The Auto Channel-Sports Car International Magazine

Teutonic Trophy
2000 Audi TT - back

From the show floor to the showroom, Audi's TT is full of style and innovation, but enthusiasts should stick to the quattro version.

When I saw the Audi TT concept car last year, I was not convinced. In fact, I thought it was ugly enough to be called kubelwagen. The production version, however, is gorgeous and is the only car I can recall which has turned out better than the concept car from which it was derived. Where the production Mercedes SLK and Porsche Boxster lost many of the wonderful details of their show car inspirations, the Audi team has had the strength of conviction to see their concept through to the end. And improve upon it. Or perhaps they just designed it with production in mind from the start.

One of the things I did not like about the Audi TT show car was its thick rear C-pillars. The ratio of metal to glass simply overemphasized the high waistline and low roof, and, in the process, failed to articulate the shape of the roof and cabin properly. The thinner rear pillars and larger rear window of the production TT have not only brought about a dramatic improvement in interior light and visibility for occupants, but have also strengthened the form of the roof panel itself. This now appears as a light "cap" rather than a heavy "hat." Even that "cap" will be hung up when the cabriolet version joins the range. Audi says that this version will likely enter the US market alongside or just behind the coupe. The trick on that version will be to make a folding top that does not look like an umbrella!

The TT is the bearer of a very pure and simple body form and some staggeringly clever details. Some expensive ones too, if the designers' explanation of the laser-brazed weld between the C-pillar and waist is anything to go by. This ensures a sharp and neat line and gives the impression the C-pillar and rear wing are cast from one complex stamping. Laser brazing is a pioneering process in the motor industry and shows how much emphasis Audi placed on getting this car absolutely right. The angels certainly are in the details.

Already pleased with my first acquaintance with the exterior, I positively beamed when I looked into the TT's cabin. The circular theme has been played to the hilt and real aluminum has been used where things appear to be aluminum, like around the air vents, center console braces, radio cover flap and the details around the door pulls. Apparently part of the design brief stated that if something looked like a particular material, then it should be made from that material.

The Recaro seats, complete with built-in side airbags, hold you in place with support and comfort. With the rake-adjustable steering wheel, most people should be able to find a good driving position. The TT's rear seats are only for small children or short adults, as a line from the Audi press materials clearly implied. "People over five feet in height should not sit in the back seat," it said. And when you open the hatch, a sticker on the inside advises rear seat passengers to duck when you close it!

There are three models in the TT range, all of which use the same basic 1.8-liter, 20-valve turbocharged four-cylinder motor first seen in the 150 hp A4 1.8T. In the Audi TT, named after the famous Isle of Man Tourist Trophy races, this engine has been further developed to give 180 hp in the front-drive entry-level version. All-wheel-drive versions, bearing the quattro badge, also use this engine or a 225 hp uprated version which takes the TT closer to junior league supercar performance. US buyers will only be offered the front-wheel-drive model upon the TT's introduction in late spring of '99. The 180 hp quattro will follow a few months later, with the 225 hp version arriving in the spring of 2000.

Making the jump from 180 hp to 225 hp comes from some fairly basic engineering tweeks. As lowering the charge air temperature is the secret to extracting more power from a forced aspirated engine, Audi has added a second intercooler to the system. And here is where a clever piece of lateral thinking comes into play. The pipe that connects to the first intercooler on the passenger's side of a left-hand-drive car is actually a tubular chassis member bolted across the front chassis rails to further stiffen the front structure. In the 180 hp version, which has just one intercooler, this pipe is welded shut at both ends and plays no part in the proceedings.

Over and above that, a different ECU program alters the fueling and ignition curves to make full use of the denser charge. As has been seen from aftermarket work on the A3 and A4 engines, up to 300 hp can be reliably extracted from this basic engine. It will be interesting to see what the tuners will be able to do with the TT quattro.

They certainly would be ill advised to extract any more power from the fwd 180 hp version. On our test route in a hilly part of Italy, I was less than impressed with this entry-level model. With torque steer under power in the lower gears and the ASR (traction control) light flashing on every other corner, even though I was not pushing the car more than eight tenths, the messages through the helm were not encouraging And although steering input into bends was met with good response, the seat of my pants told me that the rear axle' was trailing its forward counterpart by a noticeable split second. In truth, this car felt like a late '80s front-drive chassis and is totally outclassed by the A4 arid A6 models.

So why has Audi taken a giant leap backwards with this overtly sporty car? The chassis engineer looked worried as I explained my criticisms at the dinner table.

And then he explained that for packaging reasons, Audi had replaced the torque steer-taming multi-link system used on the A4, A6 and A8 with a MacPherson strut set-up. The inherent geometry of this system tends to magnify any reactions at the hubs and road, hence the lack of traction on bumpy bends, strong power understeer in tight corners and unpleasant torque steer histrionics.

The counterpoint is the staggering ability of the quattro chassis. Although it too uses the same MacPherson struts in the front, removing half its workload turns it into the sharpest tool in the box. With front and rear elastokinematics perfectly matched, the quattro turns in like an eagle swooping on its prey. Brake for a bend, take the line, mash the throttle and the corner is history, with minimal understeer. In the TT quattro, you always think you could have gone through that last bend a little bit harder. In fact, the TT quattro's cornering prowess is such that, like with quattros past, it is capable of taking far more power. With wider rubber and lowered suspension, tuned TT quattros should handle over 300 hp with ease.

When you do actually find the limit, you are more likely to leave the road nose first than backwards. I was told later that one over-enthusiastic journalist turned his steering wheel faster than the front wheels could respond and encountered the condition known as terminal understeer. Luckily, he didn't hit anything, but it just goes to show that even a car with the redoubtable quattro badge can't change the laws of physics!

Through all this enthusiastic hard charging, the one thing that stood out as a strength consistent to both 180 hp and 225 hp cars was the fine ride/handling compromise struck by Audi's engineers. Here is a car that is taut and relatively roll free, that in quattro form sticks to the tarmac like a supercar, yet also rides like a very well sorted sports sedan. That is quite an achievement for a car of this class.

Then again, is it actually fair to say the Audi TT has any class rivals? After all, its unique styling may not appeal to would be owners of more traditional looking beauties, such as the Pininfarina-designed Peugeot 406 Coupe, Mercedes CLK or the forthcoming redesigned BMW 3 Series coupe.

More likely, the TT will find its true opposition in the likes of equally daring but not quite as innovative designs like the Alfa Romeo GTV 3.0 and Fiat Coupe Turbo. All three appeal to buyers who shun the mainstream, who appreciate details as much as form, and who wish to make a bold statement of individuality with what they drive. An advantage of the Audi, despite its highly rounded packaging, is that it succeeds in beating these almost equally unconventionally styled cars in both versatility and load space. Its hatchback design and folding rear seats knock the Alfa, in particular, into a cocked hat.

And where a hatchback normally suffers structurally from having a big hole punched in its back, the Audi is particularly impressive. The engineers claim a static torsional stiffness of 19,000Nm/degree of twist. By comparison, the Porsche 911 Carrera and BMW Z3 coupe only claim 16,500 and 16,400Nm/degree, respectively, and they were the previous leaders in the coupe world.

The more I look at the Audi TT, the more I like it. It is a breath of fresh air in coupe design, in an era when even beautiful cars have become too predictable. The TT is neither particularly pretty nor ugly. Its chunky, rounded looks are controversial - either you like it or you don't. But like all strong design statements, you can't ignore it. What has to be admired, though, is its purity of form and the execution of its details. Beyond that, it is lovingly screwed together and, in quattro form at least, a staggeringly accomplished drive. The three young Italian men who got off their scooter to look at the TT summed it up in two words: "Bella machina!"

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