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First Drive: 2011 Audi TT. Image by Audi.

First Drive: 2011 Audi TT
Audi's latest TT has undergone a mild nip and tuck - and it's still as sharp as ever.

   



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| First Drive | Ingolstadt | 2011 Audi TT

You'd struggle to tell from the photos, but this is the new Audi TT. Yes, it looks just like the current model, but squint and you'll notice some discreet styling changes.

Some mild tweaks to the exterior aren't enough to justify calling it a new car, but thankfully the changes run a little deeper than that.

In the Metal

Realistically, you need a microscope to see the visual changes that Audi has made to the TT. Hardcore fans may have noticed the new front end, which consists of a revised bumper, bigger air intakes, a strip of LED driving lamps at the bottom of each headlamp cluster and chrome-ringed fog lamps.

There's also a more obvious air diffuser at the rear, some new designs of alloy wheel and four new colours: Dakota Grey (available with a pearl flip on S Line spec cars), Oolong Gray, Volcano Red and Scuba Blue.

That's about it for the outside, though. In essence, it looks pretty much the same as the outgoing TT, just with a few tweaks to bring it up-to-date with the rest of the Audi range.

What you get for your Money

Audi isn't really marketing the TT as a new car; it's more of an upgrade for the 2011 model year, so the price difference is negligible. The current range starts at £24,440 for the TT Roadster with the 1.8-litre TFSI engine and an equivalent 2011 model will only set you back a further £250 - hardly bank-breaking stuff. The same goes for the rest of the range: reckon on spending another £100 to £300, depending on the exact model and specification.

The coupé is available with the VW Group's updated 2.0-litre TFSI petrol (now with 208bhp) and 168bhp 2.0-litre TDI diesel engines. The diesel comes with the quattro four-wheel drive system only, while buyers get the choice of front- or four-wheel drive in the petrol model. The same goes for the Roadster, but there's also the option of a lower powered - and more affordable - 1.8-litre TFSI petrol unit with 158bhp.

The hot TTS gets a 268bhp 2.0-litre TFSI engine, while the scorching RS is fitted with a meaty 335bhp 2.5-litre unit. Both come with quattro four-wheel drive and start at £34,760 and £44,715 respectively.

Driving it

We drove the 2.0-litre TFSI version, which is the likely big seller - and it's easy to see why. The top quality cabin, shallow but long boot and acceptable rear seats make it a convincing all-rounder. The wraparound driving position and flat-bottomed sports steering wheel don't allow you to forget that you're sitting in a sports coupé though, so it never loses the sense of appeal.

Turn the ignition key and the changes - in the 2.0-litre TFSI model at least - start to become more apparent. Audi has eked out a further 11bhp from the engine, which might not sound like much, but it's just enough to sharpen the edges and makes the TT feel that bit more responsive. As always, there's no shortage of torque; the engine is more than punchy enough at virtually any speed and in any gear. The extra oomph has also dropped the 0-62mph time from 6.6- to 6.1 seconds, while the top speed is now up by 3mph to 152.

Handling is crisp, as always. There's plenty of feedback from the steering and, for the first time, a Sport button is available across the range (it previously only featured in the TT RS), which firms up the steering, heightens the throttle responses and creates a throatier exhaust sound.

Worth Noting

Audi's engineers have developed an energy recuperation system - a fancy name for regenerative braking and a more efficient engine. In 2.0-litre TFSI guise, the new TT returns 42.8mpg on average and emits 154g/km of CO2. Consider the enhanced performance and the outgoing car's figures of 36.7mpg and 183g/km and that's seriously impressive. It also means an annual road tax bill that costs £45 less.

Summary

The TT has always been good at appealing to a mass market. Sports cars are often deemed impractical, unsafe or just a bit too silly to be driven on a daily basis, but Audi allayed those fears when the first TT showed up in 1998 - and the latest car is no exception. It's not quite as delicate or involving as purer sports cars like the Mazda MX-5, but as a usable, all-round sports coupé or roadster with a big choice of engines and specs, the TT has the competition licked.

Jack Carfrae - 10 May 2010



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2010 Audi TT. Image by Audi.2010 Audi TT. Image by Audi.2010 Audi TT. Image by Audi.2010 Audi TT. Image by Audi.2010 Audi TT. Image by Audi.

2010 Audi TT. Image by Audi.2010 Audi TT. Image by Audi.2010 Audi TT. Image by Audi.2010 Audi TT. Image by Audi.2010 Audi TT. Image by Audi.



2010 Audi TT. Image by Audi.
 

2010 Audi TT. Image by Audi.
 

2010 Audi TT. Image by Audi.
 

2010 Audi TT. Image by Audi.
 

2010 Audi TT. Image by Audi.
 

2010 Audi TT. Image by Audi.
 






 

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