Audi TT 180
With 180bhp To Call Upon, Audis Most Popular Engine For The TT Has Spawned A Number Of Variants. Andy Enright Reports
There arent too many coupes that still look box fresh more than six years after they were first introduced but Audis TT can comfortably carry that description. When critiquing the cabins of other coupes, its still valid to say that when it comes to interior design flair that theyre no
Audi TT. This speaks volumes of how far ahead of the curve Audis design was and its worth remembering the TT debuted at the Frankfurt Show way back in 1995. Even with this head start however, standing still is not an option.
The 180bhp engine has long been the most popular of the four powerplants on offer and now the choice is even wider.
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Although the convertible model carried on as before,
Audi revised the 180 coupe range, slotting in a tiptronic automatic transmission as well as cheaper front-wheel drive versions. Priced from £22,490 (the manual front wheel drive coupe 180 starts at £21,090), the tiptronic transmission offers a proper automatic gearbox equipped with a torque converter but backs it up with steering wheel mounted shift buttons. If youre a serious performance driver, you wont find it as satisfying as Audis twin-clutch DSG sequential manual box, but its nevertheless great fun if you do most of your miles in the city but want something that can serve up some entertainment at the weekends. The automatic takes a slight edge the manual cars performance.
With the tiptronic gearbox, the TT coupe 180 will accelerate to 60mph in 8.3 seconds and on to a top speed of 140mph. For the purposes of comparison, the manual car will cover the sprint in 7.6 seconds and zip to 142mph.
Its worth remembering when comparing these two times that the manual cars sprint times are achieved with a professional driver at the controls and most of us would come a great deal closer to replicating the acceleration figures of the automatic than we would the manual. In the real world there isnt a great deal to choose between the two cars outright turn of pace.
"Despite sharing its underpinnings with a whole host of other vehicles, the TT is still a car that feels unique"
Although Audi goes to great lengths to stress that the TT is still a niche model, citing sales thirty per cent less than BMWs 3 Series Coupe, its been hugely successful over here. Britain is home to more TTs than anywhere in the world and the 180bhp car has accounted for the lions share of those sales. Its also perhaps a little disingenuous to say that its been unchanged in the years it has been on sale. Slight nips and ticks to the styling and equipment levels have kept it fresh and the latest 180 Coupe features a generous ladling of standard kit.
Sixteen-inch seven spoke alloy wheels, leather and Alcantara sports seats, electronic climate control, a leather trimmed sports steering wheel and a Driver Information System are all included in the base price of the front wheel drive 180bhp TT but many will still opt for the all-weather security and outright grip of the all-wheel drive quattro models which open at £25,690 for the coupe and £27,940 for the Roadster. Despite sharing its underpinnings with a whole host of other vehicles, the TT is still a car that feels unique. Climb in and it feels claustrophobic, particularly with all those dark colours. Looking out of the windscreen and particularly out of the side windows makes you feel like you're peering out of a pill box, so narrow is the field of vision. This is a real cockpit something that feels far more special than any similarly priced rival offering. There are brushed aluminium fittings wherever you look, covering the stereo, trimming the air vents, on the struts around the centre console, around the steering wheel boss and the gear stick. It's retro and futuristic, avant garde and traditional, all at the same time. Impressive body control makes the TT a devastating cross-country tool. The steering isnt quite as feelsome as some rivals and the front wheel drive cars can place a heavy burden on the traction control systems when accelerating from rest on a wet road but this car remains a class act. Visibility isnt great around town and pulling out of oblique junctions can be tricky but the TT still feels like a car you want to pick up by the scruff of the neck and fling down the road.
Audi designed the original version to be a car that would reward the expert driver but in doing so made it punish the less experienced. Later TTs arent quite so scalpel sharp in their handling balance but that will reassure the vast majority of the cars buyers. Powerful anti-lock brakes breed real confidence and the manual gearbox rewards a firm touch. The TT180 quattro roadster has suffered at the hands of its inexpensive front-wheel drive 150bhp sibling but remains an assured proposition, featuring a proper glass heated rear window and an electrically-operated hood that stows absolutely flush with the rear deck.
It glides neatly down in 15 seconds or so to hide under a manually-fitted tonneau cover. An electric glass wind deflector slides up at the press of a switch and there are chrome hoops behind each
seat that protect occupants heads in a roll-over crash. These are an integral part of the body structure and are supplemented by strengthened windscreen pillars. Whichever model you choose, be it manual or automatic, front or four wheel drive, roadster or coupe, the Audi TT has paid its dues.
Its a car that no longer needs to try too hard, taking everything in its stride. Whats more, now that the most unbearable look at me merchants have moved onto something else, its a car that, if anything, has become cooler with age. Heres to the next five years.
FACTS AT A GLANCE
CAR: Audi TT Coupe 180 range
PRICES: £21,090-£27,940 on the road
INSURANCE GROUP: 18
CO2 EMISSIONS: 194-226g/km
PERFORMANCE: [manual coupe] 0-60mph 7.6s / Max Speed 142mph
FUEL CONSUMPTION: [manual coupe] (average) 30mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin front and side airbags / ABS
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width/Heightmm 4041/1764/1345
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