Audi TT Coupe quattro > Reviews (11)

Up until leaving my firm this summer, my company car was an Audi TT quattro 225 in Denim Blue. I had it for 18 months and covered 30,000 miles in it. (Note: My TT was an X-reg 2001 model. The latest version has slighty revised and improved handling, so if you're buying new, my comments about handling later on may be less applicable.)

First the good. I don't need to tell you it is gorgeous. If you've seen one you already know it. It has influenced the design of most cars since its release and will go down as a design classic. The front lights, the profile, the squat stance and the interior are what make it special to me.

Inside the car is comfortable for two. I had loads of space in it and I'm 6'0". A 6'3" friend was also amazed by the room. The seats are very comfortable, although not up to the very high standards of the Recaros in an S3 or S4. The heated seats are a complete novelty and there is no use for them in a temperate climate such as ours. Or so I thought before getting the car... When you get back to your car on a winter's day, they are just bliss. I will miss them!! The dash illumination is first rate and the design details goes down to the font face used on the instruments. Even the hub of the needles in the instruments reflect the eight dimples in a circle theme echoed from the gear-lever to the filler cap.

But you can see all this by glancing at one in the street. What's it like to live with?

Good. Very good. Too good. How come? Well, it does most things so well that you just take them for granted. The air-con cleans a misty windscreen in a few seconds. The stereo sounds great (I had the BOSE upgrade, but the standard is good as well). It sticks to the road like glue. The headlights are first class (the 225 comes with self-levelling Xenon as standard). All the controls feel right. There is good storage in the cabin.

And it goes. And then some. The engine is potent and once the turbo winds up from 2500rpm on, there is no stopping the car. The redline comes too soon! But the 6-speed box has a short (if slighty notchy) shift and you're left just in the right place for the next burst of acceleration. The 225/45 tyres get the power down superbly and overtaking manoeuvres can be performed with extreme confidence.

How can I sum up my feelings the most? Other cars, I have looked forward to driving them. I remember with fondness their smell, the feel, the looks. The TT became just a car to me after a few months. It's Alan Shearer when sometimes you want the flair of Paolo di Canio. It's the best cheese on toast in the world, but you sometimes want bruschetta. It was an extremely pleasant car to use and an excellent means of getting around, but it didn't make me smile as often as it should have done.

Don't get me wrong, it is an excellent car. But I don't really miss it.

Here are the negative points I found. The last one (handling) ties in with the sentiments I expressed above and is probably the root of my disappointment.

- The centre console brace can restrict the left leg a little at times.

- The build quality overall was inferior to the A3 I had owned before hand. After 70K miles the A3 had less rattles than the TT after 20K. That said, there were only a couple, one in the seat and one deep in the dash. Most of the time I had the stereo so loud I couldn't hear myself think, let alone a chair squeaking ;-)

- The rear seats are a token gesture. Unless the driver is short, you'll never get two in the back and even then it'll just be kids. They're OK for occasionally transporting two kids, or one adult. No more.

- My biggest gripe: the handling is so neutral that it is difficult to have fun in the car (well, by driving anyway!!). Grip is so abundant that BMW style tailslides are not an option unless you do something crazy. The only time I nearly got into trouble was when I entered a curve way too fast and inertia kept the car going straight until the last split second. 90% of the time, particularly on greasy or dirty roads, this is good. But if you've ever enjoyed a spin in a 3-series, 5-series MX-5 or similar, you'll find this car worrying similar to a Golf to drive. A bloody quick Golf, but you get the picture. Turn in is sharp (although not as sharp as the pre-suspension mod TTs) and roll is minimal, but the fun just isn't there.

Overall, the TT is a fantastic coupe, but is not a true sports car. No-one builds a car like Audi (even with the couple of rattles, the impression was still one of solidity). No car looks as complete as the TT. But the driving experience is a little insipid. The biggest thrills the car gave me were when you pull away juuuust right and the car rockets forward leaving all behind you. When you drop into fourth to overtake on the motorway. But never going round a bend.

If you want to cruise in comfort, safety and style, go for the TT. If you are a driving enthusiast, go for the Impreza WRX or the 330Ci, depending on whether you prefer 4WD or RWD.

PS If you do go for the TT, the Bose stereo upgrade is good, but not really necessary. You'll damage your hearing before the Bose distorts, but the standard stereo is fine. If you like cruising with the windows down and annoying passers-by, then get the Bose :-)

PPS To answer comments below:
- Service intervals are determined by driving style - the car lets you know via the dashboard when it needs a service. Mine didn't need one until 18,000 miles, 70% of which was motorway driving.
- Insurance is, IIRC, group 17. High, but not ridiculous (c.f. Honda S2000, group 20, despite similar performance. Yes, S2000 is .75s quicker 0-60, but the TT needs to change to 3rd to hit 60 - in gear performance is similar). It was included with me as it was a company car, so afraid no idea on quotes.
- Servicing isn't extortionate at Audi dealers and they do a thorough job. But again, I didn't pay it; I just remember noticing the prices and thinking that they might have been higher.
- In my experience, Audi dealers are fine. They always did their best to find me a courtesy car and almost always did the work to schedule.

And they left the motor pretty damn sparkly afterwards too, which is always a bonus. They had a half-decent coffee machine too :-)
- I had no problems of note during my ownership of the car. A few punctures from nails and the like (note - the supplied Michelin PilotSports are about £190 each and can be hard to get hold of) which provides you with the fun of nursing the car home on the spacesaver spare at a max of 50mph. I found it particularly "entertaining" having a juggernaut bear down on me on the inside lane of the M25 whilst I was on the spare wheel, flashing me because I wouldn't go above 50. Because people generally do have fast cars for the sole purpose of dawdling along, don't they... Silly me, I forgot that lorry drivers own the road and we are merely their guests ;-)