All Audi TT reviews

"Some day all gearboxes will be made this way"

Think back to the last time a car manufacturer introduced a groundbreaking innovation that really did catch everyone else on the hop. It's probably fair to say that it was Audi who saw the potential of the four-wheel drive sports car way back at the turn of the Eighties. Just as this development changed the way we viewed performance cars today, another innovation to come out of Ingolstadt may well leave an equally significant impression. It's the Direct Shift Gearbox fitted to the flagship TT model, the 3.2-litre V6 quattro DSG.

Bear with us here. Many of you may understandably be less than enamoured at the prospect of a lengthy description of a bunch of oily cogs however clever the controlling mechanism may be, so we'll try to keep things relatively simple. Jump into the TT 3.2 DSG and you're greeted with what looks like a relatively conventional automatic gear lever sprouting from the transmission tunnel. Closer inspection reveals that the gearstick can be knocked sideways into a slot so that you can push it forward to change up a gear and pull it back to drop down a ratio. There are also paddle shifters behind the steering wheel to achieve the same effect. But then a number of cars already feature such a system. What's the advance? It's important to understand how these other cars' gearboxes work. Basically, they can be split into two forms. The first is a proper automatic gearbox that can double up as a rather poor manual 'box as typified by Porsche's Tiptronic system, and the second is a sequential manual box that will, at a pinch, function as a somewhat clonky automatic as typified by Alfa Romeo's Selespeed, Ferrari's F1 or BMW's SMG system. Neither system is ideal. Tiptronic style gearboxes use a torque converter and as such are inefficient and a touch slow witted albeit very smooth. The sequential manual gearboxes can be brutally efficient in manual mode but are neither smooth nor very convincing when trying to mimic an automatic gearbox. Just try a hill start in reverse and you'll see what we mean.

Audi have approached the issue in an ingenious way. The TT 3.2 V6 DSG uses 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 electronics predict what gear you're about to engage, depending on whether you're accelerating or braking and the result is astonishing, making every other gearbox look distinctly clunky. The other option is to slip it into 'D' and drive it like a normal automatic. Even in this mode it's butter smooth. One comes away with the impression that Audi have a tangible advantage over everybody else with this system and that some day all gearboxes will be made this way. Porsche are already said to be sniffing about Ingolstadt to licence the technology. The rest of the TT V6 is no slouch either. Although many will question the wisdom of fitting a bigger, heavier engine that only develops an additional 22bhp over the existing 225bhp turbocharged 1.8-litre model, the V6 powerplant transforms the car's nature. 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's the same engine found in Volkswagen's Phaeton luxury saloon and the Touareg 4x4 but has been subtly tweaked by Audi to generate 247bhp. Unlike its turbocharged understudies, the TT 3.2 V6 suffers no lag when you prod the throttle pedal. Instant urge is the name of the game here, and the potent snarl when the engine ascends the rev range is a welcome improvement to the rather anodyne whoosh and blare of the 1.8T. The exhaust has been tuned to produce a sporty sound and if you back off the throttle at high revs there's a series of crackles and pops as unburnt fuel detonates in the exhaust. If that doesn't make you feel like Walter Rohrl in a classic Quattro rally car nothing will! To accommodate the extra power, 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 that feels purposeful and sharp. Whilst it's not Porsche-style communicative, it at least excises the somewhat numb feeling that has characterised Audi performance cars of late. The other accusation levelled at Audi sportsters has been the charge of overservoed brakes. The TT 3.2 V6 addresses this as well, offering more feel and modulation in the pedal travel. The car is available as a manual but most buyers really should find the £1,400 to get the DSG. It's a well-judged package of changes. Audi know not to mess with a winning formula and have wisely left the superb cabin design ostensibly unchanged. It looked great when the TT was launched in 1999 and it's still the benchmark by which all other coupe interiors are judged. Rear seat accommodation is as catastrophic as ever. Mild body styling changes include a modified rear spoiler and apron, bigger cooling inlets in the front spoiler and titanium-coloured headlight trims. The TT 3.2 V6 DSG arrived just in the nick of time for Audi. In the face of a revised Porsche Boxster and threats from the Nissan 350Z, the Mazda RX8 and the BMW Z4, Audi have breathed new life into a car that was in danger of being knocked from the limelight. The TT has always been a great entertainer, one of the few cars with the performance to match the persona. With its revolutionary transmission and satisfying engine the TT 3.2 V6 DSG moves the game onward. The latest crop of pretenders are just playing catch up.