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Fizzy TTango. Image by Mark Nichol.

Fizzy TTango
As desirable an ownership proposition as the Audi TTS is, we just can't get excited by it.

   



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| Week at the Wheel | Audi TTS Coupé |

Inside & Out: star star star star star

Is there really any point in glibly going through the Audi TT's ubiquitous silhouette? Probably not, but one week with our bright orange example highlighted one very clear thing: it still turns heads. Mind, much of that in this particular case is probably to do with the near blindness it inflicts upon those foolish enough to gaze upon it for more than a few seconds; I swear even now I can still see an orange TT when I close my eyes.

But it's actually the smart details of the TTS that impress most, because Audi has given it enough for those in the know to know that this one's a bit special, but without ruining a shape that is, however familiar, still one of the best resolved and most visually arresting anywhere. Those brave enough to look at the TTS long enough - because, let's face it, staring at a TT is socially akin to staring at the top shelf at WH Smith - will note quad tailpipes, a speed-sensitive active rear wing, aluminium-effect wing mirrors and a deep front spoiler.

Peer through the window and you'll note the little S badge on the flat-bottomed steering wheel, curvy sports seats and - on our S-Tronic equipped car - an S branded gearstick top too. The cabin's a lovely place to be, particularly laced in orange leather as ours was, and its quality is without reproach, yet it still somehow keeps one foot wedged in the ordinary when it really should be mesmeric; it's more A3 than triple A.

The TT's high shoulder line and thick front pillars mean the view out front and at the side aren't so good, but peer backwards and it's so light it's almost alarming; thank the massive expanse of glass in the rear hatch for that. And although there's enough seat and wheel adjustment to keep both a jockey and a basketballer happy, the rear isn't so accommodating. Mind, the back seats happily took two child-seated under twos on occasion, albeit at the expense of almost all the front seat legroom.

Engine & Transmission: star star star star star

Changing into the TTS from an S4, as we did (it's been an enjoyable couple of weeks here), basically showed up the coupé's age; next to its newer, supercharged V6 kin, everything about the TT seems a tad last-generation. That's far from saying it's bad, but the engine is a case in point. Both S cars have identical 0-62mph times in the forms we tested them in (S4 manual, TTS S-Tronic), but the new V6 unit seems to have both significantly more low-end urge and more tenacity at the top. The TTS's blown 2.0-litre four-pot lump needs revving hard to wring the best from it, never quite mustering the same sense of urgency. In fact, it only begins to feel especially manic above 50mph, when it quickly becomes clear you're still gathering speed with licence-threatening fervour.

That may be, however, partly down to the twin-clutch S-Tronic gearshift, which, as always, clacks through changes with the precision and speed of Stevie Wonder clicking his fingers along to Ace of Spades by Motorhead. It's just too easy to plant your right foot and, without much drama, find yourself at 'sorry officer' speeds...

Ride & Handling: star star star star star

...which is a problem when you then find yourself careering towards a sharp corner; the TTS categorically doesn't address its less powerful siblings' handling issues. Again, the S4 shows that Audi can craft a superb driver's car, making the blow ever so crushing when the TTS falls some way short. First the handling. It has quattro four-wheel drive, so there's grip aplenty in the dry, but show the tyres a splash of water and the front wheels take their ball home; the TTS loses all its surefootedness in wet weather, feeling cumbersome, understeer-y and slightly unpredictable. It desperately misses the understeer-neutralising sport differential of the S4. The steering rack doesn't help either because it's too light; plus it could do with being tightened up a smidge to make the turn in that little but sharper.

But for the vast majority of the gentle, urban cruising a TT will do the ride is well sorted. It's a little on the firm side, but that's in keeping with it being a coupé, and it's setup in such a way that lumps and bumps on the road translate to a smooth judder in the cabin - enough to feel what's going on under the tyres, but not enough to make it uncomfortable. The active suspension does a decent job of firming things up usefully when it's switched to 'sport', but it doesn't ever imbue the car with the amount of stiff, raw cornering feel you might wish for. The bottom line is, the TT still feels more like a GT than a sportscar in essence; this version just gets to each bend a bit quicker, so you have to slow down more. Thankfully, the brake callipers are strong without snatching at the discs.

Equipment, Economy & Value for Money: star star star star star

This is the thing, isn't it? The TTS starts at £33,425. Then the fun begins. Our car's Solar Orange paintjob, resplendent as it is, costs a whopping £490 by virtue of being exclusive to the TTS - and it isn't even metallic. You should at least expect sparkly flakes for that sort of money. Add a Bose stereo (surprisingly lacklustre, we must report), satnav, a CD changer, Xenons, Bluetooth and a few other frivolities/essentials for the cabin and you're looking at £40k. Uh oh.

Obviously you don't have to have those things, but you might want to sell your TT in three years, and the next owner might want them, which is important at this end of the market. So, you have to look at what £40,000 will get you, and it will, of course, bag you a Porsche Cayman. Granted, the boggo Cayman will be slower, but it will also pummel the TT into submission in the handling stakes, and look slightly less like an A3 in the cabin. (We love the TT's cabin, by the way, but we're talking exclusivity of DNA here.) It will also get you pretty much your pick of the new BMW Z4 range, and that's quite a brilliant thing too. And there's the Mercedes SLK, which is a bit ancient now but still a hottie in the looks department. Hmm.

Let's leave you to ponder on those things and move on to economy then, shall we? Apparently it'll achieve 35.8mpg in S-Tronic form (35.3mpg with the manual gearbox), yet the way it guzzled petrol during our time suggests it's another case of the EU test cycle telling porky pies. And if you're bothered about CO2, this is probably the wrong car for you (try the excellent TT TDI, perhaps), but nonetheless it musters only 188g/km (191g/km manual) - an impressively parsimonious figure, we think.

Overall: star star star star star

As we've said already, trading the key of an Audi S4 for that of the TTS served mainly to highlight the latter's flaws, because the bigger car, with its frantic supercharged V6 lump and Audi Drive Select, feels fresher, more vibrant, and laudably more modern. And the problem is exacerbated because, naturally, you expect the coupé to be the more engaging of the pair.

Still, the TTS is handsome, very quick, hardly embarrassing in the handling department (despite its stodginess) and, fundamentally, a proper feel-good car to have on the drive - which is really what a coupé is all about. It misses the mark as a sportscar, but as an ownership proposition it's hard to fault. Unfortunately, you get the distinct feeling that Audi had to hold back on the TTS a little to save some space at the top of the tree for the TT RS. And, well, there's another problem - you know, the one with the Porsche badge on it. Oh well.

Mark Nichol - 28 May 2009



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2009 Audi TT specifications:
Technical specifications for 2008 Audi TTS Coupé

2009 Audi TTS. Image by Mark Nichol.2009 Audi TTS. Image by Mark Nichol.2009 Audi TTS. Image by Mark Nichol.2009 Audi TTS. Image by Mark Nichol.2009 Audi TTS. Image by Mark Nichol.

2009 Audi TTS. Image by Mark Nichol.2009 Audi TTS. Image by Mark Nichol.2009 Audi TTS. Image by Mark Nichol.2009 Audi TTS. Image by Mark Nichol.2009 Audi TTS. Image by Mark Nichol.



2009 Audi TTS. Image by Mark Nichol.
 

2009 Audi TTS. Image by Mark Nichol.
 

2009 Audi TTS. Image by Mark Nichol.
 

2009 Audi TTS. Image by Mark Nichol.
 

2009 Audi TTS. Image by Mark Nichol.
 

2009 Audi TTS. Image by Mark Nichol.
 

2009 Audi TTS. Image by Mark Nichol.
 

2009 Audi TTS. Image by Mark Nichol.
 






 

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