machines mean there now seems to
b e a ple a s a nt de g r e e of c h at t i ne s s
through the thick rim of its wheel.
Nor do I remember the shift action
of the six-speed manual being so
slick and accurate, the TT being one
of those cars that encourages you
to change gear even when you don’t
r e a l l y ne e d t o. I n t e r m s of r aw pa c e ,
it ’s s t i l l mor e t h a n f a s t e nou g h t o
k e e p t he mo de r n T T hone s t.
Our Mk3 comes from the bottom
of the range, a front-wheel-drive
19 4bhp 2 .0 -l it r e , i nt e nde d t o pr ov ide
context rather than thrills. Yet I’m
s o on ple a s e d t h at A ud i s e nt it r at he r
t h a n one of it s mor e p ot e nt mo de l s ,
because it shows how the TT has
matured over the years. Sitting on the
Volkswagen Group’s ubiquitous MQB
platform means the current car is
t aut e r a nd i s muc h mor e r e f i ne d , w it h
a keener front end and markedly less
roll. It feels bigger and more grown-
up, simply because it is – a point
m a de b y a g l a nc e i nt o t he ba c kand at the almost-usable rear seats.
But despite a dual-clutch gearbox
in place of the tactile challenge of a
manual, there’s still a pleasure to be
had in driving at everyday pace; it’s
not always goading you to go faster.
There’s lots of intelligence in the
third-generation TT, too, unlike the
l a c k lu s t r e M k 2 (s e e b ox , le f t). It w a s
never going to have the impact of
the original and it didn’t try to be a
tribute act for its famous predecessor
- rather clever in its own right. I
still like the idea of its decluttered
interior, where the only screen is the
digital instrument display behind the
steering wheel and there’s no glaring
distraction on top of the dashboard.
It’s a handsome, desirable car.
It ’s a l s o a r e m i nde r t h at t he b ot t om
of the range has always made more
sense than the top. There have been
f a s t e r T Ts , a nd s ome of t he m h av e
been pretty good, but they’ve always
served to emphasise how far Audi’s
natively front-driven coupé is frombeing a purpose-built sports car.
Spiritually, the TT is closer to a hot
hatch, one that offers desirability and
modest excitement at an affordable
pr ic e. A s s uc h , it ’s a l mo s t a l at t e r- d ay
Ford Capri – and yes, that is intended
to be a compliment. If Audi does
replace it with something, whether
t h at ’s a n E V or a c r e at ion e v e n
more radical, that new car will
have a mighty challenge to match
its rational-emotional appeal. L
AUDI TT vs AUDI TT COMPARISON
8 APRIL 2 020 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 47
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It’s still more than fast enough
to keep the modern TT honest
a
Unique cockpit
layout still seems
an excellent idea