Audi TT
A curator's car |
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By Richard J. Newman
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NITS: Poorly placed cupholders, minimal up-front storage, and other layout shortcomings common to small coupes.
G-FORCES: Three engine choices range from peppy to potent, but none is a true racer. Handling, however, is outstanding, with a stiff frame that tames the sharpest curves and tight steering that puts the asphalt at your fingertips.
GIZMOLOGY: One of the coolest things about the TT is the smooth blend of retro design with modern electronics. Climate and radio info are diplayed in Audi's brothel-red digital readouts, soothing on the eyes. Raising or lowering the temperature is a matter of flicking a spring-loaded dial left or right. And the chrome cover that hides the radio is neat. Steering-wheel controls for the radio would be handy, since the buttons are small and hard to reach.
KID MARKS: Technically speaking, there are compartments in the back that resemble seats, and they even come with seat belts. But they're so small that even my 5-year-old was uncomfortable back there. A small pet, maybe.
HOT OR NOT: Hot, hands down. Truly artistic looks.
ENVIROMETER: Rates six out of 10 on the EPA's emissions/air pollution scale. Mileage ranges from 20 mpg/city to 29 mpg/highway. Details:www.epa.gov/autoemissions/
E-AUDI-TTCoupe-04.htm
CRASH COURSE: In the government's side-impact test, the TT earned five stars out of five. Details: www.nhtsa.gov/NCAP/Cars/2654.html The government has not done a frontal crash test.
PRICE POINTS: Base prices range from $33,970 to $43,620. Price as tested: $44,190. (All prices include delivery fees.)
MORE INFO: www.audiusa.com
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Model year tested: 2004
Audi gets away with a lot. Its vehicles are so stylish—artistic, almost, in some of their refinements—that other things go unnoticed: A little less performance than competitors, a swollen price tag, a few features you'd like to have but are willing to do without.
It took awhile in the TT, in fact, for me to figure out what was missing. But first, the pleasures, which start at the curb. The TT's rounded rear flanks and bubbly roof give it a cute profile that resembles the Volkswagen New Beetle—except that its low stance conveys the posture of a vehicle that prowls the streets, rather than perkily puttering along. Turn the key and the exhaust rumbles with the roar of not-so-distant thunder. Both inside and out, polished chrome and other retro touches mesh seamlessly with modern design and the latest electronics. Five years after its debut, the TT still turns heads and is fresh to behold.
Like many a well-dressed dandy, however, the TT lacks a bit of substance. Even the top-line "quattro" all-wheel drive model, with a 250-horsepower six-cylinder engine, lacks the oomph you might expect from such a hot package. It's quick, to be sure, but there's a lag at lower speeds, and it just doesn't provide the explosive thrill you get, for instance, from the new Volkswagen R32. The base engine, a 180-horsepower four-cylinder, is softer yet. Handling in the upscale "quattro" all-wheel drive model is firm and zesty—comparable to the much newer Chrysler Crossfire, I'd say. But the Chrysler, a hottie in its own right, starts about $4,000 lower. And unlike the Crossfire, the base TT has front-wheel drive, which always produces an unstable bite on hard turns known as "torque steer."
Still, the TT seems to leave its owners smiling. At the car-shopping Web site Edmunds.com, consumers give the TT a 9.3 rating, out of 10—considerably higher than the 7.0 that Edmunds' editors assign the car. And cruising around in the sunflower-yellow test car, attracting approving nods from all sides of the highway, it was fun to settle into the alluring cockpit and bask in the attention. Style may not equal substance, but being well-dressed sure bucks up your confidence.
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