How do the Germans update an icon? Gradually, of course. Although it hasn’t quite achieved the level of, say, Porsche’s 911 or the VW Beetle, the Audi TT is a design icon nonetheless—just a bit younger. As a style-first, sport-infused incarnation of the Audi A3/VW GTI platform, the TT would be no more remarkable if not for its rounded overhang areas, Bauhaus-inspired geometry, and chopped roofline.
Although the TT dons fresh duds for 2011, none of its essential characteristics change. Heck, nothing changes much at all. What has changed are the headlamps of base TT 2.0 TFSI coupes and roadsters, which now adopt the winged-detail, LED-underscored headlamps first seen on the more potent TTS model, which was introduced last year. The lower air intakes have become more squared-off and three-dimensional in form, but the single-frame grille remains, albeit with glossy horizontal vanes. Out back is a new rear valance with two round exhaust tips but little else we haven’t seen before. Minor changes of even less note have been made inside the TT—just some new aluminum trim on the steering wheel and center console and a few piano-black pieces elsewhere. What you can’t see is the fact that the sport button will now modify both the steering assist and exhaust note for a meatier feel and sound.
TTS Torque For All
Under the skin, the TT 2.0 TFSI now comes with a zestier turbocharged 2.0-liter four-banger with 211 hp (up from 201) and a very potent 258 lb-ft of torque (up from 207), mated exclusively to Audi’s S tronic dual-clutch automated manual and Quattro all-wheel-drive system. Gone are the front-wheel-drive TT and the manual transmission. We have high hopes for the base TT, which arrives in the first quarter of 2011. A TT 2.0T Quattro coupe we tested last year hit 60 mph in a surprisingly swift 5.7 seconds. And we expect that, with the 25-percent bump in torque, the 2011 will be even quicker.
Should the TT 2.0 TFSI get a lot quicker, it may become harder for Audi to charge a chunky premium for the impressive but pricey TTS (base price: $46,725), which has a big 265 hp but the same 258 lb-ft of torque as the new 2.0 TFSI. At 4.8 seconds to 60 mph, the TTS currently has an advantage of nearly a second over the base car. The TTS reserves performance brakes for itself, although its standard magnetorheological shocks will be optional on the base TT in 2011. And when the 2011 TTS arrives this fall, it likely will retain its advantage in the curb-appeal department thanks to some additional chrome trim in the outboard intakes and grille, and its sexy 18-inch wheels.
Sadly, the best TT, the hi-po TT RS, is still not planned for the U.S. market, in spite of our most ardent implores. With its chunky-chic aero mods, slammed suspension, and 340-hp turbocharged five-cylinder, it could help boost the TT’s standing within the hard-core sports-car set. But alas, we wait still—and likely will keep waiting until the economy makes some marked improvements.
While the TT always has been and likely will always remain based on wide, sturdy passenger-car (vs. low-slung sports-car) architecture, with each evolution, it becomes ever more credible as a sports car. We’re not sure its corporate cousin, the Porsche Boxster, has much to worry about at track days, but the TT’s 2011 changes, in concert with its carry-over combination of comfort, efficiency, and style, ought to boost the little Audi’s appeal even further.
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