Audi's sports car heritage is as rich as any manufacturer's, dating back 100 years to competition at the Isle of Man. In the 1930s
Audi achieved real fame with its awesomely powerful Auto-Union grand prix cars, and today it continues to rush forward with the RS6 sedan winning in the Speed Challenge touring car series, and the R8 prototype, fastest sports car in the world, dominating the 24 Hours of Le Mans and international endurance racing, including the American Le Mans Series. It's this heritage that drives the 2005
Audi TT.
But the TT is not an uncompromising car that would rather be on the track; it's an eminently civilized sports car that employs tricks learned from racing adapted comfortably for the street. Of particular note is the all new six-speed gearbox that's mated to the 3.2-liter six-cylinder engine on Audi's most powerful TT. Is it a manual transmission? Is it an automatic? Car and Driver magazine's engineering editor calls it a manual, while Audi's press material calls it an automatic; we'll call it a hybrid because it doesn't make much difference to the driver what it is, only how it works. It works like both; and, unlike some automatic transmissions with a manual mode, it's the greatest of both.
The TT, Audi's first true sports car, comes as either a coupe or roadster. It offers solid Volkswagen mechanicals and durability, as well as VW's attention to detail in a sporty upscale design with high-quality materials and excellent fit and finish. The styling is retro yet pure, the interior is very stylish, the handling is exceptionally stable and the brakes are among the greatest.
There are six models of the Audi TT: a coupe and roadster each with three engines. Leather upholstery, a CD audio system, and HomeLink are among the standard features, along with 17-inch wheels and Xenon high-intensity discharge headlamps with automatic adjustment.
The 180-horsepower 1.8 T Coupe ($33,500) and Roadster ($35,500) come with an intercooled turbocharged inline four-cylinder engine, front-wheel drive and Tiptronic six-speed automatic transmission.
The 225-horsepower 1.8 T Coupe ($36,900) and Roadster ($39,700) use the same engine with two intercooled turbos, and feature the proven quattro all-wheel-drive system and a six-speed manual gearbox.
The 250-horsepower 3.2 Coupe ($40,150) and Roadster ($43,150) come with a new 3.2-liter compact V6 engine, quattro all-wheel drive and the new six-speed transmission Audi calls DSG, for Direct Shift Gearbox. It's operated either with the short lever on the floor or small paddles on the steering wheel. Or it can be left in Drive and not operated at all.
All Audi TT models come with the latest in active and passive safety features: anti-lock brakes (ABS), an electronic stability program (ESP), electronic brake force distribution (EBD), and an electronic differential lock (EDL). The 180-horsepower 1.8 T comes with traction control (ASR) to make up for its lack of all-wheel drive. Roadsters come with fixed roll bars in polished aluminum finish behind the seats. All TT models include seat-mounted head and chest side airbags and next-generation dual front airbags; three-point safety belts with pretensioners and load limiters; and the LATCH system for child safety seats.
Options include Papaya Orange paint ($1000); the baseball optic leather interior treatment ($1000); a Premium Package with HomeLink and heated seats ($700); a Bose audio system package ($1200); the power folding top option ($800); 18-inch wheels and tires ($775); a navigation system ($1350); XM satellite radio and, back by popular demand, the Alcan leather steering wheel.
The TT Coupe made its first appearance as a concept at the 1995 Frankfurt show, and was still dazzling when it made its U.S. debut for model year 2000. With apologies to the
Dodge Viper, the TT might be considered the car that opened the floodgates of creativity by breaking down the barriers of manufacturers' and especially designers' fears.
The bathtub shape was radically retro when the TT was introduced and it still doesn't seem dated; it's still striking. It was daring for its purity and simplicity of form five years ago and still is, although designers of all makes have gotten more creative lately (think BMW Z4). In short, the TT looks terrific, especially the Coupe.
The engine is mounted in front but the TT's overall presence makes it look like the engine should be right behind the driver, like the Porsche Boxster's. Instead there are small seats back there, making the TT a two-plus-two, unlike the Boxster. Lift the hood and you could still think it's a mid-engine, at least with the four-cylinder twin-turbo 1.8 T. It looks less like an engine than a couple of black plastic suitcases crammed into a Karmann-Ghia trunk.
The TT 3.2 has some new styling licks including the lamps, grilles and rear deck badging. But mostly there are aerodynamic tweaks, too subtle to be individually recognized by the casual observer, although they give the TT a vaguely sleeker overall appearance. There's a new front apron with side gills and enlarged inlets for engine cooling, and a bigger rear spoiler and honeycomb diffuser to increase stability at high speeds. The exhaust pipes are unique to the 3.2 as well.
The styling doesn't quite work as well without the top, because much of the visual appeal comes with the endearing total roundness. The Roadster looks like it forgot something when it left the house: its top. When it's up, the soft top looks pretty cool though.
