What is it?

A budget sports car with a luxury badge. The Audi TT coupe has become an iconic car in its relatively short life span with its chic looks and light on pocket price tag. The critics, however, haven’t been too kind to its all show no go approach. The TT packed all the troubles of a sports car with harsh ride, low ground clearance and lack of space, yet it didn’t offer the kind of performance one expects to compensate for the pain.

In its third generation then, Audi aims at setting things right. Even in its most basic form, the new TT gets more power and better technology and that should ideally translate into more fun. So our day spent with the new one was to find out if Audi has succeeded.

To start with the appearance, the TT coupe now looks aggressive. The proportions are almost the same as before and so is the basic design, but the face is meaner with sharp edges for the headlamps that now use a hi-tech matrix beam. These look modern and stylish, provide better illumination, detect the traffic moment to alter the intensity, switch to low beam when needed and also double up as active cornering lamps. The hexagonal grille and the massive air intakes add to the TT’s street presence.

And then there is the shape of the sports car, two doors with a sloping roof line. Half the battle is won by the fact that there are so few of its kind on the Indian roads and the TT very much looks the part with all the snob value. Even the rear profile is exquisite; the tail lamp console is angular like the front and the lights glow from end to end under braking.

How is it on the inside?

Top-class. The cabin is very well thought of; firstly the layout is refreshing and unlike any of the Audi sedans and SUVs in that price range and then the quality and gadgetry is also unparalleled. The dark brown leather upholstery is both luxurious and sporty. The seats are sports buckets with metal casing that offer lateral bolstering for a proper snug fit. The dashboard is black with brushed aluminium inserts to and continue with the sporty theme. The propeller-shaped AC vents look neat and they themselves house all the necessary controls; the smaller dials unit in the centre of the vents control fan speed and temperature while the entire vent rotates to control the direction of the flow.

Audi has done away with the LCD display unit on the dashboard for a TFT screen for the instrument cluster, which is called the virtual cockpit. Apart from the standard information, this acts as an interface for the MMI displaying everything from audio files to maps. It takes a while getting used to, but looks super impressive.

There is a second row of seats, but Audi categorically warns the users to be careful due to the lack of headroom. There is no leg room either and the best way of using this space is to tumble down the seats for extra boot space. The boot in itself isn’t large either at 280 litres, but this is basically a two-seater and the space there should be sufficient. The TT coupe gets all the necessary features like the navigation, eight-way adjustable power seats, proximity sensors, ESP, ABS EBD, electronic mirrors and six airbags.

Apart from the space at the back and in the boot, the TT isn’t lagging in any aspect as far as interior is concerned. Then again, space is never a virtue of sports cars, what they need to do is make the owner feel special and that the TT manages that pretty well.

How does it drive?

The model that has been launched in India is the base version in terms of power output. It uses the 2.0-litre turbocharged engine producing 227bhp and 370Nm of torque. The TT does not have a whole lot of power for a sports car, but the way it is delivered through the Quattro all-wheel drive system, it seems sufficient.

The TT coupe is quick off the line getting to 100kmph in less than six seconds (5.8 seconds to be precise) on the way to the electronically limited top-speed of 250kmph. The six-speed dual-clutch S-Tronic gearbox works pretty well most of the time and the new Quattro system is more intelligent than before. It changes the torque bias from front to rear depending upon the driving mode, eliminating the understeer and making it more nimble. While the performance seems adequate to put a big smile on your face, I would have preferred some more grunt considering the sports car tag. Its rivals like the BMW Z4 and the Porsche Cayman offer a bit more.

Handling is brilliant, the TT tackles the corners with ease. The steering is precise and requires just two turns lock-to-lock, quick direction changes are easy and the grip levels with the 245 / 40 R18 Bridgestone Potenza tyres is pretty solid. The braking is phenomenal as well, there is initial bite, progression and plenty of stopping power with proper feedback. The handling prowess makes up for the limited power to a large extent and what makes the whole deal more sensible is the practicality. The ground clearance is sufficient, the TT goes over all sorts of speed humps (even the extra large ones that I have in Dombivli), till the time you are careful. Also the ride quality may be firm, but still largely tolerable and way better than what we expect from such cars.

The performance of the TT is of sports car sorts without any of their drawbacks. Agreed Audi could have brought the more powerful version, but even this will be a lot of fun on the race tracks and on the twisty roads and yet offer fuss-free drive rest of the time.

Why should I buy one?

The Audi TT is a perfect stepping stone to the world of sports cars. The things that matter the most are dished out in limited portions – the performance is just about good enough and so the ride quality. It is very easy to live with the TT coupe and for a price tag of Rs 60.34 lakh (ex-showroom) it is also pretty affordable.

In comparison with the previous model, the TT has improved in leaps and bounds. It still has the looks that made the original a style icon, but now has performance to go with it.

Where does it fit in?

The Audi TT coupe is almost Rs 10 lakh cheaper than the BMW Z4 and another Rs 20 lakh than the Porsche Cayman. It also helps that one does not have to spend time choosing the variants, there is only one, 45 TFSI, and that comes with all the bells and whistles.

Photography: Kapil Angane