All-new Audi TT models enhance TT experience

The impressive TT S is scheduled to arrive in New Zealand in the middle of next year.

Audi adds to its rich sporty heritage with stylish TT and TT S coupe

The private track at the exclusive Ascari race resort in Spain is a place the mega-rich holiday, racing their sports cars while non-drivers lounge by the pool at the clubhouse.

The Ronda membership-only venue's track is the longest in Spain and one of the most scenic in the world. Vehicles stored at the track include a Michael Schumacher F1 car, exotic and expensive sports cars - and, for one month, Audi's all-new TT and TT S coupe.

Previewed at the Geneva motor show in March, it's just been launched in Europe with the sports coupe set to take on the likes of BMW's M235i or the Mercedes-Benz CLA 45 AMG.
The TT and TT S have stepped up in the design arena to join German rivals, too. The previous model TT had more rounded looks, but this third generation TT is taking design cues from the company's sporting DNA.

Looks-wise it has strong ties to the Audi R8 sports coupe and uses Matrix headlights technology from the Le Mans-winning cars. The wheelbase has been extended to 2.51m, the overall length is 4.18m with shorter overhangs and, by using a combination of aluminum and composite steel, the new body of the TT is 1230kg, 50kg less than the previous model.

While the international launch in Malaga, Spain, showcased a 2-litre diesel engine plus a six-speed manual transmission, Audi New Zealand is certain of its market and taking only the 2-litre, four-cylinder TFSI petrol engine paired with a six-speed S Tronic transmission.

According to Audi NZ managing director Dean Sheed, the TT and TT S will arrive mid-2015.

The new Audi TT

"TT is a clear example of the Audi DNA - sportiness, high technology and progressiveness in design," said Sheed. Retail pricing "will be around the $100,000 mark for the well-equipped TT S".

In the TT model the engine produces 169kW and 370Nm of torque while the TT S is upscaled to 228kW and 380Nm. You can option up to the quattro all-wheel-drive system in the TT, sitting on 17in tyres. The standard in the top range TT S has 18in tyres or you can upsize to 20in.

Quattro helps produce a more assertive drive, especially with cornering, and once you begin to play with the adaptive drive control, you get a variety of performances from the vehicle.

The Audi TT S

In auto mode, the car does all the work and is ideal for motorway traffic. Dial in comfort for long stretches on the road but select dynamic for a more responsive performance.
To highlight the car's sporty performance, exterior styling is a more angular front and a large double height grille, with the U-shaped LED headlights and a long stripe over the bonnet lip to make an impressive road appearance.

But it's the TT interior that is most revolutionary and looks set to change the interior of sports cars - and is bound to win Audi a trophy cabinet of awards.

Gone is the centre stack with infotainment screen, air con controls etc. Instead the (Multi Media Interface) MMI is in front of the driver in a 12.3in curved display called a virtual cockpit. It's brilliant. Not only does it create a clean cabin without the hassle of a screen plonked on dash but it also works superbly.

You can set the display to suit you with the speedo and rev counter in circles on either side and radio, cellphone or my favourite - a map or navigation - filling the rest of the screen. In classic configuration, the speedo and tachometer are in the foreground, with the infotainment mode (such as the radio setting) in the background.

To add to the car's sports tone , the TT S includes a mode which has the tachometer in the middle of the screen.

You can control the information in the MMI either with steering wheel mounted buttons or a large round joystick in front of the power brake. To use it you can write on the surface of the joystick, push it to accept your instruction, pinch or flick the surface to zoom and expand your view.

The air vents have also had a major makeover, with the five of them resembling aeroplane turbines with the middle housing controls such as heated seats, air con temperature, and fan speed.

On the first day of the launch, we were given the TT 2-litre front-wheel-drive S tronic petrol, with the S-Line interior package, to take for a spin from Marbella to the nearby mountain village of Ojen.

To navigate the roads, I set the cockpit to full screen map, its upcoming directions in the top of the speedo circle, and the time given to destination.

It makes driving foolproof - well almost - as you have a clear view of where you are heading in your eyeline.

An early start on day two not only beat the slow travel up the mountain road to Ronda, but it was also an opportunity to make the most of the time on the Ascari track.

Nabbing the TT 2-litre quattro for the hour-long trip from our Marbella hotel to Ronda, I again experienced the marvellous Matrix headlights I had used in the top end Audi S8 luxury sedan during a New Zealand launch. The Matrix system uses diode lights controlled by an individual unit connected to a camera in the rear view mirror.

In action the Matrix lights are a work of magic; on full, they dim at oncoming traffic, and even kept a deer grazing roadside in darkness.

Image 1 of 8: Audi TT and Audi TT S at the international launch at Ascari in Spain.

Waiting for us on the track at Ascari were the TT S coupes - visually different thanks to the four exhausts, plus aluminum trim around the front grille, an aluminum fuel tank.

We were allowed just five laps each on the main track - more than that and some of my colleagues would probably get too cocky and Audi would need to replace some of its new cars.

With the dynamic control set in auto, the first two laps were behind a pace car that taught us the turning in and braking points, and the apex of each corner.

Lap three was without the pace car, with just cones showing us the desired movements to navigate the track. A shift into dynamic setting for lap four showed the potential of the TT S, with a couple of gnarly corners tamed by the car's sporty response and proactive suspension. By the last lap, it was time to semi turn off traction control and let the TT S flick through the corners and power through a banked straight that let you search for a top speed and try to encourage a rear flick of the coupe.

Bouyed by the fun on the tack in the TT S, we nabbed a six-speed manual (not available in New Zealand) and headed for the hills of nearby Teba.

Away from the fun of the track, with a maximum speed of 90km/h and only a few rural, winding roads to test the quattro system, I started thinking of how the car would perform in everyday life back in New Zealand, and noted a couple of downsides to the TT and TT S.

It may be a 2 + 2 seater but the back seat head space is suitable only for primary school-aged kids.

Legroom for rear passengers is limited even for people of medium height in the front seats - I struggled to fit my handbag behind my seat when driving, and I'm not tall.