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Ken Gratton11 Sept 2014
REVIEW

Audi TT and TT S 2014 Review

Sharper looks, improved performance and economy for sporty design icon

Audi TT and TT S

It's arguably the one unmistakeable model in the Audi range, and the latest TT pulls out all stops to remain visually arresting. But the car's head-turning design, its increased engine output and reduced fuel consumption are overshadowed by the new 'Virtual Cockpit' instrument binnacle. Prices for the new TT are expected to start from around $80,000 when the car goes on sale here in February next year.

Audi's TT has long held sway as the car that brings together the manufacturer's undoubted engineering prowess with a distinctive styling theme that appeals to life's non-conformists. In this third-generation model, Audi has introduced an edginess to the style, which should make it more accessible for those buyers who like their cars with a flinty-eyed look.

But styling isn't the only virtue of the new car, built as it is on the MQB platform that also forms the basis for the VW Golf 7, Skoda Octavia and Audi A3. The 2.0-litre TFSI engines are carried over from the previous model TT, but with uprated power and torque, plus reduced fuel consumption. Perhaps most significantly, the new-generation sports car introduces 'Virtual Cockpit', which is a very sensible idea in a compact dash layout such as the TT's.

Once understood, the Virtual Cockpit facility proved very easy to use. Toggling the 'View' button on the left spoke of the steering wheel changes from 'Classic' display (major instruments taking pride of place) to a virtual infotainment set up, with the major instruments – speedo and tacho – reduced in size. It's a good system that I like and found easy to adapt to in a short space of time.

The TT's interior layout is a product of its 2+2 configuration and its compact footprint, of course, but the driving position was generally good, other than the field of vision to the three-quarter rear. The TT offers blind spot monitoring, but we're told it will be an option in Australia. That is a concern, given the high-back bucket seats, the low roofline and the thick C pillars, all of which conspire against changing lanes safely – if you're the sort of driver that relies on a quick peek over the shoulder. Even with blind spot monitoring installed – and having the external mirrors set up correctly as well – I would be dubious about merging from a service road into an arterial without having the driver's window down and physically looking out and behind.

Other than that safety issue, my only other grievance with the interior layout of the car is that I couldn't easily get the right direction or volume of airflow through the eyeball vents at face level. They do look snazzy though...

The front seats are snug, yet comfortable and the TT is one Audi that's fairly easy to adjust to suit different physiques without exhausting hours of precious time. From the driver's seat the controls are properly located and the instruments are easy to read. Climbing into the back for those who will never see their teenage years again is a challenge, but my co-driver for the event did ensconce himself behind the driver's seat (if 'ensconce' is the right word when your head is touching the window of the tailgate and your knees are up around your ears).

Beyond the car's obvious packaging virtues – and vices – the TT provides a driving experience that's highly satisfying. The base TT's engine, even without the same level of tune as the TT S, delivers strong acceleration and easily tapped torque. There is little labouring even when pulling sixth gear up a hill at 1500rpm – and the engine would run down to just above 1000rpm without undue NVH.

Despite its unfussy demeanour, the engine is very sporty, with a bit of crackle on the overrun. Yet it is also very quiet and smooth when not being given some stick. And naturally the performance is impressive with a few revs in hand. And there's zero turbo lag. If anything the TT turns on the torque almost too responsively. It was hard to launch the car without wheelspin on gravel by the side of the road after a driver swap.

The six-speed manual transmission offers just the right amount of heft through the lever and shifts with reasonable precision, but best results come from taking it slow shifting from one gear to the next. You can slam it through the gears, but all finesse is lost by doing that. Still, a little more time in this left-hand-drive car and we would have been feeling right at home.

Steering initially seems too light in the front-wheel drive TT, but it firms up as speed rises and there's enough feedback through the wheel for the driver to feel comfortably punting the TT a little harder into corners. The brakes are dependable and the pedal pressure feels right too. Left in the auto setting the Audi Drive Select system allowed the turbo boost to break traction on the exit from corners as the TT migrated from neutral to understeer. Unfortunately, there was little opportunity to assess the car's handling with the drive select system set to Dynamic, although it did seem to tame the understeer somewhat.

The roads in Spain for this drive program were way too smooth for any serious assessment of ride quality after just 15 minutes, but the TT S seemed to ride well in both Auto and Dynamic modes.

For the next day of the drive program we swapped into the TT S, which is everything the TT is, but with the quattro drivetrain (also available optionally for the TT), more power and more torque. I drove a manual variant from our accommodation to the Ascari racetrack and found it to be surefooted in a way the front-wheel drive TT couldn't match, but there was also a fun factor involved – with the 228kW turbo four in the TT S delivering an obvious thrumming note not unlike that of Audi's five-cylinder engines from the past. The engine's soundtrack comes courtesy of a sound actuator that is standard in the TT S, which is an affront to some enthusiasts, but if it sounds good – and meets emissions standards – does it ultimately matter how the engine note is generated? Not to me...

Like the TT, the TT S was not the nicest shifting manual transmission in living memory. Changing gear was mostly fine, but lacking a deftness present in other front-drive-based sporty cars. More often than not the S tronic transmission was the superior unit around the Ascari circuit, proving highly responsive and swifter to change gear than any human driver could manage with a manual.

That said, however, the S tronic transmission frequently kicked down to a lower gear, even when operating in Sport mode with the driver using the shift paddles. Given the car's flat torque curve, there will be times when the driver will find full throttle in a higher gear works better than having the engine screaming its head off and changing back up to the gear the driver wanted in the first place. It's a point for debate, but the S tronic could do with something like a track mode that disables kick-down.

However, the TT S did build up a head of steam with little prompting, and the S tronic version sampled around the Ascari track was naturally a contributor to the car's responsiveness.

Audi sent us out at intervals to cover five laps – two laps guided by pilot cars and three hot laps. The first hot lap was undertaken with the Drive Select system set to 'Auto' and the stability control system fully operational. Changing Drive Select to 'Dynamic' upped the car's dynamic potential, reducing understeer after late braking, or even inducing a slight oversteer bias on a trailing throttle. The margin for error was demonstrably improved, but the car was all that and more with the stability control switched off too for the third lap.

The TT – and more importantly, the TT S – is a case of horses for courses. Prospective buyers will love it for its style and Audi's acknowledged expertise in build quality and interior presentation, but it's hard to overlook the fact that the basic front-wheel drive TT will be priced higher than BMW's M235i, which stumps up more performance than the TT S and will be at least as thrilling on the track.

The question thus remains: are TT buyers rusted on, or could they be drawn away by another offering?

2014 Audi TT and TT S pricing and specifications:
Price: from around $80,000 (plus on-road costs)


Engine:
2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 169kW/370Nm (TT), 228kW/380Nm (TT S)
Transmission: Six-speed manual (TT), Six-speed dual-clutch (TT S)
Fuel: 5.9L/100km (TT), 6.8L/100km (TT S)

CO2:
137g/km (TT), 157g/km (TT S)
Safety Rating: TBA

What we liked: Not so much:
>> Aggressive styling >> Price to pay for distinctive design
>> Refined and sporty drivetrains >> Oblique rear field of vision
>> Virtual cockpit >> Rear-seat accommodation

Also consider: BMW 2 Series, Peugeot RC-Z, Porsche Cayman

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Written byKen Gratton
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Our team of independent expert car reviewers and journalistsMeet the team
Expert rating
69/100
Engine, Drivetrain & Chassis
16/20
Price, Packaging & Practicality
11/20
Safety & Technology
16/20
Behind the Wheel
13/20
X-Factor
13/20
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