Audi TT 2.0 TFSi Quattro

What is it that they say about the rain in Spain staying only in the plains? We’re in Mallorca, the sunny isles where the likes of easy Jet and Ryan air spit out planeloads of Brits desperate for clear skies and a tan. it’s also a haven for cyclists, the roads snaking up the mountainside, on the right the cliffs kissing the ocean delivering a view so spectacular your breath is violently taken away. it’s one of the best driving roads in the world, and i’d be hard pressed to recommend a better place to drive a car like the new Audi tt, particularly with the top down. except the temperatures are nudging zero and the wipers are fighting… of all things… snow!

Good thing the roof goes up even at 50kmph. even better, we’re driving the quattro. Our day actually started off in the 310bhp tt RS, but half an hour later we found ourselves at the lunch stop, where somebody faster with a fork and knife swiped the keys from under our nose. Lesson learnt. We settle for the 2.0-litre 227bhp turbo-charged petrol engine with the S tronic 6-speed  gearbox that, over wet roads, is quite enough.

First impressions: the TT looks rather fetching. Lined up against its predecessors it looks more evolution than revolution (it is almost the same length but with a longer wheelbase), but the original tt was such a path-breaking design to start with that i find it hard to find fault. it doesn’t fall into the trap of looking retro though. the smooth curviness of the original has been replaced by sharp technical lines and intricate detailing in the optics that is very Vorsprung durch technik.

It’s on the inside that the technik-ness is even more prominent, the biggest party trick being the Virtual Cockpit. Gone are the speedo and tacho dials, replaced with one big high-resolution screen. and because it is now a screen, everything can be customised. So you can have your regular two-dial set-up with the nav display in the centre, or you can have the navigation stretch from edge to edge (all of 12.3 inches), with small speedo and tacho dials. Looks brilliant even makes the new S-Class’s two-screen business look so last year though the passenger might feel a little disconnected as there’s no screen; nothing to fiddle around with.

If you have a fetish for such things, you will also love the air-con controls whose centres not only incorporate displays but can be pressed and twirled to adjust things like temperature, blower speed,  seat heater setting and the neck warmers. it’s all very impressive, if i’m being honest.

The turbo-petrol is a familiar motor and gets the tt to 100kmph in a quickish 5.6 seconds, and has a very strong bottom end to fire out of the numerous hairpins. there’s not enough to get the tail unstuck but that will never, ever be in the nature of the tt, after the original hit the headlines for an alarming propensity for lift-off oversteer (cured by the lip spoiler on the bootlid).

The engine that i found most interesting, from an indian perspective, is the 2.0-litre diesel in the Ultra Sport model. it gets to 100kmph in 7.3 seconds and is mated to front-wheel-drive, but that’s hardly going to be a cause for concern cause this will be the first diesel sports car when it comes to india in a few months.

As with all audis these days, the tt gets Drive Select to adjust the dynamic behaviour of the car. and as with all audis, it works best with everything in Dynamic and the suspension set in Comfort. thus configured the tt breathes over bumps, the slight increase in roll makes it feel more natural while barrelling into corners, and there’s more feedback from the car. the suspension compliance is actually rather impressive and that, again, should bode very well for the rough and tumble of indian roads.

So what do i make of the tt? i’ve always loved the shape and the new one gets rid of the feminine undertones with sharper, more technical detailing. the interior, particularly the cockpit, moves the goalposts on this score. and the option of a diesel engine could  make it a game changer. Best of all there’s now genuine fun to be had in steering the TT.

Specification
Engine / inline 4-cyl, 1984cc, turbo-petrol
Transmission / 6-speed S tronic
Power / 227bhp @ 4500-6200rpm
Torque / 370Nm @ 1600-4300rpm
Weight / 1350kg
0-100kmph / 5.6sec (claimed)
Top speed / 250kmph (claimed)