Two incredibly exciting offerings
Audi TT 2.0-litre TFSI Roadster, TT 2.0 TFSI's 'S' Tronic Coupé
When the Motoring editor and I finished drooling over the Audi TT concept during its unveiling at the 1994 Frankfurt Motor Show, we both agreed that this design, if produced, would be a winner.
I have been incredibly lucky and have already test driven no fewer than three versions of the TT on local roads. Once again, I have been allowed to have a 'blast' around our new highways in an attempt to get a real feel for a car that has changed slowly from being a very pleasant 1.8-litre sports coupé into a truly remarkable 2.0-litre turbocharged sports car whether it's in Coupé form or Roadster guise.
This latest model is fit for anything that a local owner might wish to use either over here within our local motoring parameters, or abroad where the cars can be used to their full potential.
The Roadster, a dreadful Americanism for what most Europeans would happily call a true sports car, is the second generation from the Audi stable, and arguably superior in nearly every way to the original.
The test car came with a fully automatic hood and electrically operated anti-buffet screen to stop too much ruffling of the hair at very high speed. It made little or no difference until the car was travelling at well over 100 km/h, and then it was of increasing benefit.
A manual change was opted for, as the Coupé already tested came with a wonderful selection of automatic or semi-automatic options, but in reality fifth and sixth gears were only used here to pretend that the car enjoyed being used at less than 80 km/h, slap bang in the middle of second gear joy riding speeds.
The revised lines of the latest Roadster make this an Audi to hunger for, to passionately embrace parts of, as the speed builds up, and the sense of exhilaration rises to a crescendo. Actually, the whole wonderful symphony of riding this car to its full accelerative potential is comparable to a superb bit of Wagner being played at full throttle, which then seems to match the joy of handling a model from the same marque that has produced the outright winner for the past three years at the 24-hour speed race at Le Mans in France (see pages 14 and 15).
Inside, the ergonomics are faultless, dials and switches, vents and pedals; all carry the sporting tradition to new heights. Talking sports, a fine through-loading facility is available on option to carry skis or other cumbersomely long sporting objects and the boot, even with the hood folded away, is large enough for crafted bags to carry luggage on a full motoring holiday.
This car and, of course, the Coupé comes into their own in Malta, and to a lesser degree in Gozo, because we have strangely different road conditions and the Audi has a magnet ride system, which responds to changes incredibly quickly, while the adaptive damper system matches the Audi TT Roadster's chassis to road conditions in seconds.
As if this is not enough, break the speed limit, get up to 120 km/h, and the Roadster's rear spoiler extends automatically, dovetailing back into its housing when you chicken out and drop back to 80 km/h. However, if you don't want to annoy the authorities, a button can activate the spoiler whenever the desire overcomes you. Good thinking, Audi.
We carried out the compulsory high speed changes of direction and hands off braking at Ta' Qali, and the Audi really didn't want to break away, even under high 'G' turns, and from 100 km/h the car came to a halt in an absolutely straight line.
Yes, ABS was working overtime and the ASR Traction Control was in fact in control on the high 'G' test turns. This car is really most remarkably safe.
Petrol-engined vampire
These new models have been revamped around the earlier, absolutely stunning shape, now based on a wider platform and a lower centre of gravity while using the same fantastic engine as the Golf GTi. Although it's slightly detuned, developing 197 bhp against the 221 bhp in the Golf, it's 76 kg lighter than the Golf and with manual gear change gets to 100 km/h in 6.6 seconds, exactly the same time lapse of the Golf.
The Audi that came to hand, however, was the 'S'tronic automatic. This gets to 100 km/h in only 6.4 seconds, which means on the shortest straight bits of our new road system 100 km/h is reached with absolute ease, allowing local enthusiasts plenty of road space to play around with before the next bend arrives, and speed has to be adjusted around its curvature, not a demanding exercise in this wonderfully balanced sports car.
The new model is 13.7 cm longer, and 7.8 cm wider than of old, and, with its short overhangs at both front and rear and wider track, it not only looks good but handles far better than most sports cars, let alone coupés, and it is, not surprisingly, the 2007 class winner.
The boot is quite large as well, with 290 litres of space under normal motoring, going up to 700 litres with the rear seat backs folded forward (they split 50:50). So unlike the Roaster, the Coupé is a full four-seater. The doors, rear hatch and most of the platform are steel for balanced weight distribution but 69 per cent of the new TT's body weight is aluminium.
With this walloping good engine the acceleration, with direct fuel injection and turbo charging, allows near instant throttle responses and superb low-end traction, which makes for supremely easy, day-to-day motoring and startlingly quick motoring when the right foot is floored.
Transformed automatically
For two or three years the diesel engines that have come on test, with their remarkable 'grunt' at low engine revs, have encouraged me to respect them more and more, but the thought of an automatic change in anything other than a shopping car has not really interested me very much at all.
Until, of course, the Aston Martin DB9 was put through its paces, and the mind set was revised towards the idea that a modern automatic box was in fact a box full of delightful tricks. This idea, having driven the TT, is now firmly set, and, although old habits die hard, the idea that the acceleration times in an automatic can beat a manual change has set me firmly into a new means of enjoying acceleration.
The 'S'tronic gearbox allows the driver to really play games. The car can be left in 'Drive' and the pilot gets wafted along extremely fast, or the sports mode can be selected, and was, and in truth at considerably more than the local maximum, the darn thing was still in the third of its six forward speeds.
Or, by using the paddles on the steering, manual gear changes can be attempted. This, quite obviously takes time and practice to perfect, but was great fun.
Both Audis on test were the front-wheel-drive versions. But, of course, Audi also produce a four-wheel drive version and the 'S'tronic, which has a 3.2-litre engine that gets to the magic 100 km/h in 5.7 seconds, arguably may get round some corners slightly faster than the front-wheel drive, smaller engined car.
Many local drivers seem unaware that contemporary vehicles are pretty well balanced and do not require fists of iron gripping the steering wheel when turning or braking, which is why we always include hands-off-the-steering braking from various speeds up to our local 80 km/h 'magic' figure on the remains of the main runway at Ta' Qali. The Audi was treated to the same pleasurable moments, but at 100 km/h, using ABS to the full, the car stopped, most reassuringly quickly, and in an absolutely straight line as I expected.
It was truly exhilarating driving this car round a series of tightening bends. The steering is remarkably quick and the front end responds immediately with very little body-roll, even when going round and round on maximum lock, where the car remained rock steady with the electronic stabilisation programme, which links all the active safety systems supporting the braking and engine management systems working overtime.
On a selection of local roads the suspension was not remotely put out when enduring less than perfect road surfaces, thanks to the all-new multi-link suspension system.
All models of Audi have complex safety features, crumple zones, high speed reactive seat belts and, in the TT, two-stage full-size airbags, head-thorax side airbags in the front, plus side impact protection and the Audi back guard.
We have tested faster, more expensive cars, but seldom, if ever, ones that arouse the emotions as the TT has always done, and with the latest models providing such a degree of performance, road holding and comfort to go with their stunning looks, that a new era of motoring pleasure has been launched on the local scene.
At a glance
The Coupé Engine, in-line four cylinders, petrol engine with direct injection and exhaust gas turbocharging. Fuel, Super-plus unleaded. Displacement, 1,984 cc, four valves per cylinder. Max. bhp, 197 at 5,100-6,000 rpm. Max. torque (pulling power), 280 Nm at 1,800-5,000 rpm. Unladen weight, 1,260 kg. Top speed, 240 km/h. 0-100 km/h, 6.4 seconds. Combined fuel consumption, 7.7 litres/100 km. Dimensions, length 4,178 mm, width 1,952 mm (outside of mirrors), height 1,352 mm.
The Roadster Engine, fuel, displacement, max. BHP and max torque as in Coupé. Unladen weight, 1 295 kg. Top speed, 237 km/h. 0-100 km/h, 6.7 seconds. Combined consumption; 7.8 l/100 km. Dimensions, length and width as in Coupé, height 1,358 mm.
I have been incredibly lucky and have already test driven no fewer than three versions of the TT on local roads. Once again, I have been allowed to have a 'blast' around our new highways in an attempt to get a real feel for a car that has changed slowly from being a very pleasant 1.8-litre sports coupé into a truly remarkable 2.0-litre turbocharged sports car whether it's in Coupé form or Roadster guise.
This latest model is fit for anything that a local owner might wish to use either over here within our local motoring parameters, or abroad where the cars can be used to their full potential.
The Roadster, a dreadful Americanism for what most Europeans would happily call a true sports car, is the second generation from the Audi stable, and arguably superior in nearly every way to the original.
The test car came with a fully automatic hood and electrically operated anti-buffet screen to stop too much ruffling of the hair at very high speed. It made little or no difference until the car was travelling at well over 100 km/h, and then it was of increasing benefit.
A manual change was opted for, as the Coupé already tested came with a wonderful selection of automatic or semi-automatic options, but in reality fifth and sixth gears were only used here to pretend that the car enjoyed being used at less than 80 km/h, slap bang in the middle of second gear joy riding speeds.
The revised lines of the latest Roadster make this an Audi to hunger for, to passionately embrace parts of, as the speed builds up, and the sense of exhilaration rises to a crescendo. Actually, the whole wonderful symphony of riding this car to its full accelerative potential is comparable to a superb bit of Wagner being played at full throttle, which then seems to match the joy of handling a model from the same marque that has produced the outright winner for the past three years at the 24-hour speed race at Le Mans in France (see pages 14 and 15).
Inside, the ergonomics are faultless, dials and switches, vents and pedals; all carry the sporting tradition to new heights. Talking sports, a fine through-loading facility is available on option to carry skis or other cumbersomely long sporting objects and the boot, even with the hood folded away, is large enough for crafted bags to carry luggage on a full motoring holiday.
This car and, of course, the Coupé comes into their own in Malta, and to a lesser degree in Gozo, because we have strangely different road conditions and the Audi has a magnet ride system, which responds to changes incredibly quickly, while the adaptive damper system matches the Audi TT Roadster's chassis to road conditions in seconds.
As if this is not enough, break the speed limit, get up to 120 km/h, and the Roadster's rear spoiler extends automatically, dovetailing back into its housing when you chicken out and drop back to 80 km/h. However, if you don't want to annoy the authorities, a button can activate the spoiler whenever the desire overcomes you. Good thinking, Audi.
We carried out the compulsory high speed changes of direction and hands off braking at Ta' Qali, and the Audi really didn't want to break away, even under high 'G' turns, and from 100 km/h the car came to a halt in an absolutely straight line.
Yes, ABS was working overtime and the ASR Traction Control was in fact in control on the high 'G' test turns. This car is really most remarkably safe.
Petrol-engined vampire
These new models have been revamped around the earlier, absolutely stunning shape, now based on a wider platform and a lower centre of gravity while using the same fantastic engine as the Golf GTi. Although it's slightly detuned, developing 197 bhp against the 221 bhp in the Golf, it's 76 kg lighter than the Golf and with manual gear change gets to 100 km/h in 6.6 seconds, exactly the same time lapse of the Golf.
The Audi that came to hand, however, was the 'S'tronic automatic. This gets to 100 km/h in only 6.4 seconds, which means on the shortest straight bits of our new road system 100 km/h is reached with absolute ease, allowing local enthusiasts plenty of road space to play around with before the next bend arrives, and speed has to be adjusted around its curvature, not a demanding exercise in this wonderfully balanced sports car.
The new model is 13.7 cm longer, and 7.8 cm wider than of old, and, with its short overhangs at both front and rear and wider track, it not only looks good but handles far better than most sports cars, let alone coupés, and it is, not surprisingly, the 2007 class winner.
The boot is quite large as well, with 290 litres of space under normal motoring, going up to 700 litres with the rear seat backs folded forward (they split 50:50). So unlike the Roaster, the Coupé is a full four-seater. The doors, rear hatch and most of the platform are steel for balanced weight distribution but 69 per cent of the new TT's body weight is aluminium.
With this walloping good engine the acceleration, with direct fuel injection and turbo charging, allows near instant throttle responses and superb low-end traction, which makes for supremely easy, day-to-day motoring and startlingly quick motoring when the right foot is floored.
Transformed automatically
For two or three years the diesel engines that have come on test, with their remarkable 'grunt' at low engine revs, have encouraged me to respect them more and more, but the thought of an automatic change in anything other than a shopping car has not really interested me very much at all.
Until, of course, the Aston Martin DB9 was put through its paces, and the mind set was revised towards the idea that a modern automatic box was in fact a box full of delightful tricks. This idea, having driven the TT, is now firmly set, and, although old habits die hard, the idea that the acceleration times in an automatic can beat a manual change has set me firmly into a new means of enjoying acceleration.
The 'S'tronic gearbox allows the driver to really play games. The car can be left in 'Drive' and the pilot gets wafted along extremely fast, or the sports mode can be selected, and was, and in truth at considerably more than the local maximum, the darn thing was still in the third of its six forward speeds.
Or, by using the paddles on the steering, manual gear changes can be attempted. This, quite obviously takes time and practice to perfect, but was great fun.
Both Audis on test were the front-wheel-drive versions. But, of course, Audi also produce a four-wheel drive version and the 'S'tronic, which has a 3.2-litre engine that gets to the magic 100 km/h in 5.7 seconds, arguably may get round some corners slightly faster than the front-wheel drive, smaller engined car.
Many local drivers seem unaware that contemporary vehicles are pretty well balanced and do not require fists of iron gripping the steering wheel when turning or braking, which is why we always include hands-off-the-steering braking from various speeds up to our local 80 km/h 'magic' figure on the remains of the main runway at Ta' Qali. The Audi was treated to the same pleasurable moments, but at 100 km/h, using ABS to the full, the car stopped, most reassuringly quickly, and in an absolutely straight line as I expected.
It was truly exhilarating driving this car round a series of tightening bends. The steering is remarkably quick and the front end responds immediately with very little body-roll, even when going round and round on maximum lock, where the car remained rock steady with the electronic stabilisation programme, which links all the active safety systems supporting the braking and engine management systems working overtime.
On a selection of local roads the suspension was not remotely put out when enduring less than perfect road surfaces, thanks to the all-new multi-link suspension system.
All models of Audi have complex safety features, crumple zones, high speed reactive seat belts and, in the TT, two-stage full-size airbags, head-thorax side airbags in the front, plus side impact protection and the Audi back guard.
We have tested faster, more expensive cars, but seldom, if ever, ones that arouse the emotions as the TT has always done, and with the latest models providing such a degree of performance, road holding and comfort to go with their stunning looks, that a new era of motoring pleasure has been launched on the local scene.
At a glance
The Coupé Engine, in-line four cylinders, petrol engine with direct injection and exhaust gas turbocharging. Fuel, Super-plus unleaded. Displacement, 1,984 cc, four valves per cylinder. Max. bhp, 197 at 5,100-6,000 rpm. Max. torque (pulling power), 280 Nm at 1,800-5,000 rpm. Unladen weight, 1,260 kg. Top speed, 240 km/h. 0-100 km/h, 6.4 seconds. Combined fuel consumption, 7.7 litres/100 km. Dimensions, length 4,178 mm, width 1,952 mm (outside of mirrors), height 1,352 mm.
The Roadster Engine, fuel, displacement, max. BHP and max torque as in Coupé. Unladen weight, 1 295 kg. Top speed, 237 km/h. 0-100 km/h, 6.7 seconds. Combined consumption; 7.8 l/100 km. Dimensions, length and width as in Coupé, height 1,358 mm.