Pros :
- Show-car exterior styling.
- Show-car interior styling.
- Excellent build quality.
- Smooth high-tech six-speed automatic tranny.
- Electronic aids to keep you on the road.
Cons :
- Styling not for everyone.
- Tight interior headroom.
- Front-driver trying to steal sales from rear-wheel-drive competitors.
- Used to come with a manual transmission.
- Overpriced and heavy for a small roadster.
Interior :
Press Coverage :
The Audi TT first debuted as a concept back in 1995 and the production version was released as a 2000 model, staying true to the concept in terms of styling. The front-wheel-drive coupe came first, followed by the roadster in 2001. For 2003, the Audi TT receives a new grille, restyled wheels and a standard 6-speed Tiptronic transmission. A manual transmission is not offered at this trim level anymore, but earlier models were available with a 5-speed manual transmission. The 2003 Roadster has an electrically-operated cloth top with glass rear window, but the older models had a manually operated top. Power still comes from the 1.8 L turbocharged four cylinder engine. This front-wheel-drive model is sometimes referred to as the FronTrak model in Audi literature. Electronic driving aids and a rear lip spoiler were added in 2001, along with a suspension revision, after numerous high-speed crashes were reported around Europe due to lift-off oversteer. No such problems exist on the newer models.
The 2003 Audi TT 1.8 T includes the 180 hp engine, ASR all-speed traction control, ABS, 205/55R-16 inch tires and alloy wheels, torsion beam rear axle, and electric top. Standard interior features include automatic climate control, Nappa leather upholstery, power windows with pinch protection, cruise control, power central locking, anti-theft system, intermittent wipers, AM/FM/cassette, information display with outside temperature gauge, and front and side airbags. Options include Xenon headlamps, heated front seats, Bose sound system with 6-disc CD changer, GPS navigation system, hands-free car phone and baseball-stitch leather upholstery.
ModernRacer.com
On sweeping turns, the low-to-the-ground Audi TT can hold good speed and still act like it's glued to the pavement. The car does feel different, though—a full 64 percent of its weight is up front on this front-wheel-drive car, with just 36 percent of the weight in back. So there's a sense of the front reacting quickly. Steering is variable power assist rack and pinion and responds crisply to driver inputs.
Brakes are ready for the autobahn and feel noticeably different to American drivers who perhaps aren't accustomed to immediate stopping power, even with the brake pedal depressed just a bit. An anti-lock brake system is part of the standard package.
Standard tires are sizable 16-inchers, but the test car had optional 17-inch 225/45R performance tires that seemed to bristle under the flared wheel wells. The TT's ride is firm, tightly controlled and there's not a lot of wheel travel. On really bad pavement in this short-wheelbase car, there's some roughness; but most of the time, the ride is both pleasant and sporty. Front suspension is MacPherson strut and the back uses a torsion-beam rear axle. Wind noise is at a minimum, even at highway speeds, and engine tones are surprisingly deep and sporty-sounding for a 4-cylinder.
Front seats are sculpted and quite firm, but they're not that confining because they're not jammed out onto the doorsills. If you really want to stay in your seat, Audi offers a special cloth seat material with tiny, raised rubber dots. The two back seats are for children only, according to Audi. They should be short kids, too, since the sloping roofline takes a toll on back-seat headroom. Still, those seats fold down, providing 24.2 cubic feet of nicely lined luggage room.
The view out of the Audi TT is better than I expected, but the doors do come up high, giving the sense of a compact side view. Prominent on the TT dashboard are machined aluminum parts—many of them carrying the theme of the TT's circular, silver-colored fuel-filler cap with exposed screws that's reminiscent of quick-release caps in racing. Too bad the mod, dual cupholder is positioned so far back in the TT's center console, making it awkward to reach from the front seat. And the fuel door unlock button and trunk unlock button in the forward part of the center console are hard to reach if you have the ashtray open.
Carpoint.com
The presence of the 6-speed 'box is obvious within the first few hundred metres of driving - accelerate away to 70 km/h and the tranny is busy making five gearchanges before settling in top gear. Even so, the rate of acceleration is very smooth and lurch-free - testament to a lot of R&D. Of course, the primary reason for having so many gears is to keep the engine running on-song in its optimal rev range; certainly, the TT's 1.8-litre motor provides a strong punch whenever it is asked.
Like all Audi TTs, the Tiptronic Roadster is powered by a 1.8-litre, DOHC, 20-valve transverse four with a single turbocharger and air-to-air intercooler. Using Motronic management, an electronically controlled throttle, hydraulic tappets and a 9.5:1 static compression ratio, the little slugger is rated at 180 hp at 5500 rpm and 173 lb-ft spread from just 1950 to 5000 rpm. It is no wonder the TT is so responsive to accelerator prods through traffic - it always has the torque on-hand to zip you past that lane-blocking taxi. But the engine is not perfect. Unlike a larger capacity atmo engine (and despite having electronic throttle control) there isn't razor sharp throttle response backed by instant torque - it's more a case of good initial tractability, a pause, then a solid plateau of torque. It seems that the turbocharger used on the 180 hp TT engine is quite small - it can be faintly heard spooling up from barely 1500 rpm, but torque drops off toward the 6600 rpm redline. This isn't such a problem, though, because you can use any of the six available gear ratios to keep the engine spinning between 2000 and 6000 rpm for optimum performance.
While the TT can be regarded as something of an automotive 'toy' it tips the scale quite seriously at 1380 kilograms. As a result - despite having a strong spread of torque and a great trannie - the TT Tiptronic struggles to give performance any more than "brisk". Premium unleaded fuel is required to keep the turbomotor happy.
The fact that the whole 225 hp caboodle is available only in the quattro model points to the limitations of the more basic front-wheel-drive TT chassis. This shortcoming is barely apparent in the Tiptronic Roadster, though. The engine serving is channelled through the front wheels quite proficiently with just a moment of wheelspin off the line when launched hard on a dry road - the standard electronic diff lock does its thing quite effectively.
Poised on front MacPherson struts with lower wishbones and rear torsion beam suspension, the Tiptronic Roadster negotiates tight corners with relative ease. So long as the ESP (Electronic Stabilisation Program) remains active, there are no problems with power understeer or lift-off oversteer. The absolute level of grip provided by the 205/55 Michelin Pilots - mounted on 16-inch cast alloy wheels - is well up to expectation. What really surprised us was the total lack of suspension harshness. The TT Roadster Tiptronic's ride is remarkably supple for a sports convertible and at absolutely no time does it crash or thump over sharp irregularities. There is also very minimal scuttle shake - Audi's extensive body bracing certainly does the trick.
When you're exploiting the car's open-road handling the Tiptronic transmission can be bumped over to its sequential sports mode to provide greater driver control. There is also a pair of up/down gear selector buttons on the steering wheel, but we found these a little fiddly to operate when you're concentrating on other things. Audi has got the power assisted rack-and-pinion steering set-up about spot-on for this sort of car. There's enough indirectness at straight-ahead to wave to pedestrians out the top without running up a gutter, yet you rarely find yourself correcting steering angles through bends. The ABS and EBD controlled ventilated front and solid rear disc brakes perform strongly and consistently. The brake assist function also aids in emergency braking situations.
Autoweb.com.au
History:
2000-2002 Audi TT
1,781 cc / 180 hp / 173 lb-ft / 2921-3131 lbs / 0-60 mph 7.6 sec.
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