2008 Audi TT Coupe

An Icon Remade

The TT has been recast with a different look and more-powerful engines. Will it captivate as the original did?

Performance

Our Austrian adventure included both engine choices that will be offered in the U.S.: A 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder with 200 hp, and a 3.2-liter V6 with 250 hp.

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Buyers can choose a six-speed manual shifter or Audi’s optional S Tronic automatic (formerly called Direct Sequential Gearbox or DSG), a unique dual-clutch transmission that’s simply the best and most technically advanced on the market. The S Tronic can be driven like a typical, no-fuss automatic; drivers can also shift for themselves via either the console shifter or steering-wheel paddles. It’s far smoother and faster-shifting than automated manuals found on vastly more expensive BMWs and Ferraris .

The TT actually accelerates faster with the automatic transmission: The 2.0-liter model scoots from zero to 60 mph in a respectable 6.4 seconds; the V6-equipped TT does so in 5.7 seconds.

On the undulating, snaking roads of the Austrian Alps — a telling test of a car’s handling prowess — the TT proved a reasonably entertaining companion. The new TT feels more athletic than before, with improved steering and stability, especially when the roads opened up and we stormed again and again to triple-digit speeds.

Yet when the curves get tight, the TT remains limited by its nose-heavy nature. The Audi’s front tires begin to squeal and scrub off speed when pressed to their limits, displaying the understeer that better-balanced cars avoid. Bottom line, the TT is still not a purebred sports car in the mode of Porsche Caymans and Chevrolet Corvettes, or, for that matter, a Nissan 350Z.

In some ways, the less-expensive 2.0-liter turbocharged engine, with its versatile punch, is the better choice and more suited to the car’s nature. (It’s the standard engine on everything from the Audi A3 and A4 to the VW GTI and Passat.) In most real-world situations, it feels nearly as quick as the V6, yet its lighter weight and free-revving style make the TT seem more nimble and frisky.

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Unfortunately, the TT that many enthusiasts and budget-conscious buyers might prefer — a 2.0-liter model with quattro AWD — isn’t initially available, though Audi has hinted that it will rectify that situation. Pricing wasn’t announced as of publication time, but we expect there to be quite a leap in price from the 2.0-liter front-driver to the top-dog 3.2 quattro model.

An optional adaptive, adjustable suspension uses the same fast-acting, magnetically charged system found on the Corvette (tiny metal particles are suspended in the shock-absorbers’ fluid and allow the dampening rate to vary based on a magnetic current). Two settings, normal and sport, adjust ride and handling accordingly: The sport setting limits body roll through turns and sharpens the steering response. It’s a terrific system, though I felt the TT’s sport setting made the ride a bit too firm without dramatically boosting cornering ability.

Shortcomings aside, the TT is far from an all-show, no-go machine. It looks good, feels genuinely luxurious and is plenty quick enough to show the driver and passenger a good time.

Quattro models (those with AWD) give the TT a performance edge that’s often overlooked: Add the lightest sheen of rain, sleet or snow to the equation, or a typically dusty, crumbled back road, and the TT can keep hammering where rear-wheel-drive performance cars are forced to back off the pace. Only you can decide whether that’s worth the extra dough, though.