Audi TT coupe acts playful in a new format of automotive art
Bob Plunkett
Date Posted: 5/10/2005
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NEW BRAUNFELS, Tex. -- A run down the River Road, which matches every serpentine kink in the Guadalupe River as it slithers southward toward New Braunfels through the hills of Texas, quickly demonstrates that the slinky new sports coupe from Audi -- the TT -- loves to conquer curves.
Push the stainless steel throttle pedal further toward the floor and a modest four-cylinder engine, enhanced by turbo-charging, hurls this little car too fast into the face of a broadly sweeping bend. All of the rules of prudent driving and laws of physics suggest a slower speed for curves like this, yet two oversized performance tires bite steadfastly and maintain their grip as torque flows to the front wheels, which pull our package through the bend without a hitch or slip.
On the exit you get the feeling this thing could have taken that curve even faster and still remained rooted.
It's obviously playful, and in the hands of a skillful driver allows a creative expression of kinetic movement in linear form which can be both exhilarating and satisfying.
But this new car is more than fun to drive: It's a virtual work of automotive art.
Boldly styled in a low-slung roly-poly package with the curvaceous skin stretched tautly over exaggerated wheels, the TT draws and delights the eye with the nuance of geometric shapes organized in a theme of circles.
In profile, the form with those extravagant wheel arches looks vaguely like a squashed and stretched version of the Volkswagen Beetle, which shares the platform of the TT along with the VW Golf and an Audi A3 sold in Europe -- sort of a "Honey, I stepped on the Beetle" look.
Then too, with an eye on the historical perspective for German automaker Audi and its Auto Union predecessor, the overall shape of the TT -- particularly that rounded and stubby prow -- evokes a distant image of Auto Union racers like the Type C from the 1930s.
The name has historical ties too, as the twin initials represent the legendary Tourist Trophy, a race for motorcycles and touring cars conducted on the Isle of Man from 1905 to 1922. In 1967, a sporty version of the Prinz compact car by NSU (which later merged into the Audi union) carried the TT name to commemorate the Tourist Trophy.
Still, the design of TT remains unique to Audi in a new expression of what a contemporary car can be.
It's remarkably similar to the TT concept which appeared at the 1995 German Auto Show in Frankfurt, modified only faintly with a thinner form for the C pillar, a subtle grille pattern up front and taillights in revised position.
Inside, the TT's cockpit turns into a creative exercise of form following function with an innovative design that extends the exterior theme of circles. Machined aluminum rings dotted by eight circular indentions simulating screw marks show up in multiple locations, such as a clamp for the stick shifter's leather boot, for four vents across the dash and at the steering wheel's hub. Also, the silvery metallic theme continues with metal bezels ringing analog gauges in the instrument panel and dash control buttons, plus an aluminum cover over the face of audio controls and the perforated stainless steel foot pedals studded in rubber.
The layout pits two front bucket seats between a console defined by twin leather-padded sport struts tied from dash to console to floor, followed by two miniature jump seats which fold down to boost rear space for cargo.
Audi's new coupe bears a worldly heritage. The design came from an American, Freeman Thomas, working in California at the VW-Audi design studio in Simi Valley. Then production designs were developed in Germany at Ingolstadt, where the body of TT is built and painted, but the engine comes out of Hungary, where final assembly occurs at a new Audi plant in Gyor.
Production capacity for variations of the TT extends to 50,000 units annually, which will include both the current coupe and a projected convertible roadster edition that will not reach the United States until next year.
Initial imports for America will be limited to the TT tested recently in the Texas hills with a front-wheel-drive format and a 1.8-liter turbo four rated at 180 hp and mated to a five-speed manual transmission. This TT precedes a four-wheel-drive edition -- called quattro in Audi's lingo -- and an optional four-speed automatic transmission, plus a muscular rendition with sequential inter-coolers added to boost engine output to 225 hp.
The front-wheel-drive TT with 180 hp engine and manual shifter tallies to $30,500 and contains a load of standard equipment like foglamps, automatic climate system, a leather-wrapped steering wheel that tilts and telescopes, power windows with one-touch up and down controls, an 80-watt sound system with eight speakers, plus power mirrors with heat element added, and 16-inch cast aluminum wheels with 205/55R16Z performance tires.
&&& Optional equipment ranges from a performance package with Xenon headlamps and 17-inch six-spoke cast alloy wheels with 225/45R17Z performance tires to a comfort package that adds heated front seats with individual temperature controls plus a driver information display with six-function trip computer, and an audio package with 175-watt Bose premium sound system and six-disc CD changer. Valcona leather seat upholstery and a hands-free cellular telephone are also available optionally.
Organization of TT begins with the floor pan shared by the Beetle, Golf and A3, but this interpretation has unique structural bracing for stiffness and an exclusive suspension with aluminum components.
The scheme for TT's independent suspension uses MacPherson struts in front and a rear track-correcting torsion beam axle.
&&& Steering, a new rack and pinion arrangement with variable power assistance, reacts quickly in linear fashion with a responsive on-center feel. A tight turning radius allows a driver to whip the TT through traffic or cut a quick U-turn in a parking lot when desired.
&&& Brakes, with a disc at each wheel, connect to anti-lock and traction control devices.
&&& Safety components include frontal air bags for front riders plus side bags designed to protect both the head and thorax, pretensioners for the three-point front seat belts, and central locking for doors.
Power from the engine -- a long stroke design with dual overhead cams and five valves per cylinder -- flows freely to motivate the TT, with only a faint hint of turbo lag. It has a sophisticated Motronic engine management system with accelerator linked to engine not by the traditional wire cable but electronically.
Test show the TT runs from zero to 60 mph in 7.4 seconds and can achieve a top speed of 130 mph.
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| 2000 AUDI TT VEHICLE SPECIFICATIONS |
| Description: |
Minicompact 2+2 coupe
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| Model Options: |
Minicompact 2+2 coupe
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| Wheelbase: |
95.4 inches
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| Overall Length: |
159.1 inches
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| Engine Size: |
DOHC 1.8-L I4 TC
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| Transmission: |
Manual/5
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| Drive: |
Front
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| Braking: |
Power 4-disc/ABS/TCS
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| Airbags: |
2 (front) + 2 (side)
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| Gas Mileage: |
31/22 mpg
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| MSRP Price: |
$ 30,500 to $ 33,925 |
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