spec, with the base model ‘S line’ starting from £36,365, through the ‘Black Edition’ from £37,865, to the ‘Final Edition’, which kicks off at £41,910. The quattro cars get the more powerful 2.0-litre unit, with prices ranging from just under £41k to £46k through the above trims.
Above that, there’s the AWD 315bhp Audi TT S – also a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo, just pumped up significantly. That comes in either Black or Final Edition, with prices kicking off at a whisker under £50k.
There is. It’s called the Audi TT RS and is available in regular Coupe or ‘Audi Sport Edition’ guise, the former costing £58,165, the latter £62,165. Both come with a sledgehammer under the bonnet, also known as ‘multiple-engine-of-the-year-award-winner’, also known as a 395bhp, 2.5-litre five-cylinder turbo. Sounds like a mini-rally car, goes like thunder.
Allied to a slick-shifting DSG seven-speed gearbox and quattro, this thing is capable of 0-62mph in a claimed 3.7 seconds (likely quicker, knowing how conservative Audi is with these things). Hilarious pace.
Even more hilariously, Audi built a version of the TT RS dubbed the ‘Iconic Edition’, limited to 100 cars worldwide (with just 11 in the UK). That's the grey car in the images above. Over the TT RS’s standard spec, the IE also got a raft of aerodynamic addenda to better aid track performance – a trick wing, diffusers, flics, side skirts and so on – along with a whopping great price of just over £87k. Whether it seemed like a good investment is moot – all have been sold. Better looking without the wings and diffusers available on the special edition cars, that’s for sure, the TT retaining a pleasingly pure profile that looks smart in 2023’s world. As for driving? As we said up top, it’s safe. It won’t provoke you into sporadic moments of helmsmanship, but it’s a dependable, predictable and decent drive with good steering, a decent ride (can get a little firm as you move up the trims, mind) and good drivetrain. Opt for the RS version and it can be devastatingly quick across country.
Over 25 years, the TT’s ethos hasn’t changed:
this remains a car that’s easy-going to drive and to own while still being sharp, especially in terms of styling. Consider one of Audi’s chief local rivals down the road in Munich is making any number of egregious design missteps, and this clean, taut little coupe makes sense.
Where it lags is when you consider its proper rivals. The TT won’t satisfy in the same way a Porsche Cayman or Alpine A110 can, but as an everyday package it’s more easily justified.
choice of 2.0-litre, four-cylinder turbocharged petrol and diesel engines is available, and it’s the 227bhp, 273lb ft front-drive TFSI manual we’re testing, resident at the lower end of the model hierarchy but expected to account for a majority share of the sales mix. There is also an 181bhp diesel engine and the entry-level 178bhp 1.8 TFSI engine to choose from, while those aching for more power can opt for the 2.0 TFSI TTS which puts out 305bhp. Later this year a 394bhp 2.5-litre TFSI engine will be added to the range solely for the TT RS.
We’re also sampling S line specification, which brings more aggressive body styling than Sport trim as well as lowered, passive sports suspension. Adaptive magnetorheological damping is available as an option.
Striking in its compactness, the TT is 50mm shorter than a BMW Z4 and 200mm shorter than a Porsche Cayman. And yet its occasional back seats and hatchback rear end add usability where you least expect it.
The car’s wheelbase now surpasses 2.5 metres and its boot 300 litres - it now offers 316 litres, in fact - but it’s the practicality added by the car’s hatchback and its split folding back seats that continues to set it apart.
The rear chairs are big enough for smaller adults on short hops, but you’ll make use of the space back there much more often on everyday errands that other low-slung coupés simply wouldn’t handle as easily.
Two trim levels are available - the entry-level Sport trim and S line. In Sport guise, the TT gets Alcantara and leather seats, Bluetooth, a USB socket, DAB radio, air conditioning, xenon headlights, keyless go, the retractable rear spoiler, 18in alloy wheels and Audi's 12.3in Virtual Cockpit display. S line trim adds 19in alloy wheels, more aggressive body styling, lowered and passive sports suspension, automatic LED lights and rain-sensing wipers.
Fancy a TTS, then the equipment list increases further with 19in alloys, Audi's adaptive suspension, Nappa leather covered sport seats, a nine-speaker Audi sound system and lane assist.
Practicality isn’t the big news inside, however. Instead you’ll find the headline act sited dead ahead as you settle into the lower-mounted sports seat: a 12.3in liquid crystal colour screen inside a driver’s binnacle that not only houses the usual instruments but is also the car’s only display for its multimedia, communication and navigation systems.
It comes as standard on both trim levels and is called Virtual Cockpit. We like the idea of removing unnecessary duplication and putting every control interface nearer to your eyeline, but this is Audi’s first execution of it and there are some teething problems.
Navigating the system feels unintuitive to begin with. Until you’ve worked out which inputs are better made by the tunnel-mounted MMI controller and which by the wheel-mounted controls, you’ll struggle to come to terms with its complexity, and it’s often not simple enough to return to a conventional full-scale speedo and rev counter once you’ve got lost in all the menus.
Otherwise, the cabin is a delight. The driving position is excellent and the fascia is attractive, carefully hewn and clutter-free. We also like the turbine-style air vents, although we like the HVAC controls, which are integrated into the hubs of those vents, slightly less because you’re never quite sure which vent to prod in order to adjust any given function.
The result certainly looks good but it doesn’t work as well as it should.
The range kicks off with the TDI Ultra Sport, which is powered by a 182bhp 2.0-litre turbodiesel, hits 0-62mph in 7.1sec and has a top speed of 150mph. It's by no means a slouch.
Next up in the range is the 178bhp 1.8-litre TFSI engine which is punchy enough to reach 62mph from standstill in 6.9 seconds, while the 227bhp, 273lb ft front-wheel-drive TFSI manual we’re testing, resident at the lower end of the model hierarchy but expected to account for a majority share of the sales mix. The flagship 2.0-litre Audi TTS packs 305bhp and cracks 0-62mph in 4.9sec (4.6sec with S tronic gearbox) and is limited to 155mph.
Not much more than a decade ago, a claimed 0-62mph time of 6.0sec precisely would be enough to earn a coupé the label of junior supercar. But such is progress that today the performance claim applies to this least powerful of petrol Audi TTs. What’s just as remarkable is that it is supposed to achieve it despite the drawbacks of a manual gearbox, front-wheel drive and 'only' 227bhp.
Yet the TT is no slouch. Rain hampered its acceleration tests, but still it managed to reach 60mph in 6.6sec. For a better reflection of its performance, though, you have to remove the traction-limited sections of its run and compare it over, say, a 30-70mph sprint, which the TT completes in 5.0sec.
A previous-generation Porsche Cayman wanted hardly less, at 4.9sec. Left in fourth gear, the TT will reach 70mph from 30mph in just 8.0sec. The Cayman? It took 10.6sec.
Ah, you’ll argue, efficient though it may be, a turbocharged four will never be as charming as a naturally aspirated flat six, and you’d be right. The TT’s four-pot, though, is pleasing enough.
In this modest state of tune, it’s sufficiently responsive at low revs that lag is minimal and it’s powerful right through the range. Peak torque is made from 1600rpm to 4300rpm. Just 200rpm after that, peak power arrives and stays until 6200rpm, close to the 6600rpm red line.
It seems like a long time since we last road tested a performance Audi with a manual gearbox, but the shift on the six-speed unit is slick, and although we’re utterly familiar with the control weights and shift quality – which means a TT’s controls feel precious little different from those of a cooking Audi A3 – for most owners, who won’t have tried myriad others, this won’t be an issue.
Talk to engineers across the wider industry and, while you’ll find admiration for what Audi has done with its brand, you’ll come across a certain sense of frustration.
Most Audi models are uninteresting to drive, with understeer-biased dynamics and, worse still, remarkably inconsistent steering. The frustrating bit is that most buyers don’t seem to mind.
There is hope, however, that Audi is turning a corner. That the TT is based on the aluminium-intensive MQB platform means it is blessed with a relatively healthy 1320kg kerb weight, which is good for agility.
Our test car came on 235/35 R19 tyres, so the low-speed ride suffered as you’d imagine. The TT isn’t brittle, but it’s less compliant than everyday buyers might want. Or perhaps they’ll mistake it for sporty.
Still, the standard-fit Hankook tyres and damping control provide decent grip and traction – the TT held 0.93g even in the damp conditions of our test – so there’s the basis here of a decent sports coupé.
And this generation of TT gets closer to being that than the previous one, no question. As well as selectable modes for the dampers - an optional extra - you can select different settings for the engine/gearbox calibration,
steering weight and ESC intervention:
you can choose pre-set modes or pick and choose your set-up.
Thankfully it seems more than just a marketing gimmick, too. I imagine mostly I’d leave the button in Auto, but Dynamic has a lot going for it when you’re in the right mood.
It steers with lightness but precision and even the odd bit of feel. An inconsistency to the weight is still present, as Audi battles with the multiple wants of lightness around town, meatiness at speed and solidity on the motorway, but it’s better than its usual efforts.
The ride, meanwhile, settles at speed. And while the handling won’t worry the most sporting of coupés, most buyers will think it just dynamic enough.
