2015 Audi TT: Evolution Over Revolution
New TT doesn’t peg the excitement meter at maximum, but promises all-round improvement
Imthishan Giado
Has the Audi TT’s time passed? A shockingly geometric sight when it was revealed in 1998, over the past 16 years it has committed that most cardinal of sports car sins: it’s become familiar. Now Audi hopes to apply the defibrillator to the TT’s fashionable chest with the launch of this all-new third generation.
Based on the same MQB-platform underpinnings that lay underneath the latest Golf, don’t expect a dramatic new look for the new TT. In fact, it’s really hard to tell that there’s an actual new car here at all. LED headlights and umm…well, that’s about it really. Bit lighter, bit more aerodynamic, nothing to rush out of bed for certainly.
Three engines will nestle underhood, but since one of them’s a diesel only the latter two concern us. Both are turbocharged 2.0-litre engines available with either six-speed manual (good luck getting that in this region) or six-speed dual-clutch S-Tronic boxes. Base power map is a fairly adequate 230bhp and 272 lb ft of torque; top end is a meaty TTS with 310bhp and 280 lb ft of torque. The lower-spec car nails 100kph in 5.3 seconds, while the TTS will do the job in a supercar-baiting 4.7 seconds. Seriously quick.
Looking for the real story with this TT? Look no further than the space age interior. Gone is the traditional instrument cluster and in its place is the ‘Audi virtual cockpit’ – a 12.3″ TFT screen with a 1440×540 resolution that can switch between classic analog displays and an ‘infotainment mode’ that pushes the gauges to the sides in favour of your Spotify playlist. Probably. It’s seriously groovy – in fact, there’s no centre console screen at all, only one single screen for the driver. Expect this dashboard in every Audi to follow in the next few years.
The Audi TT debuts tomorrow at the Geneva Motor Show. More pictures can be found in the gallery below
