All Audi TT reviews

''You have to respect Audi for having the courage to do something different...''

Designing a class-leading modern car is a serious business these days. It just isn't done anymore by a small group of enthusiasts sitting around listening to rock records and sketching on bits of paper. Or is it?

Audi would have you believe so. Their TT sportscar was apparently created by a group of fourteen designers sitting around listening to Jimi Hendrix records. The result was so well received by Audi management that it was displayed in concept form at the 1995 Frankfurt Motorshow. No one could have predicted what would happen next; instead of dismissing the TT as yet another irrelevant design study, the public clamoured for it to go into production. One way or another, this is a design that crystallises opinion. Like everyone else on the planet, you'll either love it or hate it. There aren't too many in-betweens. The interior is a case in point. 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 machine gun turret, 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.

The TT campaigned for years with a pair of 1.8-litre four-cylinder units and very good they were too; both the standard 180bhp version and the 225bhp variant were enough for most. Now, the 180bhp version has been replaced with a pokier 190bhp unit, whilst the 225bhp powerplant has made way for a 240bhp unit in the range-topping quattro Sport model. The 250bhp 3.2-litre V6 models continue as before, with their clever DSG gearboxes. The DSG approach involves a sequential manual gearbox in order to ensure efficiency and rapid responses, but it also uses a clever twin clutch system to ensure creamy smoothness. Engage first gear and the gearbox will pre-engage second gear in advance, the second clutch engaging as soon as you flick up to fire the TT instantly into second gear. This means a seamless flow of power. The V6 can also be obtained in standard manual form for about £1,400 less and at the other end of the range, a non-quattro version of the 190bhp TT will be popular. Prices start at £21,290. The stripped-out quattro Sport model is the quickest TT currently available, with weight-saving modifications and a prodigious 240bhp from its 1.8-litre Turbo engine. Not that the TT V6 is any kind of slouch. Make no mistake, it's quick enough for some serious fun, notching off the sprint to 60mph in 6.4 seconds before running onto a terminal velocity of 155mph. It uses the same engine found in Volkswagen's Phaeton luxury saloon and the Touareg 4x4 but has been subtly tweaked by Audi to generate nearly 250bhp. It feels much smoother than the tuned 1.8-litre unit in the quattro Sport but the power's most definitely there when you need it. Compared to more mundane TTs, the TT 3.2 V6 enjoys a suspension upgrade, the 18-inch wheels fitting extremely snugly into the lowered arches. As well as being more firmly sprung, this TT is also possessed of a more direct steering rack and far more feelsome brakes. As with all bar the entry-level TTs, it takes torque to the tarmac via Audi's familiar quattro four-wheel drive system. This directs 50% of the torque to the front while constantly changing the amount of torque going to the rear wheels depending on the traction available. This, combined with impressive body control, makes the TT a devastating cross-country tool. I tried it over some loose gravel surfaces and struggled to think of many cars which could have kept up. Even the 190bhp 1.8-litre Turbo version makes sixty in just 7.4s on the way to 145mph, but it's the in-gear acceleration which is most impressive. Slow moving traffic which would delay you in almost any other car can be dispatched quickly and safely in almost any conditions. Only the rather notchy gearbox impedes your progress. Handling is equally impressive; this is a car which can be enjoyed by almost anyone, but experienced drivers will find hidden depths that will make you continually eager to come back for more. Powerful anti-lock brakes breed real confidence, as does the direct and nicely weighted power steering which always lets you in on what the wheels are doing. Equipment on the 1.8-litre cars runs to lowered sports suspension, metallic paint, larger 18-inch 9-spoke alloy wheels, xenon headlamps (now with titanium surrounds), remote central locking, a driver information system and electric windows and mirrors. The 3.2 V6 can be identified by a modified rear spoiler and apron, bigger cooling inlets in the front spoiler and titanium-coloured headlight trims. Fortunately, the TT isn't one of those sportscars that needs to be taken by the scruff of the neck all the time. A slippery drag coefficient of 0.34 means it's quiet and 490-litres of luggage space makes it quite practical too. That's if you fold the rear seats - by far the most sensible thing to do. For one thing, you'd have trouble fitting anyone but a leprechaun in them. For another, should an adult be sitting there when the rear hatch is slammed, the unfortunate person would probably break his or her skull. What's most surprising about the TT is its durability. Years after that 1995 Frankfurt Show appearance, it still looks like a show car on the road. The 3.2-litre V6 and, subsequently, the quattro Sport have freshened the appeal and moved the TT upmarket but the more basic models still make grand buys. Make no mistake, the TT is as relevant as ever. Which leaves only the question as to what 'TT' might stand for. Apparently, it's the Isle of Man Tourist Trophy race, which dates back to 1905. Get one of these and you might want to enter.