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February launch for slippery new TT
Audi's iconic sports car is claimed to be sportier and more efficient – but gaps have opened up in the rangeAudi Australia will launch its third-generation TT in Australia from February next year, but if you're planning to splurge on a diesel version forget about it.
The diesel TT is consigned to history in the Australian market, with sales failing to justify its inclusion in the new model range, despite a diesel variant being available in other markets. And there's no word on a follow-up to the second-generation 1.8-litre entry-level TT either. It's not that the smaller petrol-engined variant won't happen, it's just that Audi is yet to announce it officially for world markets.
For the moment then, that means the cheapest new TT will be the 2.0-litre TFSI model in front-wheel drive configuration with a six-speed manual transmission. That car rises in price from the current model's position at $75,450 to an indicative price somewhere above $77,000.
The higher price is partly compensated by the new MQB platform shared with the Volkswagen Golf 7, plus a host of other improvements, including engines tweaked for higher performance as well as lower fuel consumption, and an impressive new 'virtual cockpit' system that can be customised to suit the immediate needs of the driver. Driven by a highly advanced NVIDIA Tegra 30 graphics processor, the Virtual Cockpit display marks genuine progress in packaging infotainment and driver assistance information in easily digestible formats.
Over and above the manual variant, the front-wheel drive TT 2.0-litre TFSI can be optioned with an S Tronic (dual-clutch) transmission. Audi will also offer the same engine in a quattro (all-wheel drive) model, but exclusively coupled to the S Tronic box. Indicative pricing for the quattro variant is above $80,000 – a hike of probably $2000 at least.
Until the advent of other TT derivatives, the Australian-delivered range will be rounded out with the high-performance TTS, which will be manual or S Tronic, driving to all four wheels. That particular car, the TTS, won't hit Australia until the third quarter of 2015, leaving just the 2.0-litre TFSI coupe (in front-wheel drive and quattro guise) to fly the flag locally. For the moment, Audi Australia will say only that pricing for the TTS will start above $100,000. The current TTS is priced at $98,900.
Along with the anticipated 1.8-litre entry-level TT, the range will expand with the introduction of the Roadster (convertible) models, which will make their debut in Paris next month, and a five-cylinder TT-RS has now been confirmed within recent days by Audi engineering chief Dr Ulrich Hackenberg. Power and torque will be enhanced for the five-cylinder TT, but Audi is not saying by how much.
The 1.8-litre TT looks a certainty for our local market, based on the words of Anna Burgdorf, General Manager Corporate Communications at Audi Australia.
"We would certainly look at it favourably," Ms Burgdorf told Aussie journalists in Spain for the global launch of the new TT.
The new TT will deliver improved performance and fuel efficiency, the manufacturer claims. Peak power is as much as 14 per cent better than the superseded car – 169kW (previously 155kW) for the TT and 228kW (versus 200kW) for the TTS. Torque is 370Nm for the TT, or 380Nm for the TTS. Audi claims the TTS can dispatch the 0-100km/h sprint in 4.6 seconds. In contrast the manual TT requires six seconds to reach the same speed. The TT quattro with S Tronic will split the difference at 5.3 seconds.
Audi is claiming fuel consumption of 5.9L/100km and CO2 emissions of 137g/km for the TT, with the respective figures for the TT quattro with S Tronic transmission rising to 6.4L/100km and 149g/km. TTS, with its higher performance potential and the added weight of the standard quattro drivetrain is rated at 6.8L/100km and 157g/km.
Other highlights of the new TT include a lower kerb mass, reduced by as much as 50kg in the front-wheel drive manual variant, new control software for the quattro all-wheel drive system, class-leading aerodynamic efficiency of 0.29Cd and optional Matrix LED headlights.
To reduce the kerb mass in the TT (for the second consecutive time in the migration from one generation to another), the boffins at Audi have pulled out all stops, even ditching copper wiring in favour of aluminium. According to Markus Siewert, the technical project manager for TT, the aluminium had to be thicker than the copper to provide the same level of conductivity, but has yielded weight reduction nonetheless.
Standard specifications for Australian-delivered TT and TTS models will comprise the Virtual Cockpit, MMI navigation, a 10gb hard disk, two SDHC card slots, natural voice control functionality, four-way electric lumbar adjustment, climate control, leather trim, flat-bottomed steering wheel, cruise control with speed limiter, tyre pressure monitoring, Bluetooth connectivity with audio streaming, Audi Drive Select and keyless start. Alloy wheels will measure 18 inches in diameter for the TT, and either 19 or 20 inches for the TTS in Australia. Audi may also offer customers the option of a 20-inch wheel if the 19-inch wheel is standard.
Driver assistance systems such as lane departure warning and blind spot monitoring are expected to be offered as further options. A reversing camera is not yet available, but will form part of the Aussie specification as soon as it is offered globally.
Stay tuned for our review of the new TT and TTS.
Pictured: TTS (yellow), TT (red)
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Written byKen Gratton
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Please see our Editorial Guidelines & Code of Ethics (including for more information about sponsored content and paid events). The information published on this website is of a general nature only and doesn’t consider your particular circumstances or needs.
If the price does not contain the notation that it is "Drive Away", the price may not include additional costs, such as stamp duty and other government charges.
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