TT is not only still beautiful, it’s now a great car, too
BY ERIK JOHNSON, April 2007

Well, they did it. Audi managed to make the second-generation TT as stunning to look at as the last. Even after we saw this new TT in pictures, far before we ever saw it in metal, we doubted that it was really good looking—it had to be trick photography, right? Sequels can’t be as good as the original, can they? Sure they can, and here’s proof. Thankfully, the latest TT is more than a smokin’ body—it’s now an honest-to-Nuvolari sports car, too. (One of the first-gen car’s greatest feats was remaining a favorite of enthusiasts in spite of its less-than-stellar dynamics, almost solely on account of its staggeringly beautiful design. Yeah, we’re that shallow.)
Grip, balance, go, and stop

Turn the TT into a corner, and you’ll discover three things: there’s huge amounts of grip (0.93 g worth); the TT Quattro feels more balanced than the front-drive TT, even with a similar 59.4/40.6 front-to-rear weight distribution; and Audi still has trouble figuring out how to tune truly communicative steering. The TT’s steering is pretty good, but because its speed-sensitive, variable adjust system is always just a step or two ahead with the boost, the feel through the supercool flat-bottom steering wheel is always a tad too light, and it’s hard to pick up what the front wheels are up to. The TT’s brakes offer good response and stopped the TT from 70 mph in just 159 feet.

Our example was fitted with the $1400 optional two-mode magnetic shocks, similar to those found in the Corvette and the Ferrari 599GTB. Sport mode doesn’t spoil the ride, and there’s a noticeable uptick in body control when it’s selected. We’re kind of old-school and like a little bit of body lean into corners, though, so we kept it mostly switched off with very little penalty to handling.

The TT rides on the same platform as the Volkswagen Rabbit, Jetta, and GTI, as well as Audi’s own A3 hatchback. Our test car was equipped with a 250-hp, 3.2-liter naturally aspirated V-6 and a smooth six-speed manual transmission, but the base engine is the VW Group’s awesome 2.0-liter turbo four mated to a six-speed, dual-clutch automated manual (the dual-clutch box is an option for V-6 TTs and a traditional six-speed manual will be available on 2.0Ts after launch). The V-6 is happy to rev right to its 6600-rpm redline, and, with three-quarters of the maximum torque available from 1000 rpm, there’s grunt for the taking all over the tach. It sounds fantastic, too—an ominous, meaty howl underlaid by a thousand sledgehammers striking home—so, naturally, we took every opportunity to rip down through the gears just to hear it at full throat.

The 2.0T is just as fast

The beefier sound seems to be just about the only reason to go for the TT 3.2 over the 2.0T, from a strictly powerplant standpoint. Get this: According to our tests, the 200-horse 2.0-liter is actually quicker to 60 mph than the 250-hp 3.2—6.0 seconds versus 6.1—when the former is equipped with the dual-clutch automated manual (Audi calls it S tronic) and the six-pot is hooked to a conventional six-speed manual. The 3.2 jumps off the line quicker, thanks in large part to both its standard Quattro all-wheel drive—allowing it to hookup better—and the fact that the 2.0-liter’s powerband doesn’t really get jumpin’ until the turbo kicks in. Still, it can’t catch the 2.0T until 100 mph and, even so, the smaller-engined TT has the edge by 110 mph.

Granted, much of the front-wheel-drive-only 2.0T’s advantage is gained at the scales, where it checks in almost 300 pounds lighter than the all-wheel-drive 3.2, and the dual-clutch tranny is admittedly faster at switching cogs than we are, but it’s always surprising when a base car plays in the same league as the top-shelf model, especially when it’s at a 50-hp disadvantage. We’re interested to see how the 3.2 will do when we get to test an example with the S tronic transmission.

Let’s step inside

The interior is typical Audi, with high-class materials, top-notch fit and finish, and, of course, beautiful design. The supremely comfortable sport seats are trimmed in Alcantara in the 3.2, and the top-notch TT adds other stuff like seat heaters and a six-disc in-dash CD changer over the 2.0T. The TT cabin is a comfortable place to be, but space is at a premium. In the front, the center console hogs a ton of knee room; in the back, the plus-two seats are only for briefcases, or perhaps amputees with short torsos—there’s a sticker that warns you to not clonk taller rear-seat occupants in the head when you close the hatch.

Pricey, but is it worth it?

The base price for our 3.2 test model was $42,275. A 2.0-liter TT, on the other hand, starts at $35,575, so you’ll need to determine if four-wheel drive, a few additional luxuries, and, for now, the right to stir your own gears is worth the $6700 premium—and that’s before extras. Our test car was equipped with an additional $5800 worth of options, including the adjustable magnetic shocks, an interior package, and bixenon headlamps, among other stuff, for an as-tested price of $48,075.

In the end, if you’re going for a hard-core sports car, you’re probably not looking at the TT, no matter how improved it is in that regard. Plus, if you want to be practical about it, you can get the 3.2-liter motor in an A3 3.2 Quattro and have nearly the same amount of fun—plus room for five people and their stuff. But sensibility flies out the window with the TT, and most folks are going to be drawn to Audi dealerships by the TT’s style and luxury, qualities it’s got in bunches. In that case, we’d say go for broke with the options list and have a ball—you only live once, and rolling in a fully spec’d out TT would be a damn fine way to do it.
VEHICLE TYPE: front-engine, 4-wheel-drive, 2+2-passenger, 2-door coupe

PRICE AS TESTED: $48,075 (base price: $42,275)

ENGINE TYPE: DOHC 24-valve V-6, iron block and aluminum head, port fuel injection

Displacement: 195 cu in, 3189cc
Power (SAE net): 250 bhp @ 6300 rpm
Torque (SAE net): 236 lb-ft @ 2500 rpm


TRANSMISSION: 6-speed manual

DIMENSIONS:
Wheelbase: 97.2 in Length: 164.5 in Width: 72.5 in
Height: 53.2 in Curb weight: 3255 lb

C/D TEST RESULTS:
Zero to 60 mph: 6.1 sec
Zero to 100 mph: 15.4 sec
Zero to 130 mph: 31.2 sec
Street start, 5–60 mph: 6.6 sec
Standing ¼-mile: 14.5 sec @ 97 mph
Top speed (governor limited): 131 mph
Braking, 70–0 mph: 159 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad*: 0.93 g

FUEL ECONOMY:
EPA city/highway driving: 17/24 mpg

*Stability-control-inhibited.

Original link
>>> www.caranddriver.com/shortroadtests/12880/tested-2008-audi-tt-32-quattro.html

I'll be glad when Audi/VW does away with this this 3.2L V6, its time for the 3.6L V6 to be the V6 of record in all vehicles that use the 3.2L V6. Going by this test there is absolutely no need to buy the V6. I still can't believe that Audi/VW didn't engineer this platform to accept the 3.6L V8. A 280-300hp (Passat R36) R36 Jetta, R36 Golf/Rabbit, and more powerful versions of the A3 and Eos would be awesome!

M