New TT Plays a Sporting CardAfter eight years of being on the market, Audi's TT sports car is still
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| The first TT was a simple, pure shape that stood the test of time. (Photo: Audi of America) |
fresh; it's a timeless and ever-fashionable vehicle, achieving a longevity that few other car designs can hold claim to. But, like all good things, change is eventually necessary. Many of the first generation TT's siblings have been moved over from Volkswagen Group's 'A4' chassis (Golf, New Beetle, the previous Jetta) to the new and highly advanced PQ35 (A5) chassis that underpins the likes of the Mk.V 2007 Golf and company, and now its time for the new TT to get the A5 treatment. Or is it?
Yes and no, but we'll delve into that in a minute. Stylistically the
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| Tokyo's Shooting Brake Concept saw a new, super-aggressive face for Audi's sporty coupe. (Photo: Audi of America) |
new TT is heavily based off of the Shooting Brake Concept that debuted at last year's Tokyo Motor Show. Major similarities can be seen on the front half, in particular the headlamps, grille and chiseled shape of the front fenders, all of which give the new car a highly aggressive, less feminine look. Instead of being a traditional three-door hatchback, like the Shooting Brake, Audi stuck to the slinky coupe shape with big, plumped wheel arches, a style that it has ever so carefully preserved for the second generation. Compared to the old car, the new TT is greater in length by some 5.4 inches and wider by 3.0 inches its wheels are further pushed to the chassis's corners for a more squat and stable stance.
No longer is the TT just a Golf clad in appealing clothes; it's
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| The finished product has more finesse to its design, though many original details remain. (Photo: Audi of America) |
been transformed into a very unique vehicle, which is significantly different from any of its direct siblings. Its structure was designed in a similar way to Audi's Aluminum Space Frame (ASF) cars, the A2 and A8, but is fundamentally different in that the TT's frame is part steel and part aluminum! Sixty-nine percent of this "superstructure" is made of the lighter metal, in order to reduce the overall weight as well as the load over the front wheels. The remaining 31 percent - the components made from steel - are centered over the rear wheels in order to improve the car's weight distribution.
In
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| Semi-ASF structure makes TT light and balanced. Optional magnetic ride should work wonders. (Photo: Audi of America) |
terms of new and innovative features, the TT bears a host of ride and handling-improving technologies. In its second generation the car makes the leap to speed-sensitive power steering complemented by a four-wheel multi-link suspension. But, the real star of the show is the new TT's optional electro-magnetic damping system. As featured on the super-performance RS4 and a handful of high-end Cadillacs as well, the TT rides on dampers with magnetically charged particles that are suspended in oil-filled dampers. When an electrical charge is sent through the dampers, they firm up or soften within milliseconds to provide a ride that's sporty, yet supple, allowing the TT to ride comfortably on wheels as large as 19 inches in diameter.
Power for the TT comes from two different, but well-known sources.
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| Even with roughly the same power, the new TT is remarkably faster than the old. (Photo: Audi of America) |
Base models come with the famed 200-horsepower 2.0-liter FSI-T engine, paired to FrontTrak front-wheel drive. Top-line TTs get the more powerful 250-horsepower 3.2-liter narrow-angle V(R)6 engine, mated to a rear-biased Haldex-based all-wheel drive system. Both engines come standard with a six-speed manual gearbox, though, for those who wish for more automation, the fantastic S Tronic (formerly DSG) six-speed dual-clutch gearbox can be ordered with either engine.
