MOTOR magazine Past Blast
Audi TT
Words: David Morley
Captain Audi
Motor shows come and go (take it from us) but the traffic-stoppers that they throw up tend to stick with you. Who will ever forget Holden whipping the drapes off its Monaro concept a few years back? Or the reborn Torana? And if you were at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 1995, you'll no doubt remember the stir caused by the Audi stand that year. Specifically, the concept car that had people falling over themselves for a closer look -- the Audi TT.
The TT was one of the earlier attempts at playing the retro card, with its styling vaguely reminiscent of the fabulous Auto Union racecars of the 1930s. But unlike many others, Audi didn't paint itself into a corner with the styling or packaging, proof of which comes in the
form of the all-new TT that's now doing the business in showrooms.
But that's not to say the company went soft on the idea in the transition from show concept to production reality. See, in the three-year gestation until the first production TT was grunted out of Audi's werks, the TT retained the big wow-factor that had made it such a star
back in '95.
And whaddayaknow? By the first half of 1999, the thing was on sale here, too. That means that the oldest of them have just blown out eight candles. So, they're well and truly out of warranty and starting to hit the used-car market in meaningful numbers and at prices we mere mugs might be able to afford.
Here's what to look for. The first batch of TTs was made up of front-wheel-drive-only models, although an all-wheel-drive version followed a few months later. But those very first cars used a version of the Audi 1.8-litre four banger we'd previously seen in the A4 Turbo.
Thankfully it wasn't the pleasant but puny 110kW version, but the 132kW variant which, with a little more turbo boost, made more of the engine's inherent brilliance and its ability to bash the redline like Itchy clobbering Scratchy. Torque was 235Nm but the reality was that you still had to rev the bugger pretty hard.
Thankfully, that was anything but a hardship and whapping any Audi fitted with this engine up through the gears remains one of motoring's more pleasant tasks. A five-speed manual was the only gearbox on offer initially and though a six-speed tiptronic unit came later, the manual is the one to go for since it makes rev extraction more effective.
Maybe you've heard the rumours about early TTs falling over in fast corners? It happened a handful of times and enough people were injured for Audi to eventually decide that retrofitting a rear spoiler and ESP might be the smart way to go.
You want to know my theory? I don't reckon the problem was much to do with suspension settings or aero. My hunch is that the throttle-by-wire system was the culprit, as anybody who has ever dabbed the brake pedal with the left foot while entering a sweeper (like the one at Winton) will tell you. Essentially, the car's brain detects that the brake pedal is being pressed and figures (with that unshakeable German logic) that if the driver is attempting to slow the vehicle, he or she can't possibly want the throttle applied at the same time. So it cuts the power. Bloody.
So ESP is only masking the problem. What makes me even darker is that it's only a software thing and had I paid attention at school, I might be able to hack in and fix it. Or not.
In any case, those of you of a more sporting disposition will probably opt for the all-wheel-drive version anyway (which still gets the dopey throttle-by-wire).
The TT Quattro of a few months later not only got the extra diff and driveshafts, it also solved the falling-down dramas. Along the way, it also scored a major power boost over the front-driver.
From the same basic, 1.8-litre mill, Audi squeezed out 165kW and 280Nm which not only overcame the extra mass and mechanical drag of the Quattro gear, but also gave the TT some real fangs.
Oddly enough, driveability didn't suffer and the power didn't seem to be stacked any higher up the tacho. There simply seemed to be more meat pretty much everywhere. There was still some off-idle lag going from cruise to kill, but it's not the worst we've driven by far.
So the TT had dynamics and style stitched up, and that continued inside the cabin. The funkiness was too much, dahlings, and everything from the circular themes to the high-tech finishes and the Bauhaus-meets-Lego feel was great.
The only glitch for taller dudes was the bashed-over roofline, and the opposite problem of the high waistline for shorties. Some may find the small glass area and dark trim colours a touch depressing too, which figures because TTs appealed to Goths in the first place.
Perhaps tragically, they also appealed to estate agents, telemarketers and minor celebrities of all persuasions. On the upside, such buyers' cars nearly always fall into the under-driven, over-serviced category.
Quattros need a bit of a closer look, because there's so much going on underneath and they tend to be the hardest-driven. Having said that, not much seems to go wrong with TTs.
Uneven tyre wear, or a feathered tread on one side of the tyre could mean anything from a twisted body to a former owner who kerb-parked by braille. Kerbed alloys are another problem, especially on cars that have done enough miles to have had their original hoops replaced (not all tyres have the same degree of rim protection).
Watch out for dodgily repaired crash damage but since we've never heard of an uninsured TT, even that's a bit of a long shot.
FAST FACTS
Audi TT
BODY two-door coupe
DRIVE all-wheel
ENGINE 1.8-litre turbocharged 20-valve in-line four
POWER 165kW @ 5900rpm
TORQUE 280Nm @ 2200rpm
KERB WEIGHT 1395kg
WEIGHT/POWER 8.45kg/kW
TRANSMISSION five-speed manual
SUSPENSION MacPherson strut, coil springs, anti-roll bar (f); double wishbones with coil springs, anti-roll bar (r)
LENGTH/WIDTH/HEIGHT
4041/1860/1345mm
WHEELBASE 2429mm
BRAKES ventilated 312mm discs (f); 256mm discs (r)
WHEELS 17 x 7.5-inch alloy
TYRES Michelin Pilot SX 225/45 ZR17
FUEL 62 litres
PRICE $86,000 (Dec 1999)
EMMACHIZZIT?
The TT's initial showroom pull and subsequent good performance has ensured that they're still worth a decent dollar. Early front-drivers are around the low-30K mark while a Quattro is closer to mid-30s for a '99 model. There are two ways to approach this: either the extra ability of the Quattro is cheap for a few grand, or since the TT was never a true sports car in the first place, why not buy the cheaper
version that still delivers all the showbiz?
WHAT ELSE COULD YOU BUY?
You could get all the style you'd ever need in a coupe with an Alfa GTV, either the 2.0-litre for fewer dollars or the GTV V6 Coupe for similar money. If you wanted more substance than style, a Nissan 200SX S15 is in the ballpark.
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