2016 Audi TT
There’s no doubt that the Audi TT is a stylish sports car. However, it’s got a bit of a reputation as a car that’s driven by hairdressers - but don’t let that put you off!
You don’t buy an Audi TT for its practicality. What you buy it for is its style – it really is a stunning little sports car. It’s got that instantly recognisable svelte TT shape with some really cool design details thrown in such as its distinctive lights and the indicators. It’s very much the same story on the inside where the TT provides the perfect example of Bauhaus minimalism. It just looks so super-cool with beautifully sculptured design details everywhere you look. An example of this can be seen with the housed climate controls at the center of the air vents. While you sit in the TT you think, OK it’s tiny in the back but in the front it actually feels quite spacious. This is primarily down to it being a slightly wider car than the old model. There’s some Ok’ish practicalities such as door bins which can just about hold a big bottle of water but the best bit has got to be the virtual cockpit. There’s no centrally mounted screen as you’d expect on other cars. Everything you need, including the infotainment system, is housed in the console behind the steering wheel. You can change the view of it by cycling through the different menus and basically control everything, including the sat-nav, from the steering wheel or the swivel wheel located by the gear lever. The system is really clever and really intuitive good to use.
If you look at the size of the boot you could actually argue that couriers could actually make use of the TT. It’s about the same size of the Ford Fiesta’s but you can only carry things in a certain configuration because the boot is quite shallow. You might think this is a big problem but what you can do is simply remove the parcel shelf, fold down the rear seats and it transforms into a reasonably large load area. To be honest you may as well travel with the rear seats down anyway because the back seats are nothing more than a gesture. Not only are they tiny but actually trying to get into the back of the car is a task in itself! Once you do slide in then you’ll have trouble getting the front seats down again without crushing your legs to a pulp. There’s not much else to say about the back other than it’s really not good at all. We don’t think children could sit at the back but you do get iSO-fix fittings so you could actually fit a small baby in there somewhere!
If there is one problem with the TT then that is that it’s rather expensive especially if you add some options on top of it. However, on the flip side you’ll get quite a lot of your money back when you come to sell it on. This is because it’s a very desirable car packed with cool features. Here’s our top 5:
1. The indicator lights don’t simply flash, they pulse.
2. Cleverly hidden cup holders.
3. There’s no need to screw off the fuel cap. Just pop the nozzle straight in.
4. It’s 50 kilos lighter than its predecessor.
5. The optional matrix LED headlights can turn off part off their beams to prevent dazzling other drivers.
Unfortunately, not everything about the Audi TT is great. Here’s some reasons why:
1. Not only is it quite expensive but none of the models come with sat-nav or cruise control as standard.
2. The automatic gearbox can be a bit jerky when manoeuvring at low speeds.
3. You can’t get all Quattro all-wheel drive models with a manual gearbox.
4. Passengers don’t really get a good view of the infotainment system so they can’t operate things for you.
You can’t really complain too much as the Audi TT is fantastic to drive. The first generation of the TT Coupe looked like a really cool sports car but was a bit disappointing to drive. The second generation was certainly a big improvement but with the third generation model Audi’s engineers have finally cracked it! This is because the car feels genuinely sporty and engaging. In fact, it’s great fun yet surprisingly comfortable. It could be argued that this combination is the “holy grail” of modern motoring. There is a word of warning however. If you want to go for the bigger wheels, which you probably will because they look cool, then you will definitely want to have the car fitted with the adaptive suspension. This is because it has a “comfort” mode and this really helps take the sting out of those extra jolts you get through the body. Another thing you need to be aware of is that although this car handles brilliantly in the wet the front-wheel drive version can sometimes struggle to put its power down as it’s coming out of a corner.
The engine range in the TT is brilliant. If you want economy then you can opt for the 2.0 diesel which is fast and frugal. However, our pick of the range are the 2.0 turbo engines. The lower power unit will give you 230 bhp which is more than fast enough. Go for the 7 speed S Tronic automatic gearbox and it will give you really fast changes. The manual is really nice to use too but there’s an advantage of having the automatic. This is that it does make the car slightly quicker to 62mph which it will do in 5.3 seconds. One of the reasons it can do this is because it has “launch control”. Not many cars can boast such performance while claiming 40 mpg!
On the whole the Audi TT is a very easy car to live with on a day-to-day basis. You’ll experience a few problems such as quite a bit a roar from the tyres and a tad of wind-whistle at speed from the wing mirrors. Another thing is that while the visibility at the front and back is actually very good, the front and rear pillars are quite chunky. Overall, the Audi TT is rather expensive and the back seats are totally useless but it’s super desirable and it’s brilliant to drive!
